This has probably gone on too long already, but there is a point that needs to be made clearer.

- You are claiming that the inability to pause is a design flaw. Specifically this is a flaw for the offline player.

- But what is the function of the pause button in games akin to Dark Souls? It is simply to ensure that there can be no lives lost during a break in play for the player. Now let me ask you this, is it not possible to simply stand in a corner where you can't be spotted for as long as you like, thereby fulfulling the full purpose of the pause button? You can peacefully go to the toilet or have a joint or whatever and know for certain that you're still alive.

- If one wanted to pause a game mid battle, or after being spotted by the enemy, then:

1:The player might want to alter his equipment for the specific situation. This is clearly against the entire ethos of the Souls series, and it is much appreciated by the devout fans. (Of course you are not vying for this)

2:The player might want time to consider the best course of action. This is both unrealistic and again against the entire ethos of Souls. The fact that you have to ALWAYS be ready to fight IS THE VERY SUBSTANCE that gives these games life.

3:The player might want to catch his breath due to being caught off guard. This would take away the suspense of the game immeasurably.

But you're going to argue that these above 3 points are not what you are referring to. So now I ask you this, should a feature be implemented extraneously if it is implicitly possible to achieve without it's very presence!? Now you are the one causing difficulty, because there should be times where it's impossible to pause due to an enemy being alert to one's presence, or being mid battle, which would inherently changes the entire structure of the game and turn it into a mundane experience - but you're surely not referring to this.

The very fact that there is no pause button adds immensely to the game.

Well the bottom line is that pausing because the phone rings or there's some unimportant person at the door is not part of Dark Souls. You have to decide whether you want to live or die.

If you and Sven don't think that's downright awesome-kick-ass then feel free to complain about the status of your minority group. The rest of us don't want it and applaud it's absence.

If you think that the ability to pause the game takes away from the experience of Dark Souls, then it seems like you would also think that taking away the ability to pause the game during a survival horror game is necessary to not take away from the experience.  That we should also ignore a "minority group" that I'm not entirely sure really is minority.  Your argument isn't as strong as it seems.

I'm not making some elaborate argument.

The questions is simply whether the fact that you cannot pause adds to suspense, risk and the dread of losing one's life. If the answer is at all "YES" to these, then that's reason enough to keep it. BECAUSE SO FEW GAMES HAVE THESE QUALITIES ANYMORE.

There are a ton of dungeon crawlers where you can save every step. Why do you want to come and bastardize one that actually makes you feel like you're not playing a computer game?

Where are the good survival horror games these days eh? Heavily scripted and holding-your-hands nonsense.

...or you know, I'm mid battle and the telephone rings, or there is a knock at the door, or my partner wants me for something.  Your points are exaggerated opinion at best,

- I've already pointed out that a pause ability doesn't need to have anything to do with inventory so this 'need to prepare' argument is completely void. 

- Is nothing stopping someone using a guide to prepare for battle and know a tactic ahead of time, pausing to figure out a tactic is no different, if the player wants to cheapen the experience for themselves it is up to the player, failing to include basic game design features is not an excuse for this.

- Pause to catch breath during battle?   Who does that exactly, extremely fat people who exhaust themselves pressing buttons on a controller?  Is a straight up laughable excuse.


My points are real issues.  A door will knock unexpectedly, a phone will ring unexpectedly, there are a million real things that can not be avoid and aren't player choice if they happen and a pasue feature, a basic feature, is needed.  Is why the feature was invented, because of the real world interupting gaming.

Unless you're suggesting Dark Souls is a game for social hermits who have no friends to call them, no family or partners to interupt them and live miles away from anywhere so nobody will ever knock on a door.