The truth is that it is perfectly okay for some of your encounters to limit the approaches the PCs can take as long as it is a conscious choice. Sometimes, the hallway only goes in two directions. Sometimes, the orcs really are just going to try to kill the PCs because orcs hate civil...
Introduce diplomacy and negotiations, reward players for coming up with non-violent solutions and acting in realistic manners, and present them with characters that aren't just out to slip a dagger into their back, but instead characters who want to get to know them, work for them, sell them...
Time went by and our missions became even more suspect, we were breaking into important peoples home to steal documents, planting false evidence and destroying weapon shipments. We assumed this was a building tension in the world rather than the advancing machinations o...