5. False Options
Any train of dialogue that leads back to the first one should not be included in the option list; each branch of the narrative tree should end in a unique leaf. When I converse, on those rare occasion, in real life, I rarely direct my dialoging partner back to "nice weather." Skyrim managed to produce fluid conversations with a myriad of NPC's, a feature which can be enhanced with Mods which add lines of dialogue to the already versatile options. Mass Effect has been criticized for its last three options, but prior to that we were rarely presented with anything more. As much as I enjoyed the game, the actual "choose your own destiny" method of reveal leaves much to be desired. As well as through game-play versatility in terms of the individual mechanics there are also coded pathways that are available solely to demonstrate a programmers ability to think only 20 seconds into a players train of thought. In one game, I had to either embark a vehicle or run down a dusty road track. If I didn't comply and get in the car, I was called out for disobeying orders and promptly executed. The illusion of choice only made clear the limits of the game world.