I liked the first BG's open world quite a lot when I played it, but I would have to agree with the nay-sayers that were many maps that were basically empty, save for a single encounter/item. If they go for a more open world feel, it should follow BG2, with many discrete maps that are each packed full of content.
I can see your point about the companions. If I remember correctly, Larian deliberately frontloaded the evil/unpleasant companions, so they'd get more feedback about those (75+% of the playerbase apparently prefers good playthroughs). I can agree that the game could use more Imoen-type companions who are just happy to be there and loyal to you personally. They will definitely come later, but Larian needs to be careful about not scaring away the players who have just started the game for the first time.
