I don't know how about you, but I hated followers in skyrim. The AI wasn't so bad, not at all, but I hate idea that someone help you in game where you are supposed to be that "biggest macho" and, in some way (strength, magic, stealing...) best in whole game.

Why should somebody help me to kill mirrak, or slay dargons or just follow all my steps? The only one follower that never made me angry was (obviously) serana, becasue of great voice acting and everithing. But even though, as soon as possible, I just let her go.

Anyway, what do you think about these stalkers that "helps" you?

Every story I have read, watched and played always had a follower even if the main character was "macho". Personally, I do it for RP reasons. I just don't want to be lonely

if i'm not playing a support roleplay i pretty much use them sparingly and/or specifically. as well, they make the game way too easy and they take away my experience and kills!

however, when i do use them or have housecarls i have specific rules and restrictions that i use, such as, paying livable wages, 50% of the cut and, hiring them per specific mission, room/board, etcetc..

depends on the character

I mostly only do it for support roleplay. Non-Dragonborn characters especially, since they can't do everything on their own (okay they technically can because stupid-easy game mechanics but still).

I usually just play alone.

Not just in Skyrim, but in other games too, even some that are designed to have followers or party members. Although in those cases I usually give up eventually because it gets too hard to play alone when the game expect you to have multiple party members following you around. But one thing I usually find very boring is inventory management, so by having fewer party members I have fewer inventories to deal with

This

I prefer solo heroes and since I always play magic and/or stealth oriented characters I always have enough reason to. Hell, the only reason I use followers in New Vegas is because they're so well written and have personality, skyrim fails in that as did Oblivion.

I really wish Bethesda wouldn't force followers onto the player, they're so annoying to deal with.

I love followers. They make my characters behave in unexpected ways. Maybe that’s because I don’t have the idea that my character has to be the big hero, though. The game certainly pushes in that direction, but that doesn’t stop me from playing all the different ways I want to play.

The follower AI is just too annoying. A fighter walking behind my character is somebody who is going to shoot her in the back in the middle of a fight. They wreck stealth, get in the way, and inhibit my character's full arsenal (are you really going to use that shout now?)

I like summons. They come when you need them, and you can make them appear where you want them. Then they go away when they're not needed any more.

If only all my characters shared my opinion about it. Unfortunately, they don't.

I agree with both Grits and glargg. On the one hand, the companion AI can be unbearably annoying. I sometimes think they target my character more often than the enemy and that they somehow manage to get hit by my character more often than enemies do.

But on the other hand, as Grits says, they can affect my roleplaying in ways I could never have predicted. A companion, under the right circumstances, adds something to the experience that I would never have added myself, if I were playing just the one character.

So I guess I love them and hate them at the same time, and in almost equal measure. You might almost say that my feelings about companions mirror my feelings about Skyrim itself.

I can stand the dogs but I generally don't use followers. The thing I hate the most is the fact that you are forced to use followers in some quests, like Frea in the temple of Miraak for example: her presence there is barely necessary and she completely ruins the discovery of the place.

My characters always have their spouse following them, makes things less boring, plus like I have said before, battle couples are the best.

Never bought into the "big macho" thing, always makes me roll my eyes.

I hate followers. Mostly because they all seem to get the bow glitch, charge into combat if I'm even slightly detected, and they block me in doorways. Not to mention always losing them because they can't keep up simply walking down a road.

If I had a PC and was able to use mods, I'm sure I'd utilize and enjoy them much more.

I really like to have a companion and more often than not I'm playing with them. I don't like Skyrim's followers though, they have no character. Mods add loads of good companions that I usually use.
Skyrim has 58 (!) followers, I would prefer 10 New Vegas esque companions anyday.
As far as combat goes, I usually don't take them into interiors and leave them at the enterance, especially in fallout.

Followers can't "steal your thunder" fighting Miraak -- you can't take followers into Apocrypha.

Is it really too much trouble for people to tell followers to wait a distance away when they want to use stealth, use command mode to direct them around traps, or learn to accommodate them when fighting?

I think the multitude of followers is more to do with the espousal of player choice -- say you want a mage companion but your only option is Marcurio, and you're not fond of him.

I used to play alone (Skyrim was my first Beth game before I began to adore Fallout and TES). But I switched shortly after and now I like to have followers with me. Well, it depends on the build of course. But I don't mind the game getting easier because I just like relaxing fights.

I have frea as a companion because she's essential. When you're level 76 and playing on legendary, followers become a pure utility. I have her carry my stuff and every now and then she contributes slightly in fights. It's mostly important to me that she doesn't die.

I even played Dragon Age (1) with no follower until I was forced to in few quests, and about new vegas and F3.. I played F3 with dog and FNW with ED-E but after a while they became annoying too, so I let them go.

My inventory is also part of my role playing. Well. If I play female archer, I have only few potions, lockpicks, arrows with me and that's it, nothing else. You don't need anything else in my opinion. That "loot" what drops from enemies or what you find in chests is priceless - unles you find a unique artefact which you can store to some random barrel in the middle of whiterun.
Still no reason for me to have followers...

I once had Mercurio with me for the longest time. He annoyed me with his "know it all" comments, but that became endearing after some time. He died during an encounter with some charus in some remote dungeon. I was actually sad. There was no way I'd be able to drag his body out of the dungeon so I gave him the best possible burial I could by dragging him to a ravine and tossing his body down into the depths. My reasoning was to place his body somewhere that it wouldn't be defiled by charus or those goblin type creatures.

Strange that I was actually affected by his death that way.

I actually pefer followers in New Vegas. And that's because each one has his or her own quests and comments on certain situations which make the game feel more alive.

In Skyrim I only use followers when I expect to find a lot of loot, when fighting a bandit boss below level 10 or when I want to shout a follower from a cliff.

Sir, you just gave me reason to have follower!

I avoid them if I can, because they drive me crazy. They can never keep pace with me on "road trips", and when I could *really* do with their help, i.e. I'm suddently ambushed by a crapton of vampires, well, my follower's nowhere to be seen. They're still huffing and puffing towards me, over a mountain half a mile away, yodelling to themselves and eating a sandwich, or whatever it is that they do when they're that far out of sight. And then in close combat, they get in my way, and wedge themselves in doorways. I usually end up fus-ro-dah-ing them out of sheer irritation.

Most of the time, I also avoid using followers in Skyrim. I have yet to find one with an engaging personality, though I know others have had fun with some of them.

I seem to always take Lydia with me if I go visit the Graybeards, though. That path is a tough one, and the extra body helps a lot

Serana is hit and miss for me. She can be a source for some giggles now and then (Raised rabbits and deer anyone?), but overall kind of a pain the backside.

Overall, the AI grates on my nerves. Companions that can not jump down a knee-high drop is annoying. Their pathing navigation is atrocious. Many times I have engaged in combat only to find them absent, showing up after the fight from the direction I just came from.

For me, the negatives outweigh the positives.

But without a follower, who would block you into the dead-end in a dungeon, refusing to budge from the doorway? Who would rush ahead while you're trying to sneak? Who would blind you with fireballs while you're fighting the boss? The game would be a lot less challenging without them.

I usually use followers only at low levels when my character is still weak. Having an extra meat shield helps, especially on the way to High Hrothgar when there's a guaranteed frost troll. Later when skills and gear get better, I do things solo.

The follower AI indeed is a bit horrible. Also, followers having a personality of a tree stump doesn't help either.