Let' try to get a list of 20 examples of choices effecting events beyond the cutscene.

A lot is said about the voiceovers which I tended to enjoy initially, but not a lot about the other part of the game that was well touted - the ability to make decisions that will shape your journey. I think a lot of the sourness about the game for many of us stems in part from the illusion of choice. Were the game more honest about the linearity, fewer of us would have been so annoyed.

I can only remember a couple instances in flashpoints (pun noted) where the choice you make changes something outside of the cutscene itself. I am not talking about reputation gains or light/dark points. I mean changes what happens after the cutscene. Black Talon has you decide to kill or not kill a guy and that changes one boss. I think it is Red Reaper where you can decide to release, kill or leave the pure-blooded sith you find. If you release them, you have to fight them.

I can only remember 2 things that were dynamic. 1. I let a jedi live and had to kill here several levels later instead. As a Bounty Hunter on Hoth, I got the light side option to let some people keep their heat shields. That made me take insanely more damage from a story boss and resulted in the hardest fight in the game for my Bounty Hunter. But it didn't really change the game other than give me a debuff.

I remember being very careful with my choices until i experimented with doing things the quest giver wouldn't like and saw that the rewards didn't change and the only thing would be a little curtness or exasperation in tone. Nothing changed outside of the cutscene.

For me, that is when I got a little more comfortable with hitting the space bar (mid 40s on my first toon) and realized that the ILLUSION of choice was really turning me off. The game was being dishonest about my influence on events. It was trying to make me feel as if I could change things, but I couldn't.

I am wondering if we can even come up with 20 examples like this across all 8 storylines. That is just 5 examples of things you chose that shaped your journey differently than making the other choice would have.

And the choice to NOT pick a quest doesn't count, because that is just deciding NOT to do a quest and has no branching impact other than just NOT doing something.

Please - post the examples you can remember about your toons and let's see if we can get past 20 examples of the dynamic, player-led changes.

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

they didn't deliver what they said they would.

I'm impressed you found two. Outside of dark/light points, minor cinematic play changes, and mail you receive I haven't seen anything worthy of note.

The mail you receive seems to be the biggest change story line wise. Big woopity doo there

>_>

Originally posted by godzilr1

 

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

 

Youtube and conversations with guildies/other people who are online can bring those answers.

I have to add one - SPOILER - at the end of the BH line you can choose to kill the chancellor or the sith lord who sent you to kill him. BUT other than fighting one or the other, it does not mark you as a traitor to the empire or anything. You just go along your way again. No lasting effect.

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by godzilr1

 

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

 

Youtube and conversations with guildies/other people who are online can bring those answers.

I have to add one - SPOILER - at the end of the BH line you can choose to kill the chancellor or the sith lord who sent you to kill him. BUT other than fighting one or the other, it does not mark you as a traitor to the empire or anything. You just go along your way again. No lasting effect.

Woowww...

Do any NPCs atleast treat you different after choosing outside of cutscene?

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by godzilr1

 

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

 

Youtube and conversations with guildies/other people who are online can bring those answers.

I have to add one - SPOILER - at the end of the BH line you can choose to kill the chancellor or the sith lord who sent you to kill him. BUT other than fighting one or the other, it does not mark you as a traitor to the empire or anything. You just go along your way again. No lasting effect.

Woowww...

 

Do any NPCs atleast treat you different after choosing outside of cutscene?

No. They just stand there like they did before. Same rewards. No new branches or cut off branches. Same exact outcome. You just may not get something in the mail.

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by godzilr1

 

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

 

Youtube and conversations with guildies/other people who are online can bring those answers.

I have to add one - SPOILER - at the end of the BH line you can choose to kill the chancellor or the sith lord who sent you to kill him. BUT other than fighting one or the other, it does not mark you as a traitor to the empire or anything. You just go along your way again. No lasting effect.

Woowww...

 

Do any NPCs atleast treat you different after choosing outside of cutscene?

No. They just stand there like they did before. Same rewards. No new branches or cut off branches. Same exact outcome. You just may not get something in the mail.

Wtf I mean even BW's single player games managed this..

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by godzilr1

 

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

 

Youtube and conversations with guildies/other people who are online can bring those answers.

I have to add one - SPOILER - at the end of the BH line you can choose to kill the chancellor or the sith lord who sent you to kill him. BUT other than fighting one or the other, it does not mark you as a traitor to the empire or anything. You just go along your way again. No lasting effect.

Woowww...

 

Do any NPCs atleast treat you different after choosing outside of cutscene?

No. They just stand there like they did before. Same rewards. No new branches or cut off branches. Same exact outcome. You just may not get something in the mail.

Wtf I mean even BW's single player games managed this..

Actually they used to right up to Dragon Age II when you had to choose between helping the Templars or the Mages. In the end you had to take out both leaders of the perspective groups .So really your choice didn't seem to matter as much. And if you have been following some of the write ups about ME 3 you will notice the same trend in that the choice you made in ME 2 doesn't really affect the out come of anything.

Originally posted by Bakgrind

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by RizelStar

Originally posted by baritone3k

Originally posted by godzilr1

 

i think the problem you will have with this post is that you'll need someone that played the same class twice up to level cap making the oppose choices to get any answers. 

 

Youtube and conversations with guildies/other people who are online can bring those answers.

I have to add one - SPOILER - at the end of the BH line you can choose to kill the chancellor or the sith lord who sent you to kill him. BUT other than fighting one or the other, it does not mark you as a traitor to the empire or anything. You just go along your way again. No lasting effect.

Woowww...

 

Do any NPCs atleast treat you different after choosing outside of cutscene?

