Tying a companion's/side character's quest into the main heart of the story to drive it narrative wise is not a new concept, and I find it bizarre that after playing RPGs for 20 years that this is suddenly a problem (Given your experience with Kotor, Bastila is one such example, Ciri from the Witcher 3 is another). I do not enjoy Act 3 one lick, but I do not go around telling people not to play or buy the game.
From what I can decipher of your post, it seems like Shadowheart did not in-fact have high enough influence (I might have completely misinterpreted because I found it a touch difficult to make sense of). She does not kill the Nightsong if you persuade her or let her make her own choice when you have done enough of her content and have high influence. Did she tell you about her past? Did she show you one of her memories? Did she say that your character is the only one she's ever felt that she can confide in about these matters? This was either a bug you encountered or as I mentioned, you did not know her as well as you think you did.
The nature of your post is not constructive, which is why people are reacting harshly. It reads like a rant and rambles in a manner that is a struggle to read. It sounds, at least to me, like you rushed through and did not take the time to do certain content that resulted in bad decisions and events that you otherwise wanted to avoid.
There is also a spoiler function in the full text editor here, btw, which might help with the construction of what you are attempting to convey.
(edited for readability)
More spoilers in this about Act 2.
I said Not in Full Price. Like I already pointed out. Wait for sale is good option right now or maybe, still maybe to buy BG3 in full price later, like in a year, when Act 2 and Act 3 is in same level as Act 1.
"Did she tell you about her past? Did she show you one of her memories? Did she say that your character is the only one she's ever felt that she can confide in about these matters? This was either a bug you encountered or as I mentioned, you did not know her as well as you think you did."
She did show her memories and yes she also confided me about these matters.
"She does not kill the Nightsong if you persuade her or let her make her own choice when you have done enough of her content"
So. She tried to kill me before meeting Nightsong. I was playing the newest version of the game, just couple days ago in PS5. So yes, it can be a bug. I made sure in Act 1, I had almost max "influence points", with most characters I could do, without losing the character I was in the game. (Good cleric.) So again. to make clear. Shadowheart attacked me before the jumping area, the dimension where Nightsong is.
"Tying a companion's/side character's quest into the main heart of the story to drive it narrative wise is not a new concept, and I find it bizarre that after playing RPGs for 20 years that this is suddenly a problem (Given your experience with Kotor, Bastila is one such example, Ciri from the Witcher 3 is another"
Ciri is not companion, but Bastila is, yes and her story line is very much in main plot. Of cource all plotlines should be connected to main plotline in a way, but what I mean is the forcing of doing those, like in BG3 even before the ending of Act 2 or then you get the worse results... that how Shadowheart attacked me before even meeting Nighsong. (Maybe a bug?) To make this clearM what I mean is, that companions quests should be available much longer time, then just like in BG3 Act 2. Examble it would be fine, if the game would say that I NEED TO FINNISH ALL THE QUESTS BEFORE ACT 3 or I fail the quests. So example you should be able to save Wylls demongirl or get Shadowhearts spear or what ever she wanted, later, not like Larian Studios people did it in Act 2. (Like I mentioned before I had no change to do pesuasive check with Shaowheart. I noticed that one player in YouTube got to the point with Shadowheart, I did not. She attaked me next to the Door, not in Nightsong lair.)
Bugs or no bugs. Still well done crpg game should let player go to seperate locations to do companion quests or give more time to finnish those companions quest and side quest too, before the main plot moves foward. Example save Wylls demongirl had only one change to do it. (At least Wyll started to bitch about it before the last big boss fight of Act 2.) So what seemed to happen in BG3, is that Larian Studios run out of time and they throwed Act 2 companions quests in main plot map areas too harshly/without thinking about eanugh. That seem to be a fact at least for now, before future uptades. So how companion quests was made in BG3, was much worse, than many rpgs I have played. I mean in Act 2. I am not sure about Act 3, maybe it was better there. (Maybe you can do them in differend order in Act 3. I did not get in that part.) One thng I know for sure is that you could do companion quests in any way you wanted in Act 1, in any order. (Example when to recuit Karlach or get the metals.) Act 2 was the opposide to that style. So why would I not be disapointed?
Jaheira dying for me also, was very stupid. She died in Floor 1 fight, not even in first boss fight of Act 2, but before it. (That was a bug?)
"It sounds, at least to me, like you rushed through and did not take the time to do certain content that resulted in bad decisions and events that you otherwise wanted to avoid."
Not true. I took a long time, did most things in Act 1 and Act 2. I stopped playing in the Act 3 and started to rush only then, in Act 3, before stopping. (And then I watched other peoples ending content/videos to know what happened, becouse I was done with the game myself, but still wanted to know the ending/differend versions of it.)
