Hmmm, if you visibly changed kirkwall by playing the game it would make the final act all that more... heartbreaking. If for example you played a neutral-ish character (helping mages, but believing the circle is the right place for them), during the day you would see a mage/templar duo wandering lowtown and hightown purchasing things, and the gallows started to look less menacing. But supporting either side caused them to wander around town freely and even offer support in battles at night.

So as Kirkwall changes to be a beacon of hope... then **** hits the fan, Meredith goes off the deep end, Anders mana-bombs the chantry, Orsino goes flesh golem, and Hawke is left to clean up the mess. Only it will never be the same, because it started the war.

Wow... that would make the game alot better, even act 2 when the qunari attack, you would have parts of the city destroyed, and just as it's gotten rebuilt better than ever... well you know the rest.

But if we get caught up in what could have been, we'll never be able to appreciate it for what it is; a good RPG, with somewhat lacking resources, but with an overall good overarching plot with occassional poor application.