Hi Father Francis!
The trouble with most NPC's is that they leave you when you go to certain areas. Only the robot will visit almost all of them with you, so many people choose him over others. He became an invaluable fighter for me also. Vi also goes to quite a lot areas, but not everywhere. You can force her in, I guess (haven't yet completed the game) you will be happy to have her in the end, since she seems to have some relation to the story... Myles is funny, but he rarely goes somewhere without his Mum, my advice: drop him asap.
Never forget your towel, cheers
Philipp
Edit: Well, about playing without NPC's: The experience isn't lost, but of course your party will level a little bit slower. But on the other hand, I enjoy NPC's pretty much, especially the robot is really funny, and Vi complaining about having to go where she didn't want to... couldn't miss that
[ 02-25-2002: Message edited by: Pyrates ]