Can we get choices that really matter and have a effect?

[Packetdancer]

Funnily enough there are replacement characters that actually fill both the role of Wrex, and Mordin.

Mass Effect is actually a masterclass in the illusion of consequence. There can be side-content which appears (or doesn't appear) based on the choices you make, but the broad arcs of the series remain the same no matter what choices you make. But the details within those arcs can different wildly. As noted, if Wrex and Mordin are gone, their roles are filled by others... but it still feels like your choice had a consequence, because these characters are gone.

That's hard to do well, and it's what SquareEnix would need to do in order to make it manageable. Otherwise, a few expansions in, compounded choice after choice could lead to storylines that were fairly divergent. They'd need the consequence to feel weighty but be illusory. Now, one of the most effective ways to do that is to close off—or open up—side quests based on those choices; if entire quests are based around the outcome of your choice, it feels like that choice has weight.

But I imagine that making entire quest chains only available to people based on dialogue options (or other choices) would not be a popular choice in an MMO...

[SturmChurro]

Mass Effect is actually a masterclass in the illusion of consequence. There can be side-content which appears (or doesn't appear) based on the choices you make, but the broad arcs of the series remain the same no matter what choices you make. But the details within those arcs can different wildly. As noted, if Wrex and Mordin are gone, their roles are filled by others... but it still feels like your choice had a consequence, because these characters are gone.

That's hard to do well, and it's what SquareEnix would need to do in order to make it manageable. Otherwise, a few expansions in, compounded choice after choice could lead to storylines that were fairly divergent. They'd need the consequence to feel weighty but be illusory. Now, one of the most effective ways to do that is to close off—or open up—side quests based on those choices; if entire quests are based around the outcome of your choice, it feels like that choice has weight.

But I imagine that making entire quest chains only available to people based on dialogue options (or other choices) would not be a popular choice in an MMO...

Yeah, thats what I was laughing about. I don't think it would work at all in FFXIV unless it was literally the finale where there wouldn't ever be anymore story expansions, for reasons listed in other previous posts. All our character does is nod their head anyway!