The Escape Button

[Gunslingerjh]

How often do you press it when you encounter an unexpected monster?
(Just look at all the let's plays of Amnesia).

I noticed that some people use it to recover after a scare and think about their next move.

I think the game should keep running in the background when you go into menus. That way there is no "easy way out" of a monster encounter.
What do you guys think?

[Bridge]

It is a stupid idea. The escape button is there to pause the game no matter what is going on. If people choose to pause the game out of fear that is their choice, and sometimes circumstances totally unrelated to what is taking place in-game mandate a pause. Any well-designed game should take into account and respect this basic fact of gaming, and not try to deceive the player for ill-earned shock.

As for me, I don't pause (except for maybe after the dust has metaphorically settled).

[Kreekakon]

Escape/Pause should never really be removed from the game for a simple reason: It is still a game which you are playing in a real world. Sometimes issues arise in the real world which would temporarily require the player to leave their seat, and come back later, such as going to the bathroom.

You can do the "non-pause" with inventory screens I suppose, but at the end of the day you'll still need some sort of pause function in your game.

It is not a wise choice at all to hamper the player's convenience in an "attempt" to get them/force them to be more devoted to a game.

[LordGubGub]

I think the game should only pause when you press the escape button, but not when reading notes or opening inventory. Just like Penumbra. I liked how the game only paused when you pressed escape, it made me really paranoid.

[BAndrew]

I think this is a bad idea for the reasons the above three posts stated. I won't rewrite them.

[felixmole]

I think it's stupid to both escape on a monster sequence and also to disable that possibility.

[Diz]

I think it would be interesting to see how the game would turn out with the game not freezing upon pressing the escape button. If you really need to take a break from the game, you could press "save and exit". I feel it gives the player some breathing room which should not be allowed. If you need break from the game, quit it entirely and resume when ready.

I understand that in some cases, this would be unfair, but at the same time, pressing "esc" at will just because you need to think for a second is also a little cheap.

[Macgyverthehero]

Sometimes if I play amnesia and get SCARED TO FUCKING DEATH by something VERY SCARY I have to go to the bathroom before I shit myself. That is why the pause button is there so you don't shit yourself.

[Bridge]

I think it would be interesting to see how the game would turn out with the game not freezing upon pressing the escape button. If you really need to take a break from the game, you could press "save and exit". I feel it gives the player some breathing room which should not be allowed. If you need break from the game, quit it entirely and resume when ready.

I understand that in some cases, this would be unfair, but at the same time, pressing "esc" at will just because you need to think for a second is also a little cheap.

It simply is not your or anybody else's place to make that decision for the player. The act of forcing someone to adhere to another person's ideals is known as fascism. Just because you feel people should play the game a certain way does not mean everyone should play it that way. Let's be real here, you are not truly concerned about how other people experience the game, are you? If you aren't, let it go and don't argue the merits of a crippling design flaw which has no benefits. If you personally want the benefits you think this idea presents, don't pause, and leave other people to decide for themselves.

[7heDubz]

I think it would be interesting to see how the game would turn out with the game not freezing upon pressing the escape button. If you really need to take a break from the game, you could press "save and exit". I feel it gives the player some breathing room which should not be allowed. If you need break from the game, quit it entirely and resume when ready.

I understand that in some cases, this would be unfair, but at the same time, pressing "esc" at will just because you need to think for a second is also a little cheap.

Think about the last of us. Whilst in your backpack to game still rages on around you making you have to think fast, however, if i really to to take a break there is that start button right there.

That was a good idea, but to take away the "pause" of a pause menu? what if say my mouse dies and i can only hit esc but not save and exit? That poses a problem. Mice are historically prone to dieing at the worst, possible, time.