It seems to me that Bioware promised us deep stories where your choices matter and can actually change things. Maybe I read to much into that. But now that I've gotten fairly deep into four different class stories, from what I've seen none of the class stories branch out at all. None of the choices you make have any consequences, or change anything. It's really the 'illusion of choice' that one of the lead designers so infamously stated as one of their design philosophies.

 

Still, am I the only one that is disappointed that each story appears to be a strait line with no real choice or consequences? Maybe I just haven't played any that do have those things (and if that's the case, it seems to me they should ALL do that). I'm deep in Chapter 2 of Smuggler, early Chapter 2 Consular, and late Chap 1 with Imperial Agent and Trooper and I have yet to see a choice in the story that leads to anything else but the linear path.

How do you know it hasn't branched out?

 

The only way to know for sure is to play through the same class twice, but make different choices to see the ultimate outcome later in the game.

Crafty reply lol. Most games with a branching storyline, you know when a branch happens because some major choice comes up, or the game changes in such a way that you know what you just did changed things.

 

I suppose they could branch it out and you wouldn't know it, but why make things so subtle?

When I saw your thread, I thought it was going to be about the advanced classes not going into different story lines once chosen. Kind of disappointed that wasn't what you were getting at. I'm leveling my main character (Jedi Consular Sage) with a buddy of mine playing a Jedi Consular Shadow. It's been a big disappointment that we're both doing the exact same story line even though we picked different advanced classes. It doesn't even save us time, because very often only one of us gets credit for completing the quest when we both go into the zone together. So we may as well have different stories.

 

As for your actual subject matter, I can agree it'd be pretty awesome if your conversation response choices actually had some major implications towards your future story line. Other than just light side/dark side points that is. Granted...I haven't tried to go Light with an imperial character or dark with a republic character, so I have no idea how much or if it affects the end story at all by doing that.

When I saw your thread, I thought it was going to be about the advanced classes not going into different story lines once chosen. Kind of disappointed that wasn't what you were getting at. I'm leveling my main character (Jedi Consular Sage) with a buddy of mine playing a Jedi Consular Shadow. It's been a big disappointment that we're both doing the exact same story line even though we picked different advanced classes. It doesn't even save us time, because very often only one of us gets credit for completing the quest when we both go into the zone together. So we may as well have different stories.

 

As for your actual subject matter, I can agree it'd be pretty awesome if your conversation response choices actually had some major implications towards your future story line. Other than just light side/dark side points that is. Granted...I haven't tried to go Light with an imperial character or dark with a republic character, so I have no idea how much or if it affects the end story at all by doing that.

 

I kinda though they were probably the same once you chose your advanced class but I didn't know for sure, so I didn't mention it. But you are right, that is another issue I'd like to see them change at some point. Considering just how different some of the advanced classes are to each other, the stories should also change. It's another example of the linearity of lack of branching stories or actual choice.

It branched out for the SW.

Their are a few choices that have some ramifications latter on:

 

The Agent one:

 

 

As for the SI: I played up to 38, got really bored and can't stand the storyline. Not sure if it had any big change options in the plot.

 

 

So I think the planet,

, might be the planet where all characters make a some what serious choice that has an effect latter on.

This is an MMORPG, they can only do so much with it. If you can do better, give it a try.

Except that would require cause and effect for almost every decision in teh game, a potential branching off for countless encounters. I would like it, it would be amazing, but if they branched off based off of decisions, what happens if I and my friend are Troopers, and I spare a guy that my buddy kills, and he ends up on a completely different questline than me, and I want to help? I can't help him because he's on a total tangent from my storyline, and there is nothing I could do about it?

 

It'd be great for a Single Player RPG, but not for an MMO.

Except that would require cause and effect for almost every decision in teh game, a potential branching off for countless encounters. I would like it, it would be amazing, but if they branched off based off of decisions, what happens if I and my friend are Troopers, and I spare a guy that my buddy kills, and he ends up on a completely different questline than me, and I want to help? I can't help him because he's on a total tangent from my storyline, and there is nothing I could do about it?

 

It'd be great for a Single Player RPG, but not for an MMO.

 

You could still help out by going into his phase. It is just like how you go into the storyline for a different class even though it has nothing to do with your story.

Even if the stories branched at only one spot halfway into the game, that would add another 20 hours of content for each class. It's not really feasible.

i agree, unfortunately this is so far very linear in storyline so far. but thats what BW is famous for, is its stories within the game.

 

i've played Everquest 2 for 7 years, although there was no definitive storyline behind your class of character, you would follow a certain path yourself. both good (Qeynos) and evil (Freeport), were able to adventure together on the same quests/missions. world events would involve both sides BUT not be 1 sided (basically threats to everyones exsistance).

 

so far all the FPs / Ops are basically, "get this before the Imperials do" and for them "must not let it fall in Republic hands". what they need to do is put in MORE neutral or "third" party universal threats, ones that would have both the Republic and Imperials join forces to vanquish.

 

but TOR is young, and it can evolve. i just hope BW sees the importance of such possibilities and uses them wisely. if done correctly, i can forsee TOR being even greater than SWG, they just need to take was done successfully in SWG and run with it.

one thing to is that this game has little in the way of third party factions, everything revolves around the war or coming war. Also from what im aware the IA story has a ton of different endings....well so does everyclass

While it would be great if every decision our toons made had a lasting impact, it's logistically impossible. Between the eight classes and the number of quests available, we're talking about a near infinite number of possible realities; it simply can't be done.

Now why should the advanced classes have different stories? Taking the consular for example, you are the ONLY Jedi capable of curing the plague affecting the masters; this story is established before you even choose your advanced class. The AC determines your style of play, nothing more.

As for not getting experience in the phase with your friend of the same class, it says plainly that only one of that particular class is allowed per phase. This was put in by BioWare to slow down the leveling process and prevent 4 friends from speed leveling their same toons.

one thing to is that this game has little in the way of third party factions, everything revolves around the war or coming war. Also from what im aware the IA story has a ton of different endings....well so does everyclass

 

I dunno... after finishing the trooper line we distinctly lacked choices that mattered at the end :/

I think that your choices make minor changes to things, but not enough to affect your overall class story arc. I was doing a quest with my SW and the inevitable 'kill or do not kill' option came up. I chose to not kill, trying to gain light side points. The people I did not kill then helped me in a fight soon thereafter. I assume that if I chose to kill them, then they would obviously not then be around to help out in the fight. Of course, this would not have any real effect on storyline but does add a little diference to how you approach certain battles. It's not much, but I think that's all we've got. I can see how it would be very difficult to implement it into actual storyline on a scale such as this.

Even if the stories branched at only one spot halfway into the game, that would add another 20 hours of content for each class. It's not really feasible.

 

Sure it would. It would mean your class quests might become more than a single blip per quest hub, meaning you had to spend less time doing the stupid "kill x pick up y" side quests in the game.