The prospect of restricting use of long rests doesn't appeal to me at all, and I don't return to camp after every encounter. The price of returning to camp is the break in the adventure.
That said I would be pleased to see certain enhancements to the camp, including working crafting stations (portable models, of course
) and streamlined access to all follower inventories, as the OP suggested. I'd also like to see "pick up" options added to the right-click menu for certain pieces of furniture (chairs, standing mirrors, and other not too large items that could conceivably be carried back to camp).
The original BG games allowed frequent rests--if the player chose--and I see no need for that to change. Limited camping also seems likely to break follower story lines.
That said, I really don't care if at release restricted camping is added to hard modes that I'm unlikely to play, anyway. BG3 needs to appeal to a wide range of players. I personally am finding "classic" to be about right. Sure, it's easier on replay, but I think normal difficulty should be tuned for first timers. It should allow for choosing companions based on who you'd like to spend time with, not just which classes/characters are most min-maxed. It should also be possible to land hits without "dumping" stats not used in combat to "below commoner" levels. The player should need to make an effort to understand game mechanics and to play competently, and feel that they need to pay attention to be successful, but I'd rather not see "gotcha" mechanics (like not being able to rest when you need to) added.
