Edit : hadn't read Tuco's post before writing mine. +1 to all
Shove is a full action in PnP anyway, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be here as well.
I think the intent is to create a full action economy around the bonus action, where players always have options and decisions around the BA, as opposed to DnD's BA which isn't always used on each player's turn.
I'm not sure why Larian made that decision. Maybe they felt it would be interesting for players; maybe they needed to integrate their own abilities (like dip or jump) and couldn't let those be the only bonus actions available to every class; maybe they identified abilities players never used as candidates for promotion from full action to bonus action.
It's high time to implement it correctly.
We agree there. Understanding why Larian did it this way could help us find persuasive arguments for balance to be restored to BG3. Maybe they don't mind that BA shove/hide makes all classes feel the same, that it makes Sleep read "some creature(s) next to your target(s) lose(s) one bonus action (each)", that the decision to select a BA isn't nearly as interesting as they'd hoped.
I think they mind that the current implementation of BA makes combat longer. I don't need my turn to be comprised of an interesting decision (normal action) and a dumb one (bonus action). Using the BA is like a second smaller turn within the turn, which is impactful enough that you have to engage with it, but not interesting because some abilities are way too strong. It's just a repetitive chore that has to be dealt with to keep up with the enemies' broken tactics.
Listen up Larian : if you change hide and shove to full actions, players will use their bonus action as a bonus (ie, when it actually suits their needs) and not as a second action each turn with a shrug and a "why not". Cutting those repetitive non-decision decisions can gain at least as much time in combat as Swarm AI.
