UPDATED: Developer-Friendly & Condensed Proposal for an In-Game Pause: Pausing Character, Not Game

The issue with Portal Scrolls is they don’t stay up very long, and do not help in situations where you need to Pause the game immediately, perhaps because you have to run to the restroom or whatever else that may cause you to do a rushed AFK. Another reason using a Portal Scroll for AFKing is flawed because in some cases you may run low on Scrolls, have bad luck with their drop rate or lack the materials to buy them from the Vendor whether before or after battle. This is a rare case scenario for later on in the game, but can still happen.

While I understand the limitations and mechanics behind Portal Scrolls (which is not necessarily what I have a problem with,) they do not always make for an effective AFK / Pause Game method.

And let's not lie to ourselves and put Portal Scrolls on such a high-standing pedestal because they too have a much greater loophole in them for exploitation than what I propose given all the penalties and specifications outlined further on. Currently, players can Portal their way to success vs. enemies and Bosses, right? Right . . . The point is no system or feature is exactly perfect, but developers and people with ideas do the best they can to mitigate vulnerability to abuse.

The difference between my proposal here for an in-game Pause vs. a Portal Scroll is 1. An in-game Pause doesn't grant you access to your Stash, Vendors or Quests from NPCs in Town, and 2. What I propose for an in-game Pause only lets players Pause the game, for them only (nothing more,) when they need to with wait time penalties and other penalties detailed in this Thread.

The above is not implying my idea is better than a Portal Scroll.

An in-game Pause, Portal Scrolls and Waypoints do not cancel each other out so as to make each other obsolete in that players are still going to use Portal Scrolls and Waypoints, as well as the in-game Pause feature granted GGG implements this.

I am covering all this ground because someone here in the commentaries likes to continue relating what I propose for an in-game Pause to Portal Scrolls when there is clearly differentiation between the two features and how they operate.

They seem alike but they're not.

==============================================
NOTE: The idea of a Pause in Multi-Player talked about in this Thread is not to be assumed a definite pause like in Single-Player where everything on the screen becomes still. When pausing when in a Party, only your character stays still; when pausing when by yourself, either the same thing applies, or, there would be a definite Pause where everything becomes still. However, the wait time penalties, described further on, would still apply.
==============================================

Some, not all this was thought up by PoE User: Nurvus:

Everything stated here can be easily changed by GGG if considered.

1. A Pause takes 5 seconds to initiate
2. There is a 10 second wait time before you can Pause again.

3. If used Bandwidth is a problem due to too many paused players in instances, then AFKed/Paused players only who are in an instance for more than 8 minutes immediately get sent back to Town and their Portal(s), closed. Because of this penalty, players will most likely close their game entirely if they know they'll be AFK for more than 8 minutes when pausing. This penalty does not apply to those who AFK in instances without pausing via ESC Menu.

4. When paused in a Party the text "AFK" is placed above the paused player's head only.
5. Whether playing alone or with a Party, when paused, only the paused player is temporarily IGNORED by enemies as if the area doesn't recognize the paused player. When gameplay is resumed they are vulnerable again. (Read #7 for more info)
6. Pausing the game does not affect other players, enemies OR Bosses if a paused player is in a Party or playing alone.

7. To counteract AFKed players exploiting the Pause feature for tanking enemies and Bosses, players with the floating text "AFK" above their heads would be IGNORED by enemies and their attacks, spells and projectiles until they Exit the ESC Menu and resume gameplay.

8. The game doesn't recognize you as being in the area at all, and therefore:
9. You do not get XP (when paused only)
10. You do not get Items (when paused only)
11. You do not get Quest Progression (when paused only)
12. You do not provide Item Quantity or Quality Boost to Party (when Paused only)

"

Nurvus wrote:

I still think in addition to taking 5 seconds to initiate, you should have to be at full health/energy shield, and if there is the concept of "in combat" you must be out of combat.

This should be something you can only use between fights, never during fights.

The problem with that is players are going to get constant messages telling them, "You can only Pause Game when full on health." This will not only become an annoyance (to me it would,) but it beats the purpose of the type of Pause my Thread here talks about and its use.

Another person in the commentaries said:

"

Hercanic wrote:

Singleplayer pausing I am all for. Multiplayer pausing, less so. It does not have the same level of usefulness, its exploitability requires a convoluted set of rules just to avoid it, and it detracts from the point of being in a party to begin with.

To which I replied:

"

HeavyMetalGear wrote:

Not everyone that's in a Party can predict whether or not they have to AFK or not, notably due to countless IRL reasons whatever they are. If duty calls (hopefully I don't have to emphasize on that,) or if you have to immediately AFK, then you have to AFK! You cannot always control the reasons you have to AFK be it you're in a Party or not. Aside from that, it is to my great guess that 8 in 10 people, at least, party up for the right reasons even if they do AFK a short time.

Even without the in-game Pause feature, players still cower away somewhere else on the map, leech, and AFK. Seriously, what's there to argue? These things are done already through the power of ancient free will. And I guess you and everyone else reading my Thread seems to forget that if long periods of AFKing, leeching or cowering away (not helping) takes place, guess what? it's called kicking players from the Party who do this."

That being said, the in-game Pause feature (when used in Parties) will most likely only be used in short spurt intervals in that the AFKing player will forewarn everyone he or she is AFKed. To check if they're lying or not, all the Party Members have to do is see if their location is changing, then, that's when you know they're leeching. The in-game Pause feature how I propose it will also most likely be more revered between Friends you play with in-game.

lets think about when i would want to pause. if i want to exploit the game then im fighting when i pause. if im not exploiting then im not fighting and i can just use a portal.