Well, making choice carry over to the next game isnt precicely a new thing:Atmos Duality said:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OldSaveBonus
Its just not done very often, and who know how many games that were lost in the cloudy days before the internet, HAD that feature but it was not well know to the public (i can imagine the budget wasnt enough to market the bloody thing). Hell, i believe that there are JRPG that have not been exported here that has it.
But anyway, if not for the Save Import feature, all we have is a series whose branching is still nothing compared to, say, an RTS RPG in 3rd Person like "Sacrice", made in 2000.
Why not make a shorter but more branched out game, so the experience is more satisfing and directly to the point?
And if making branches off the narrative is too expensive, then why not sell the game by parts? For example, lets say that they have to make a sequel to Deus Ex 1 where a SINGLE game has to make a plot around ALL the choices possible and the 3 endings of the first game (for full disclosure, Deus Ex Invisible War actually managed to make a plot where ALL 3 endings were true....somehow)
They would never finish the game on time, UNLESS they talk to the fans and ask them which of the 3 endings would they like to be adresses FIRST on the next game. Because making a SINGLE game that adjust itself for all those options takes too long, too expensive, and the fans will get impatient, so why not make it by parts that they will later be upgraded or patched into a full game later on? The full version is STILL going to be made, it just that this way they would at least gain a bit of extra time and money, patching up the game until the idea of a game that took ALL the choices of the previous game is completed.
You may say that Mass Effect 3 is already doing that because of the constant DLCs coming up, but those dont add to the branching, those are just more places to visit and get EMS. What would be DLC that adds to the branching of the narrative? well, how about running with the rumor that was around OMEGA DLC? you know, the idea that OMEGA was a failed or incomplete Crusible? instead of spending time with the other Crusible, we could study this one and see why it didnt work before, maybe we could learn far ahead of time what the eventual 3 choices at the end would be and this will make Shepard and its squad (or even the whole alliance of species) discuss this newfound information to debate the implacations of using a Crusible AT ALL, since we now know that we can Control Reapers, Destroy all technology, or merge with the machines.
This drastically changes to plot because now we have the entire galaxy debating the PROS and CONS of each possible ending (thus aclimating the audience before they finaly get to choose a fate for everyone) the alliances that you made during the game are now about to rupture by the sheer presure this information has. The Quarians will go desperate in convincing everyone else that The Geth are a justificable loss by using Destroy, because they are a minor problem if they dissapear along with The Reapers, and that is preferable than having all organic life dying. The Geth would argue that Controlling the Reapers will be no different to what the heretic were doing, using the strenght of others instead of forging their own path. The Salarians will find repugnant to be in Synthesis with inferior species like the Krogan. The Asari will question how is being connected to the Reapers via Synthesis or Controlling them is going to protect everyone from being indoctrinated, since those can do it even without trying. So on and so forth.
But another implication rises up, and that is the fact that the Crusible seems to be designed to be used by ONE person. Meaning that, for example, a single person (whoever manages to reach those controls) will get to be the one controlling the Reapers.
But who will be able to reach it?? that sends the whole discussion to an even heated temperature. The Salarians would rather get there first before a Krogan would be stupid enough to assume control of the Reapers and inflict their warmongering ways upon all the galaxy. Others will not like the implications of a Quarian being melted in Synthesis, because that would make everyone like them, and thus have a vulnerable immune system.
After all that discussion (that you SHOULD be able to influence in some way to a particular ending you want), the races conclude that X ending is the best and EVERYONE should agree on it for the safety of the mayority. At this point, you can:
1) Accept to make the Crusible we have now to be modified to have 1 of the 3 endings, to make sure that whoever uses it, it will only have that one option that everyone agrees and not the others options that may fuck everything up.
2) Suggest that using a Crusible at ALL is a waste of time and resourses, and almost anything can go wrong if the thing doesnt work properly. Too much fate in something so fragile. And instead, use the resourse to make weapons and suport conventional weapons to defeat the Reapers.
In case you accept "1)" there is a gameplay mechanic where you use the Shadow Brooker Liara to monitor and control communications and information around the developing and altering of the Crusible. Why? because since the races are still too fucking dense to colaborate, there is the possiblity that someone doesnt adhere to the rules and sabotaje The Crusible to do what THEY want YOU (or whoever reaches it) to do.
An hypothetical would be: All the races voted for just have Synthesis as the ONLY ending available, but the Geth dont like that and they would rather change the Crusible to have only Destroy, because they would rather die than be connected to The Reapers and that also makes sure that everyone else has a future without the Reapers ever appearing again. If you dont convince the Geth or dont keep an eye on their movements, by the time you reach the part where you meet The Catalyst, instead of Synthesis available, Destroy would be the only one to choose. The Geth may even call you by radio or something and flat out tell you that they did it, and try to convince you to choose it anyway, because if you dont, the Crusible will be destroyed and everyone will die.
Well, that is a long ass hypothetical "ideal" branching by Add Ons DLC . Maybe another improvement over that wall of text would be patching path "2)" next. Add a gameplay mechanic were you divert resourses to a particular weapon to mass produce. Like producing 100 ships with Thanix Cannons and 5 Klendagon Weapons on Mars to shoot the Reapers from long distance to Earth. Or maybe make all ground troops be equipped with Anti-Indoctrination measures develop by researching Shiala and the people who became immune to Indoc because of being controlled by The Thorian, have those troops use Cains to kill Destroyer Reapers and receive orbital support from Salarian Dreadnoughts equipped with Thanix and Stealth.
