The design director at Obsidian pinpointed the exact period when he thinks turn-based systems hit their lowest point.

In real-time-with-pause (RTWP) systems, you can stop the action at any moment to issue commands, but you can’t directly control characters like in an action game, and there are no clearly defined turns. Examples of this format include the original Baldur’s Gate games, Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age: Origins. The early Fallout titles had satisfying combat and great character progression, but they offered little variation in what players could do each turn, and companions often acted on their own. Since Fallout 3, the VATS system has let players target enemies’ eyes or groin with cinematic precision.

Sawyer believes that RTS unit variety and skill ceilings—think StarCraft or Command & Conquer—made the genre a natural influence on RPGs. BioWare designers who championed RTWP likely followed the same pattern: warriors and archers offered accessible, click-to-attack gameplay, while rogues and mages introduced more micro-heavy strategies.

“The complexity flattened”

“I think the success of RTWP in the late ’90s was because RTS games were so prevalent. Turn-based games didn’t offer much tactical variation back then. I love Fallout, and the combat feels great, but eventually you just end up doing nut shots and eye shots over and over again, trying to land triple criticals through armor. You use sniper rifles and plasma rifles just for that. It’s still satisfying, but the tactical depth vanishes—or rather, the complexity flattens out,” Sawyer said.

“With Baldur’s Gate 3, I think there’s just a lot to do. So much control. I will say the UI could be tighter or more user-friendly, but it gives you a ton of options—and it’s just fun. It’s fun to play turn-based, which hasn’t often been the case—or at least wasn’t in the past. I’m sure there’s still a market for RTWP games, but it seems like a niche now,” he added.

Honestly, it’s hard to argue with his logic, isn’t it?

Source: PCGamer