DAO was created to be a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate (Bioware lost the D&D licence and couldn't make another BG, so they created their own fantasy setting), so it mimics (in some aspects) elements of the Infinity engine's Real Time with Pause (RTwP) combat. Classic isometric style CRPGs are always either turn based or RTwP, as they allow the player to micromanage the actions of their party to a degree that isn't possible with real time combat. DAO is unusual in that it attempted to marry elements of the RTwP gameplay of BG with a more modern style of presentation and WoW influenced cool down management.bartholen said:I'm going to give it one more try. I just don't understand this thing about constantly pausing the game. Where's the game flow in that? If I need to kill the pace of the combat constantly to be able to make strategic decisions, why is it in real time to begin with? Is this one of those archaic design elements that has retro appeal? At least in X-Com or Darkest Dungeon I can take my time, weigh my options and focus on a single element at a time.
In answer to your question, yes, it's a feature of some of the most loved CRPGs ever made. There have also been a number of more recent CRPGs that have also adopted this style of gameplay specifically to appeal to fans of the Infinity engine classics; Shadowrun Returns, Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity, Divinity: Original Sin, and Torment: Tides of Numenera being the most notable examples of modern retro styled CRPGs.
If you don't want to micromanage your party, setting up AI behaviour (the Tactics system) for your party is sufficient most of the time, but you will still need to take manual control from time to time. A good Tactics setup will allow your party to pretty much run itself, leaving you free to just control your character. This guide explains how to set up party tactics - https://youtube.com/watch?v=sM4cFwGQBno
If you want optimal tactics builds, you can probably find them online, though with the closure of the Bioware forums, it's possible some of the guides have been lost.