No. They just stand there like they did before. Same rewards. No new branches or cut off branches. Same exact outcome. You just may not get something in the mail.

Wtf I mean even BW's single player games managed this..

Actually they used to right up to Dragon Age II when you had to choose between helping the Templars or the Mages. In the end you had to take out both leaders of the perspective groups .So really your choice didn't seem to matter as much. And if you have been following some of the write ups about ME 3 you will notice the same trend in that the choice you made in ME 2 doesn't really affect the out come of anything.

Wow I am clueless and you are right, I'm trippin, I haven't played ME 2 in awhile but yea I do remember that the end choice didn't matter.

But didn't it matter in missions atleast? Like ehen you did something you'd talk to someone later and it mattered in a sense and revisiting areas and seeing changes, I still can't remember.

Because I know in ME 3 fearly you'll have in game choices that lead to loosing a member or not.

I have played a number of toons through to the end.

In only one circumstance has my decision or action made what, to me me, was a significant difference.

It was in the Sith Warrior storyline.

I had just completed some quest for Darth Zhorrid, yet another woman character written and acted like Sable Colby from Dynasty in the 80s (like Darth Zash, like Darth Lachris, like Ladra...etc Did the writers of this tosh think all British women are Stephanie Beecham?).

She said: 'Oh, I have a nice reward for you....' then she asked me a question. Because I knew that it didnt matter wjhat I said, I chose the rude answer and she said: 'All right then, no reward for you!'. And I was sent away without any quest loot.

This was the only time in the game, in [playing through three story arcs, that I felt something I said made a difference. Specifically, it showed me that Darth Zhorrid truly was a cunt.

Effect = noun

Affect= verb

Name 20 MMOs that give you choices...

Originally posted by Snaylor47

Name 20 MMOs that give you choices...

They nearly all do... picking a race is a choice customizing is a choice leveling up in a certain area is a choice and I could go on and on.

Originally posted by Maztrim

Effect = noun

Affect= verb

Horribly incorrect.

Affect can be a noun as "His impassive expression showed a flat affect".

Effect can be a verb: 'You will effect these changes on Monday".

Originally posted by Snaylor47

Name 20 MMOs that give you choices...

Is it really choices if it doesn´t affect the game?

AoC also offers you "choices" although fewer than TOR. There you can get extra rewards at time but the only quest I know in it where your choices really matters is that quest where you are trying to ficure which one of 3 guys is a thief, you can either outsmart the thief or threaten him to admit or you fail the quests.

I wish both AoC and TOR had more quests like that.

Originally posted by RizelStar

 

Wow I am clueless and you are right, I'm trippin, I haven't played ME 2 in awhile but yea I do remember that the end choice didn't matter.

 

But didn't it matter in missions atleast? Like ehen you did something you'd talk to someone later and it mattered in a sense and revisiting areas and seeing changes, I still can't remember.

Because I know in ME 3 fearly you'll have in game choices that lead to loosing a member or not.

I remember some distinct changes depending on decisions made in ME1 that carried over to two. An example would be the council and the effect it had whether you saved them or not there were many differences in who you'd see and where they were within the universe. There were also within ME2 choices that effected which companions you would have, these choices were in ME1 as well.

They said early on in development that choices you make will have long term effects.

Then later on they recanted saying that they didn't like gameplay choices that made you feel stuck that you couldn't take back later. 

Thats why they went with dark side and light side not having much difference...   Only cosmetic and thats it...

Kinda disapointing.

Now I'm starting to wish I wrote down all the little changes I've noticed in my play through.  The thing is, unless you're playing the same character twice taking the opposite path, how would you know if it's different?  Maybe I misunderstood the point.


I remember back on Quesh, I was leveling with my wife and friend.  My friend was going dark side while we were mostly light.  He happened to pickup a quest without us, thus altering what needed to be done.  The thing is we weren't aware of this and it took us a while to figure out why we had such completely different objectives for the same quest.  (We'd been taking quests together up until this point)


There's also smaller things like previously spared NPCs showing up in cut scenes a chapter or two later.  Granted it's not like 'ZOMG HERE I COME TO SAVE YOU AND CHANGE THE STORY' showing up but it's definitely one of those 'hey, I remember saving you' gratifying 'alive' stories that most MMOs simply don't have.  They even fought with me as reinforcements at one point... not like I need them.  I imagine they'd just be generic jedi had I chose not to save them.


Having already leveled a Trooper and my wife being one perma-duo's with my JK, there's definitely been some key differences in our stories.  I'm sorry I can't site the differences (although they'd be spoilers and don't belong here) but it has been different in what the two of us have had to do along our ways.


Ultimately, the choices and their effects are there, you just have to be looking for them.  You also need a base for comparison otherwise it seems like your choices didn't matter.  Unfortunately, they are very watered down and bland (for the most part) as to be easy on the MMOers and not force them into a certain route due to outcome.   It's much like what GW2 talks about in trying to keep the dynamic events from turning into "NO GUYS!  FAIL THIS PART!  THE OUTCOME IS BETTER' which takes away all 'choice' of the matter and undermines it's very existence.

 

Originally posted by Maztrim

Effect = noun

Affect= verb

verb (used with object)

Just realized someone already refuted your claim. But I will leave this here anyway.

Affect and Effect are tough. Depends on how purist you want to be.

"Impacted" isn't really a word in the sense of "to impact", but I think this one will join "effect" and "affect" as expanded usage sinks in.

Language is alive. That pet peeve your teacher in x year of school had about certain words being used incorrectly... well, things change. Grammar, as well, changes.