I've been playing my second go on Hard, and it's been easier than I expected. I play in realtime as a preference, because I find the tactical camera clunky and awkward in most spaces and I've mastered the finger keys. I tend not to use pause but I do have AE auto-pause turned on.
Do folks play in realtime on Nightmare or is the tactical cam a must?
Do folks play in realtime on Nightmare or is the tactical cam a must?
I used Tac cam much more in nightmare than I do on hard. Don't typically use it at all on normal or easy. I also used it more in the beginning of the game where it is more difficult. After Skyhold the game gets easier, even on nightmare. But I tend to use it like PapaCharlie9 - as a mix of both real time and tac cam.
PapaCharlie9 might also be my spirit animal. You decide.
On nightmare, I play predominantly in "normal" camera (I'm not quite sure why you're referring to it as "real time" as tactical cam is in real time too, but anyway...), switching to tactical mode when the AI is being particularly stupid or I need my companions to do something very specific.
I went from Casual after my first run to Nightmare right away and used the tactical cam quite some times at the beginning. As I progressed I almost never used it again except in emergencies 
I haven't played on Nightmare since then, but I consider to do another run at some point.
I'm playing NM right now and about the only time I use TC is to check enemy stats/buffs, and to move a ranged character back to ranged distance. Why Varric and Solas (and Dorian once he's in my party) insist on going nose to nose with enemies, I have no idea. I miss the days of being able to tell the AI, "If a ranged character is being attacked by a melee attack, have them run away to ranged distance." So simple, and yet apparently so hard for DAI to figure out.
@PapaCharlie.....I may have to try that no pause for AoE thing. I like pretty explosions! 
I'm playing NM right now and about the only time I use TC is to check enemy stats/buffs, and to move a ranged character back to ranged distance. Why Varric and Solas (and Dorian once he's in my party) insist on going nose to nose with enemies, I have no idea. I miss the days of being able to tell the AI, "If a ranged character is being attacked by a melee attack, have them run away to ranged distance." So simple, and yet apparently so hard for DAI to figure out.
The worst thing is that enemy archers sometimes run away, so it's clearly not beyond the capabilities of the AI....
@PapaCharlie.....I may have to try that no pause for AoE thing. I like pretty explosions!
I should mention that even at the best of times, with Pause, casting Barrier, Dispel, even Immolate, glitches sometimes. With AoE pause off, those glitches seem to happen more frequently. About once a battle I have to cast Barrier twice, because the first one doesn't "take".
Not that I'm saying don't turn pause off -- just that it comes with a cost.
About the only time I see casting glitches is when I'm up on a ledge or something and get moved during the cast so the barrier is ------> up there while I am now <----- down here. 
If you want the real nightmare difficulty be sure even ground, rest easy and travel light are turned on, and don't use the final overpowered potion/elixir upgrades. (the ones that at the broken extra effects)
Using that mode I generally play in real time, though. With a bit of tactical pause when it's needed which isn't often. (Even with my fix for the horrible camera it's still pretty clunky, so I avoid it when possible)
I just turned off Rest Easy in my game. I was ok with losing focus due to resting in or fast-traveling to a camp. However, I was not ok with losing focus simply for setting up a camp. I will turn it back on before I head to Emprise though, to get that last achievement.
Is there a tactical difference between Travel Light and Rub Dirt On It? You can mitigate both with Regen potion -- unless Rub Dirt On It also impacts Regen? I dunno, never tried either one.If you want the real nightmare difficulty be sure even ground, rest easy and travel light are turned on,
Is there a tactical difference between Travel Light and Rub Dirt On It? You can mitigate both with Regen potion -- unless Rub Dirt On It also impacts Regen? I dunno, never tried either one.
Regardless, Travel Light is mostly about resource management, while Rub Dirt is mostly about don't take damage, but the best way to do health potion resource management is to not take damage, so no tactical difference.
I would have preferred that Rub Dirt On It was based on the size of the party, like, your max health potions are divided by the size of your party, instead of just healing 1. That would incentivize running quests solo. It would also dovetail with Travel Light better.
My main issue with Rub Some Dirt On It is that it causes NPCs to develop a serious drinking problem.
Is there a tactical difference between Travel Light and Rub Dirt On It? You can mitigate both with Regen potion -- unless Rub Dirt On It also impacts Regen? I dunno, never tried either one.
Regardless, Travel Light is mostly about resource management, while Rub Dirt is mostly about don't take damage, but the best way to do health potion resource management is to not take damage, so no tactical difference.
I would have preferred that Rub Dirt On It was based on the size of the party, like, your max health potions are divided by the size of your party, instead of just healing 1. That would incentivize running quests solo. It would also dovetail with Travel Light better.
I don't like Rub Dirt on it since it feels like something I'd expect from a mod. Not sure about regen though, that's a good question.
But yeah, travel light felt like believable and more "old RPG" To me, that's why I went with it over Rub Dirt.
I don't like Rub Dirt on it since it feels like something I'd expect from a mod. Not sure about regen though, that's a good question.
But yeah, travel light felt like believable and more "old RPG" To me, that's why I went with it over Rub Dirt.
IIRC, it does affect regen tonics as well. The only health regen that I noticed working with the trial on was from Sing-Along from Encore. I've never crafted a healing mist, or even unlocked the recipe, so I can't say whether that would work.
I just finished a playthrough with all the trials on nightmare, no schematic imports or farming, and even then tactical was very seldom needed. It was most useful in the first few levels when the party is still very weak, some boss fights where people need to quickly move out of danger zones, and in Jaws of Hakkon where crowd control is needed.
For the healing potions trial, regeneration and healing mist indeed don't work, but you can get health recovery by crafting heal-on-kill items, and eventually many classes get some form of automatic healing: rogues need only two points for poisoned weapons (and later Lost in the Mist to absorb damage for the whole party), reavers and templars can pick up self-heals in their trees, necromancers' siphon still functions, as do "heal x% of recently taken damage" masterworks. So there's still a fair amount of margin for error and you can often recover from several members being knocked out.
I never use the tactical camera. I also disable auto pause during AoE targeting. Mind you, I'm a masochist and I'm at my happiest when I'm almost dead. In games, that is. lol
Also, the animations that happen when you disable auto-pausing are flippin' amazing. For example, when you're targeting with Immolate, your hands light on fire, and your character trembles a little bit. If you find that it makes some battles too difficult then you can always turn it back on, but personally I find that it makes the game feel so much more immersive when I'm playing a mage, so I just leave it off.
For maximum nightmarish fun, play solo with all trials on and auto-pause disabled.
For maximum nightmarish fun, play solo with all trials on and auto-pause disabled.
You are a special kind of insane. I'm kind of scared of you. 
I'm playing on NM atm with three trials enabled (Even Ground, Grizzly End and Take It Slow, I think) I rarely use tac-cam at all.
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