Unfortunately, I think Larian explained before (can't find the source right now) that NPC schedules would need a lot more than a simple patch - they'd have to basically re-design and re-bug-test every region almost from scratch. Believe me, I was disappointed when I heard they weren't going to be in (though I agree that having to wait around for a shop to open is one annoying negative of NPC schedules), but it looks like it may be up to the modding community. We'll see!
