Define the "soft pause during single play" and give an example.

[Dave Phenomus]

Definition

I would define the soft pause, during single play, as a pause that will not impede the view of the current conditions in the game and the gamer can create a save point and queue (unlimited or limited) commands to individual characters.The opportunity to close the GUI (with a hot-key or button) and open the pause menu(s), that can be closed and opened repeatedly (with a hot-key or button), during the soft pause could be constructive. More camera control such as 360 degree viewing with more zoom may be beneficial.

Example

One example I would give, in Northgard, is before a battle. The gamer would be able "soft pause", create a save point, control the camera, strategize, queue commands, resume and watch what happens. The gamer would also be able go back and forward in time through multiple save points (without reloading the game).