Ideally (to me), potential companions that are not invited to join the party to begin with or that are dismissed at some point in favor of other companions, continue to find a path to salvation on their own, possibly aided by other non-invited or dismissed party members that align with their personality, crossing paths with the player every now and then.
Players changing their mind about those non-invited/dismissed companions, who wish to later reintroduce those companions, would need to overcome the disapproval rating of those companions (Oh, you thought you could do without me, huh? Treating me like a pet that can be discarded at a whim.) by completing one or more tasks for that companion.
I'd be especially excited if there's a disapproval threshold that could be reached that causes the companion to not only become truly locked out from being a potential ally, but to actively become an enemy that opposes the player.
I really like this. It would give them even more depth if you play through the game multiple times. If they are unaffected by the PC and the other party members, what path will they choose and what personality will they stick to or develop.
If you end up in the vampire lair in BG, maybe you will face Asterion there as an opponent or with an option to help him out. Maybe Asterion didn't make it because you dismissed him straight off the bat, or maybe he did because you completed parts of his personal quest and outfitted him accordingly. If you have to choose your
a final party at the end of act one, of course party member you have a good relationship with will be disappointed if not picked. Other party members may outright refuse to join you depending on which route you take and whether you neglected them or not. It doesn't fit well in the current narrative and fellowship based on desperation, but it would definitely give us a good chunk of RPGness that would take the gae to a different level.
