Is there no way to pause?

[argentum2f]

If not - can we add this feature? My friend and I both have kids, and it can be impossible to play 25-30min without interruptions sometimes. And this is not a game where someone can just be afk for 60 seconds without serious consequences.

[Dwarfurious]

You can pause in Solo, but not in a multiplayer game. Starting a private game alone does not count as solo. Just hit escape in solo to pause.

[Gildemesh]

Would be nice to have a pause button for multiplayer, but probably keep it for private games only if it were implemented. Would suck if the host just suddenly paused a public lobby, or if everyone voted to pause to troll others.

[Juice]

Or implement a pause feature similar to Starcraft 2's. You can pause (limited to 2 per person), and anyone can unpause.

[argentum2f]

Yea, there are several easy options I think:
1. Only allow host to pause
2. Only allow pauses on solo with a friend, or private games
3. Allow all players to pause and unpause (and limit number of pauses)
4. Allow any player to initiate a pause - but all others (or a majority) must confirm - same for unpause
5. Limit pausing ability at higher difficulty levels (if you're worried it will make things easier)
6. Save/Resume mission feature (I think this would be nice.... but most missions are short enough that most other players wouldn't really need to make use of it, and this would probably be the most difficult to implement)

Also - pausing could be integrated into the game world by requiring that players meet at the mule or the drop ship and push a button or something. Breaktime!

[Benjedi]

Me too. I'm getting really tired of this approach to 'pause' in multiplayer. The discussion has been had in many other games and usually ignored. I bought two copies of the game so that my son and I could play it together, and we hardly ever can because we'll be interrupted at some point, and then we're dead. He doesn't want to play it anymore because we can never finish a game, and I'm starting to feel much the same way.

I get it for online and that's fine, but please Devs, implement a pause for local multiplayer. Or as others have suggested, for private games.

[GrimRJak]

What a parent thing to think that you can PAUSE an online multiplayer game.

[Rylanor the Unyielding]

if you have a driller and a engineer you can dig a hole and block the entrance. But don't take too long waves will spawn while you're afk taking a leak and they will be waiting for you.
It can be quite deadly trying to leave.

[Benjedi]

Originally posted by GrimR Jak:

What a parent thing to think that you can PAUSE an online multiplayer game.

Yeah, thanks for that. If you'd actually read and understood what I wrote then you'd have noticed that's not what I was suggesting. Oh, and yeah, sorry, I'm a parent. Might happen to you one day too.

[Benjedi]

Originally posted by Wiawyr:

Originally posted by Benjedi:

Me too. I'm getting really tired of this approach to 'pause' in multiplayer. The discussion has been had in many other games and usually ignored. I bought two copies of the game so that my son and I could play it together, and we hardly ever can because we'll be interrupted at some point, and then we're dead. He doesn't want to play it anymore because we can never finish a game, and I'm starting to feel much the same way.

I get it for online and that's fine, but please Devs, implement a pause for local multiplayer. Or as others have suggested, for private games.

Sweet two month necro bruh. Do you not have the ability to dedicate time to your son? If you can't play a video game with him without being interrupted for 15 minutes, then how do you do anything else without the same problem? You need to show him that he's a priority to you. If the game had a pause function, all it would do is let you spend more time on whatever the interruption is instead of hurrying to get back to the game.

Well, the game usually goes for 40+ minutes for us. And dedicating time to him is exactly what I'm trying to do. Little things like (say) toilet stops, Mum gets home from work and it would be rude to just sit there and ignore her, dinner is ready, etc. Between work, school, sport, life, siblings, etc, there's not always great chunks of uninterrupted time available.

Please show a little respect, not everyone has the same time availability and lifestyle.

All I'm asking for is to activate a feature that's essentially already developed, and that won't affect public online play in any way. In fact, if it gets more people interested in playing the game rather than turning them away, then ultimately some of those folks will play online too, which is a benefit to online play.

[Benjedi]

Originally posted by Wiawyr:

Originally posted by Benjedi:

Well, the game usually goes for 40+ minutes for us. And dedicating time to him is exactly what I'm trying to do. Little things like (say) toilet stops, Mum gets home from work and it would be rude to just sit there and ignore her, dinner is ready, etc. Between work, school, sport, life, siblings, etc, there's not always great chunks of uninterrupted time available.

Please show a little respect, not everyone has the same time availability and lifestyle.

All I'm asking for is to activate a feature that's essentially already developed, and that won't affect public online play in any way. In fact, if it gets more people interested in playing the game rather than turning them away, then ultimately some of those folks will play online too, which is a benefit to online play.

Right, I'm concerned about you not making your son your priority and you tell me to be respectful. No idea what your disconnect is, but I'm not dealing with it.

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause offense. Your comment seemed well intended; perhaps we just have different perspectives on the nature of interruptions.

In any event, I don't see how adding a pause function to local multiplayer or private games is going to adversely affect anyone else playing the game. It's a trivial amount of development work, and it will make the game significantly more accessible for a lot of people.

[Karl Co.]

From a parent's perspective: I totally understand you. I have two sons, 2 and 8. The big one is only here every 14 days for the weekend. He is not allowed to play any shooters until he turns twelve. When we play games, stuff like Gang beasts, Guacamelee or Octodad, we play together.

My younger son is obviously too small to play, so my girlfriend and I have an agreement that I have my fix gaming times, where she covers my back and keeps our little one away from the monitor. I find the images which are displayed too harsh for him to digest.

So, if there would be a Pause function in open Multiplayer, I'd literally have to give away my dedicated gametime for others to take care of their children or other "duties". I agree with a Pause function for Solo and private games, though.

[Chibbity]

I mean, I feel for you guys, but this falls into the same boat as supporting SLI, or Linux, or VR, or any other niche player demand.

User base is too small to be a priority. Time and effort is better spent on things that the majority of your players will benefit from.

[Karl Co.]

Very true.

And you don't have to feel for me, Chibs :D
Being a parent is great.
Only sucks that you can't come home and play 8 hours until 4 pm anymore. That really sucks.
Time is such a valuable thing. Use it.

[Buntkreuz]

while i dont ned it, i upvote it.
There should be a pause with conditions for those who need it.

[Benjedi]

Originally posted by Chibbity:

I mean, I feel for you guys, but this falls into the same boat as supporting SLI, or Linux, or VR, or any other niche player demand.

User base is too small to be a priority. Time and effort is better spent on things that the majority of your players will benefit from.

I don't think it's in the same boat as supporting an entirely new architecture. The game already has a pause functionality developed, it's just a matter of switching it on for some other game types rather than just solo. And I doubt the proportion of the user base that would value this as an option is as small as you might think.