What are the consequences of my choices?

Question

Can anyone help me understand Industrial Revolution better?

The designers want the player to make a reasoned decision about who to give resources to, but I don't really understand what the consequences of my decisions are?

From the game's FAQ:

Your decisions are important. Every choice you make in Industrial Revolution is permanent!

Your choices over the course of the entire game will affect which faction rewards you earn when you complete Industrial Revolution.

There's doesn't seem to be much information about each of the two factions for me to decide who to side with. I don't know much about the storyline of Bioshock Infinite (beyond what the two trailers show), so I really don't know how I'm supposed to make an informed decision as to who to support?

I loved Cogs, but I'm afraid to play this game incase I make the wrong decision!

Answer 1

Aha! Someone finally answered my question on the official forums. Here is the answer:

As you progress you will learn a little more about each - but you'll soon find that it's not as straightforward as one good one bad. Trust me on that! I figured I'd side with one the whole way through, but in the end there was no way that was going to happen.

My advice would be to go with your gut - this is what the designers had in mind. Everyone will make different choices and that's a good thing. There are no wrong decisions on this. The only consequences really will be that you may start to read about the consequence of your choices which may paint the faction you supported in a more negative light. This is what makes it harder to side with them.

In the end, all the game related items are the same that you unlock regardless of which faction you 'side with'. The only difference will be a small image pack for use on your computer.

I hope that helps. Have fun.

So the faction you side with doesn't have any effect in the Bioshock Infinite, it just slightly alters the story in Industrial Revolution. That's all.

Answer 2

Read the fine post:

What are the rewards exactly?

First of all, we hope you have a ton of fun playing! Here are the in-game rewards you get to unlock:

• 3 Gear items: Handyman Nemesis, Sugar Rush, and Fleet Feet
• In-Game cash
• Learn about the city of Columbia and its factions through story chunks.
• Facebook pack that pledges your allegiance for either the Vox Populi or the Founders

Are there any additional rewards?

If you pre-order BioShock Infinite at GameStop, you’ll receive the Comstock China Broom Upgrade while pre-ordering at Best Buy will get you the Comstock Bird's Eye Upgrade.

Basically, from what I read, you'll simply have an option to post to your wall either a "I support the Vox Populi" message or a "I support the Founders" message. Additionally, if you fail to complete the puzzles, you may not get to have the Gear items or the in-game cash. You can also opt out of all rewards.

The passage you have quoted is in the "Industrial Revolution Gameplay" section. So, assuming 2K won't change its mind (which is totally possible, but we don't do speculation here) — yes, picking a faction and sticking to it (or not) will change things within Industrial Revolution (such as access to exclusive newspapers); it won't, however, affect [the rewards you get in] Bioshock Infinite itself.

Excluding rewards, will picking sides not affect your playing Bioshock Infinite at all? The thread you quoted doesn't say. We don't do speculation here, so tread carefully.