Why do people like companions?

[jyujinkai]

i have UFO installed... i got it for mounted companions... but i can nto seam to get them to mount.. I also run movie it darn it.. witch helps them get the F out of the way and i forget the name of the other one... it gies them all some perk so they do nto set of traps.

 

While I think that personality and interaction can be fixed in a mod with what JanusForbeare was talking about... Is it possible to fix their behavior in the game? Is it a fundamental problem with how combat works in this game that makes them so annoying.

Edited October 30, 2012 by jyujinkai

[Varana]

Skyrim is the first ES game where I actually used a companion. I tend to play, at least for the first run-through, stealthy snipers - the character build that has probably the least use for a companion of all. In Skyrim, I'm currently playing a mage, and as I'm bad at playing :D, I use a fighter companion as meat shield and an archer as backup. With Follower Trap Safety (essential!) and UFO.

So essentially, I do not like them, I use them as resources. The enemies come in groups, why can't I? :tongue: Also, I think that Skyrim companions are, compared to e.g. Morrowind, more or less playable. (I played Oblivion only once, and for that see above: stealth.) It would, of course, be nicer if the companion had anything worthwhile to say now and then. I know bl**dy well by now that Jenassa once considered being a bandit. :D

[Aliera Caine]

Jyujinkai, glad to see you are making use of the Midas stuff. Love the luggage myself :) As far as followers go, I use them for roleplaying purposes, 'cause it's always nice to have a friend around. When I am serious about getting the job done, I go solo. I am glad it's an option in Skyrim. The mods make it more fun. The mods for well-developed AI companions are few now, but hopefully more will come. Chatting it up with a bud while you are out on the trails of Skyrim can be a fun experience.

[DreamKingMods]

I don't really understand the appeal of all the mods that just add followers with different hair styles, but--Bethesda games have always been games that allow players to create their own stories, and the blank slate that most followers represent fits in with that, I suppose.

 

That said, to me the promise of follower mods in Skyrim are that they can enhance the game by bringing some of the game's conflicts closer to the player, and bearing witness to the player's choices. Janus's Atvir is a good example--there's a lot of racism that lingers in the background of the game, but Atvir foregrounds that racism in a way that makes the game more interesting. I try to do the same with my Aela follower expansion. There's a lot implicit in the Companions questline about tolerance and whether lycanthropy is intrinsically evil or a tool that can be put to good purposes, and I'm trying to use Aela to allow the player to engage with those questions more. Similarly, there's a lot of interesting TES lore in the background of Skyrim's story, and I'm trying to bring some of it closer to the surface with Aela and how she reacts to game quests and the player's decisions.

 

Edit: the other reason I like the promise of followers in a game like Skyrim is that the world of Skyrim itself doesn't really change that much as you play. You help win the Civil War, you defeat Alduin, you rise to the top of various guilds...but beyond a few comments from guards, it doesn't feel like you've really accomplished anything. Whereas with modded followers, there is the chance make them characters who change over time, which for me creates more of a feeling that I had an impact than defeating the biggest, baddest boss does.

Edited October 30, 2012 by DreamKingMods

[KingFrostman]

I don't like using companions either. I like all my battles to be a challenge. So i don't like them stealing my kills or getting in the way.

 

But one of these days i might play a noncombat healer mage focused on supporting companions. Or maybe someone will make a mod that increases the amount of enemies based on the number of companions you have.

[AxlRocks]

I actually don't like companions either. Like jyujinkai said, they get in the way a lot, especially in small cave tunnels and stuff. Or door ways! >:[ haha I like animal followers better, and I use Meeko and have for quite a long time now. Even then, Meeko can get in the way every now and then. I do have Serana now too, and haven't been bugged too much by her, and I like that she has a pretty decent, definined personality, but yeah, companions overall just don't appeal to me.

 

On a kinda related note, I wish we could push people around like in Oblivion though, which is funny because even though they could be pushed and weren't like a solid wall in Oblivion, I HATED companions lol

[fraquar]

I use a companion(s) simply because I rarely if ever play a character that is all that powerful (hate magic and rarely if ever use a shield).

 

They are my meat shields, and a lot of times I still have to retreat and leave them stranded. I feel guilty about if for about 3 seconds, then I realize thats why I brought them in the 1st place. Falmer in particular.

 

Sounds like most people have the gear and spell sets where they can kill with little problem, hence why companions simply get in the way.

 

Lets just say I've been hammer-jacked more times than I care to count by the bandit leader in Halted Stream Camp. .

[Deleted2366357User]

*please ignore*

Edited September 13, 2017 by b10nutz

[StayFrosty05]

As a stealth Archer I find companions a nightmare and hate having them....when Serana is forced on me that is the only time in all my game that I will fast travel anywhere, she is one of the worst companions to have,,,,doesn't shut up, gets in the way both in and out of combat (her sandbox AI, pushes you all over the place when your in dialog with an NPC, etc...) and forces you to abandon tactics, giving away position,etc....I much prefer a solo Dovahkin

 

He does have back up if he is in danger of being overwhelmed or needs a distraction....a ring that summons a Sabre Cat....the cat works perfectly for my play style, is there if you really need him and is actually pretty good at running with a stealthy and mountain goating Dobvahkin when summoned....and is not there (unsummoned) when the back up isn't needed....perfect!... :dance:

 

As for loot, I like realism and so go easy on the looting, only loot small, light, valuable items and only carries as much as I think is reasonable at any one time....never pick up weapons or armor, I mean where does he carry that stuff anyway.... o_O ....so only what I see as feasible that he could carry visually.....I have a mod that has all his weapons on display at all times....( 1 Bow, 1 Quiver, 1 Sword, 2 Daggers)....and a mod that gives him extra visual satchels and pouches....answers for me where he keeps the few items he carries permanently and the loot he picks up.....You get rich quick in Skyrim, the big loot isn't needed.

[formalrevya]

I play on the highest difficulty with deadly dragons, Warzones, Skymomod, and Monster wars active.

 

a pleasant stroll through the country roads generally ends up with me getting roflstomped ((and I have modified my actor values to give me what would be a majorly unfair advantage in base game, but barely keeps me alive now))

 

Companions are the only reason I ever make it through any of the quests I do in one piece.

 

I could lower the difficulty of course but It wouldn't be as intense. My biggest issue with Vanilla is how you can just mindlessly hack and slash your way through any combat, and In rectifying that I've gone a little too far in the opposite direction.

 

Also, there are house mods out there that don't have any inhabitants despite their large size and having Companions live there makes it feel less like an abandoned ruin I occasionally sleep in.

 

And yes they're exceptionally good looking. I kept killing all the ugly ones for being mouthy bastards. Just like the children, just like the jarls, Just like pretty much everyone that gets lippy with me.

 

It's just a tiny bit easier to swallow their inane drivel when the primitive part of my brain is being tricked into "we may potentially get to mate if you don't screw this up somehow" mode.