Fellow gamers,

I feel like saving the world today. So I was wondering, what are some good games where your choices truly impact how the game plays out and your actions influence the ending? It doesn't necessarily have to be a RPG. It can also be a RTS game for example.

Any good suggestions? The last games I played that truly gave that feeling were Fallout 1 and 2. And that has been a while ago.

Arcanum is the usual recommendation for people who cite Fallout and Fallout 2.

Alpha Protocol is not an RPG, but has some nice decisions-based branching. If branching qualifies as non-linear for you. I didn't like that game a lot, because I was expecting a much more open, roleplayish, gameplay, but it's amongst the first non-fallout exemple that comes to my mind. At least from the already-fully-played-myself category.

Deus Ex has also some nice choice parameters, in terms of gameplay, branching events, and (mostly endgame decision) endings.

And I'd say Vampire:Bloodlines is a cool exemple of such a game too.

Oh and, yeah, the Geneforge series. Have fun living with the world-scale consequences of each moral dilemma there...

Fallout: New Vegas is recommended for you.

The Witcher, Fallout, Deus Ex (though I'm still pissed at that ambush in the park. I escaped! I demand the game acknowladges it!), Knights of the Old Republic, Alpha Protocol, Mass Effect.

Planescape: Torment

Baldur's Gate Saga. Or rather, you get to choose from different endings and during the game you have various ways how to solve quests and react to people.

Also Temple of Elemental Evil has a variety of different endings based on what you do in the game.

And I think Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin are also the same, but I haven't played those.

Various FMV games have different endings too, so try checking those out.

Good idea. I just so happen to have that game in my library. Untouched.

It depends partly on the genre of game.

Linearity v non-linearlty must have animated many a mind in the computer games industry already. It's the gaming equivalent of order v. chaos or order v. freedom in the realm of the "real world". It's a philosophical problem / question !

As far as non-linearity goes, I "finished" Skyrim recently, though of course there is no official ending to Skyrim because you can carry on playing even after you have finished the main questline, though there is no longer any given "aim". You can do the same thing in Fallout New Vegas, another game which I "finished" after almost 700 hours of gameplay. Both of these games are still "linear", though, even though they let you continue playing after the main questlines have been completed. The "freedom" that remains afterwards is an aimless, pointless freedom, however. Not that I'm saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but at this point I tend to move on to something else, because I need at least the illusion of a goal.

The tops have been said already:

Planescape: Torment and
Arcanum

Geneforge was also mentioned.

I'd recommend those before these, but these are still very good choices:

Inquisitor
Wasteland 2

As an avid Infinity Engine games fan I still think that P : T is more linear than something like Skyrim. What is wonderful about P : T really is the depth of its thinking. The dialogue options in P : T are much more varied than those in any Elder Scrolls game but at the end of the day they are very limited when compared with an ordinary conversation with Joe Bloggs in real life. Planescape : Torment is a better game than Skyrim because it is deeper than Skyrim, but it is nowhere near as "non-linear". But Skyrim is still linear, even though it wants to be non-linear. There are no truly non-linear games.

may as well add:

Elite
Elite: Final Frontier
Dwarf Fortress
Gothic 2 and 3
GTA (any)
Just Cause 1 and 2
Mercenary
Saints Row (any)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

and many other.... not to forget the survivor games such as Minecraft...

Definitely linear and even the different endings aren't THAT different, but the variety of dialogue is why I listed it.

I haven't played it, but I feel something like Gothic is non-linear, but still all end up at the same ending regardless of the path you go, so, yeap.

Yes, sorry, the thread just got me thinking. I am currently playing Deus Ex Human Revolution, and while it is brilliant and polished it is VERY linear. In fact, without the side quests it would be totally linear, except that you can employ slightly different methods to complete each section of the game (which, of course, are arranged in a line !) It's a difficult thing to create a game which is both linear and creates an illusion of freedom. I think the Elder Scrolls games deserve applause for being the closest to achieving this goal. I don't think they are the best games of all time, but I think they deserve credit for what they have tried to achieve.

Apologies, btw, I may have downvotes your post by mistake. On an iPad it is difficult to get the "reply" button to appear, on gog, and it is right next to the the upvote and downvote buttons. Please feel free to downvote me to even things up ! Sorry.

Don't be sorry for thinking!@!! Ever!!! I assure you your thoughts are appreciated regardless of the pertinence to the OP (which they are pertinent, IMO.) Plus, if you were off-topic...derailing is a great time-honored tradition here, I think.

And no worries on the downvote! I wouldn't downvote you as retaliation, haah!!! You can always try and upvote to undo it if you want, but really, it doesn't matter at all! I frequently upvote and downvote GOG staff, who have no rep!