I'm very curious about what did you mean when you said you don't play these kind of games. I really want to recommend some games to you, but I'm not sure where to start.
Anyway if you never played it and want to see companions done right you have to try Dragon Age Origins. The companions are not necessarily better written, but they are exactly what you are talking about, responsive, outspoken, and feel more alive.
Anyways, about whether it's a design philosophy (Larian active choice) or a matter of their ability to address all variables - there is no way to know honestly. When I think about it, I hope you're right, because it increases the chances they will try to address these issues immensely. Unfortunately, since we only get act 1, I don't have a lot of hope in that regard for the full game.
Was that reply for me?
Oh, I am just late for the party. I always enjoyed the element of RPGs in other games I've played (MMORPGs, lobby games with somewhat elaborate lore and character interactions, strategy games like Xcom, Starcraft and Battlemech ... You get the idea), but I always shrugged off the RPG as it's own genre (aka, solo player RPGs) as not my thing even though I gave titles like Witcher 3 and Skyrim a try - but it didn't stick.
My brother showed me DOS2 long, long ago and I was just like "Just... Roleplaying? Nooo, that's not my thing..." which is a bit of a contradiction since truth to be told, nothing appeals to me more than proper class fantasy and character tailoring - which can be reflected in my picks in all other games, so eventually while having some downtime on my regular games recently I bought DOS2 impulsively and got stuck. I was going to play it with my brother, but he could not play very often so I ended up playing 95% on my own cause I couldn't stop. Everything about the game just consumed me. XD And then when I finished DOS2 and started the replay... I experienced the same thing you mentioned in the original article - sure, the small flavors of side quests and the 3 new followers were refreshing - but the core story only gave you the illusion of choice - so I lost interest in doing it all again on my own and looked elsewhere while waiting to continue DOS2 with my brother. He mentioned that BG3 was on it's way and I checked it out - hesitated due to the comments I mentioned from Steam reviews (and due to the fact that it is in EA and not released) but eventually I couldn't stop myself so I bought it as well. :'D And here I am!
I'd happily take any recommendations. I even believe I already own DAO (one of my brother's favorite games) - but the installation never worked for me so I gave up on it. :x
