Vergil wrote: ↑
March 23rd, 2024, 01:03
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How do we feel about games that let you freely rotate out your companions on the fly? Should you have to return to your camp/base/ship or should every companion have the magical ability to teleport to you?
I think KOTOR II has a decent way of dealing with this by having you able to quickly swap people out as long as you are in the same "zone" that the ship is in but if you venture beyond that you can't just swap people out on the fly.
Extra question: What is the ideal party size in your mind?
To me BG3 style letting you take 3 companions is the best. Typical bioware style only 2 companions is too limiting as you're probably always going to want to take one companion you really like/are romancing (if you're weird) which leaves little room for other companions to get a chance to really stand out.
I don't mind free swapping on the fly as long as it makes sense. In most cases the companions you don't have with you are still all going to be in the same area you're in, somewhere off-screen. It makes sense for that, versus swapping freely while deep in a dungeon or, in ME's case, on a mission. ME1 and 2 had an immersive way of doing it, while ME2 refined it to be more convenient (e.g. the transit terminals).
Gameplay-wise, a squad of 3 worked for Mass Effect, but for story reasons I'd always wished I could take one more. The party size of 4 felt nearly perfect in the Dragon Age games more often than not; I didn't often want a fifth party member along. I like Pathfinder's party size of 6 best, but depending on the game, 6 or more could end up being a clusterfuck.