We disagree on what is logical or illogical. Agreeing to disagree there.
You clearly feel strongly about having more than one meaningful companion, which is great, but we didn't have those same meaningful companions in previous titles so the point is moot. You're getting something, but you want more of it--without having experienced it to begin with. The developers have hinted that we only get one (emphasis on hint because we can only extrapolate from what little information was given us), but one could argue that Pete's use of "right now" might signify that more companions are planned between now and release--and/or possibly after.
This isn't debate team, so there's no need to throw around vocabulary words like strawman or hyperbole. I could take the time to sit down and give you a well thought out logical argument, but that sort of defeats the purpose of enjoying a lively discussion on a gaming forum. If you don't like my arguments, that's fine, but there's no need to nanny me on argumentative logic.
I'm curious however. Do technical limitations count for you? Perhaps the argument that some things are trumped by better gaming?
Multiple companions were possible in previous games. The AI on them was simply very poor. And that isn't so much a commentary on them not being well defined. They were not well defined as individuals, for the most part, but the biggest problem most people had with them wasn't their lack of definition. It was their HORRIBLE AI. The fact that they would do idiotic things like jump out of the bushes and go charging into a platoon of Daedra whom you were hoping to sneak past unobtrusively.
What has bothered me with the approach Bethesda has taken with so many features, from spellmaking, to attributes to armour to, possibly, companions, is the one step forward and two steps back manner in which they have done things. Instead of taking what was good and refining it, they have given you some good things that you didn't have in exchange for completely dumping things that were already good and used to be a standard part of the package.
Now, maybe you are right in that there has been a translation error. Maybe you can only have one summons, but multiple companions are possible just as in Oblivion. We shall see.
As to technical limitations. Yes. I do accept that as a valid argument, if a developer comes right out and says that the reason a feature was left out was due to technical limitations, and there is at least some evidence to back that claim. The thing is, if the games NPCs have good A.I., then having more than one NPC with you at a time should not cause any of them to suddenly devolve into having poor A.I. And, if some of the companionable NPCs have defined dispositions and backgrounds, I cannot imagine that those things will dissapear, as if by amnesia, if you introduce another companion into your fellowship/following.
» Sun Aug 21, 2011 6:46 pm 
but still i hear you man. 
