Your personal opinion, which you are certainly entitled to of course, but I strongly disagree. For me, as much as I hate TB combat, that is not by any means my only issue with this game. Things you've mentioned as being amazing such as companions, choices, and story, are all areas in which I have major complaints. The only thing I see in this game that's amazing is the graphics, and graphics is somewhere at the very bottom of my list of things that are important in my cRPGs. All other areas need major improvement.
To be clear, I am +1 for real-time. If I had my way, real-time would be the default and turn-based would be the optional play mode. But I'm pragmatic. Larian has no experience with real-time. They have admitted as much. And others have pointed out if they tackle real-time now, they would have to use time and money for that instead of working on all those other issues. So which is more important? Getting real-time but still having many of the other issues on release? Or fixing some of those issues but still release with Turn-Based as the only play option? The best solution in my mind is that they don't worry about real-time right now, but essentially promise it in the future as a DLC. Then any engine overhaul effort can have its own development team, its own timeline, its own rule-bending agreements with Wizards and its own budget, paid for eventually by the DLC sales. I say a DLC is a win-win strategy. I just wish they would formally commit to it, even if that commitment doesn't have a date. I think it would avoid a lot of bad PR and bad Steam reviews if a promised DLC is already on the table.
