And since you mentioned influence - I personally hope to not see it in P:E. I think it ruins the immersion and makes me care a little less about the companion - Especially if there are "prizes" for high loyalty. Instead of caring about this character as a person, he becomes a tool I use to gain some bonuses or to "max out" the loyalty meter.
I must say I really liked the influence system both in KOTOR2 and NWN2. For me it didn't break the immersion, on the contrary - I felt like I was building a relationship with the character, slowly gaining their trust.
Yes, this system can be abused, but the idea itself is great. Probably, though, players should not see the numeric equivalent of it, so they wouldn't know how much influence they gained or lost.
Project: Eternity and Characterization
in Chris Avellone's Blog
A blog by Chris Avellone in General
Posted
I must say I really liked the influence system both in KOTOR2 and NWN2. For me it didn't break the immersion, on the contrary - I felt like I was building a relationship with the character, slowly gaining their trust.
Yes, this system can be abused, but the idea itself is great. Probably, though, players should not see the numeric equivalent of it, so they wouldn't know how much influence they gained or lost.
Well, that's just my opinion.