I am actually quite shocked to see no one thinking long term for the narrative that Dragon Age as a whole series is creating here. Despite some hiccups that Bioware has admitted to, like Leliana, Anders/Justice, etc, all of the choices have reaching impacts based on several form if you will.
First, the begrudging cameos: The werewolves plot, finding Sketch and saving his ass, mention of the struggle in Orzammar, all of that is important because it either reminds us of whats going on in the world, or makes reference to what happened previously. It is designed to be a cameo that way. The best example is Zevran; if he is kept alive in Origins and goes through the change of his character, I expect his one man crusade against Antiva to be a long-reaching effect behind the scenes. It makes Antiva weak and the Crows lose a lot of power, which may in turn affect the things going on elsewhere, or the influence they have against their neighbors. So it is an important choice behind the scenes. And if it doesn't, its a nice little side-story to the grand scheme of things, where it belongs.
You got to remember, not every choice is important. The Urn of Sacred Ashes no one has really mentioned because it was resolved in the epilogue either way; as is Harrowmont who is poisoned and considered a weak king of Orzammar. Those choices are left out because they have a resolution, if you went that way not much can be done.
The second is the character choices that seem insignificant now, but won't be later. Because the game only has a ten year set timeline based on two different areas of interest, who knows what will happen ten years down the line. Connor was what, 13-14 in Origins? By the end of Dragon Age II he would be around 24 in age and probably taking over rule of Redcliffe after the death of Eamon or something like that, so not hearing about him makes sense since you are a country away and not involved Ferelden affairs. Not to mention the fact if the demon is still in Connor it might manifest when he takes the Arling throne...
Fenyriel as well is significant in this regard too; if he is made tranquill or killed it will be a blow against the mages in the grand scheme of things, keeping in mind he is a special case of mage according to Dragon Age II. If he goes to Tevinter...who knows what will happen frankly. He can become corrupt, or more powerful, or use his magic to benefit mages everywhere. It all depends on if he is involved or not.
Which brings me to my next point, overarching plot choices. Anders living at the end of the last straw, Alistar king of Ferelden, the ritual with morrigan, each of them is extremely important because they impact the story in different ways. Those who complain about the lack of choice in the last straw fail to see the picture as a whole in my mind; the choice is not to stop Anders, but how to best pacify the situation. So choosing a side at the end would likely have an affect of the disposition of the parties involved.
Add to the fact that Cassandra was looking for information about this all and it makes a lot of sense too for the misinformation going on. Cassandra wanted to find Hawke to appeal to a side, but she never said which side...logic dictates the templars and the chantry, but using Hawke as a symbolic leader against the mages is also viable, so the choice at the end of 2 is important because it sets up the role Hawke, and how the ongoing Mage-Templar war, will play.
Alistar as a king has already been important. Depending on what kind of king he becomes really depends on what kind of leadership Ferelden will have. If he, or Anora, are strong leaders like they promised to be, then chances are Ferelden will have a say in how the mage-templar will play out. It is already hinted at, especially if you played a mage warden, that the circle there is more tolerable and lenient if things play out,it is not a stretch by any means to see Alistar step in on behalf of the mages, or even for the templars, dependent on his time as king.
As for the ritual...if it wasn't an important aspect of Dragon Age, why was there a whole DLC dedicated to finding Morrigan? Why did Flemeth hint at the fact that Morrigan is up to something huge, and that she knows a lot more than meets the eye? Why were you forced to save Flemeth if she was not important to the story? Again it's not about the lack of choices and how to make up for them, but rather how these choices will affect the outcome at the end. None of us have a clue as to what this ritual will really produce; but it's clear that it's not only something big, but a looming plot-thread that may take several games to complete if it was chosen as a route in Origins. If not, the ending may be harder, or easier, depending on what happens.
So for me, the consequences of each action will take affect in some form, dependent on the importance of what really happens. The biggest ones in general are what will be in the back of everyones mind though, and if Bioware is smart (and careful) they already have the narrative planned out.
Modifié par LinksOcarina, 16 novembre 2011 - 08:36 .
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would probably be pretty lame.
