Not sure if this belongs in General or Spoilers/Hints - please move if in wrong place.

I am wondering just how much conversation you get with your companions, in relation to your relationship with them?

I know you get the initial conversation(s) where you can recruit them, then there is also a final(?) conversation when you reach max affection with them - but what about in between?

I'm asking because I've contemplated installing a mod which will max out affection with 1 or 2 actions. This mod does work - I tested it with Codsworth, and was able to get to max affection by modding 2 (lol) weapons... at which point he auto-talked to me, told me he loved me and I got his perk. However it also made me wonder just how much potential conversation(s) I'd miss by using the mod this way.

To be honest I contemplate using this mod due to limited time to play, so it would enable me to get and max affection with virtually all companions and get that end-talk with them... but I also don't want to miss out on possible quest's and conversations - I'd 100% always choose conversations & quest's over perks, in which case I'd just use the part of the mod which removed negative responses (so I can pick any lock I want! pffft! lol).

I know some of the companions give out quest's (well, I know Cait does... not sure about the others)... do you only get these quest's at max affection? Or get them prior to max affection... and basically skipping to max affection would void/skip the quest?

I think the companions have few talks with you, at 25%, 50% and 75% or something like that. Many a time I get the first one when I have barely agreed to travel with the person and had first fight. They do gain the affections just by having them traveling with me (as well as getting boosts when doing stuff they specifically like) and if not doing anything they outright hate they get affection in no time. I just take them with me on turns until I get the perk and then pick up next one.