If that's what they are going for, they seems to be trying to reinvent the wheel, but going in a completely different direction and it looks more like a stick. I still think the companions are just going to be like every other RPG ever and we'll be able to swap them. The people you are playing with are going to be able to choose which character they want when the opportunity presents itself like the camp in DA:O.
I don't know. I asked multiple times during the KS how many companions will there be to choose from (while Larian staff was present!) and I never got an answer to that, not even telling me that they don't know yet. That might be coincidential but it could also be that they found the question stupid because there are only four characters no matter what. Either you control them yourself or other players do so.
If there are really a bunch of real companions to choose from I'd like to have that actually confirmed by somebody at Larian...
Edit: Swen said on the AMA that you'll be able to "recruit" companions in SP: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3lz39o/we_are_larian_studios_developers_of_divinity/cvao1es Honestly, I'm curious how that should work. I mean you start with four (meaningful) characters in MP. So there are no additional companions if you play the game together from start to end. But in SP there is? I have no idea how that is supposed to work, given the fact that players can always hop in, taking over one character and given the fact that you had to start in SP with four characters as well (which are then less meaningful because you can exchange them for others)? A lot of open questions imo...
