...maintaining that ability to switch between turn-based mode and real-time. It makes game-play so much easier, and IMO it's especially important for parties having a significant magic component. AFAIK, nobody has been able to make a decent fist of controlling a wizard's different spells and maintaining a decent rate of fire in real-time. I remember trying to play Baldur's Gate, and finding that combat was virtually uncontrollable. I could never keep my wizards close enough for their spells to have a significant effect without getting them killed. I finally gave up in disgust.I also much prefer first-person view (FPV). Top-down or angle-down makes me feel like a puppetteer. I also prefer parties to single-person. The only single-person FPV RPG games I ever found with a single character who had a decent spread of abilities was the paladin in the two Ultima Underworld games.
