The Party AI is -only- required to be on if you install the Banter Accelerator. It wasn't by my choice. There was simply no other option to mimic the (somewhat broken) engine mechanic of triggering banters.
(If you are curious what I mean by "somewhat broken", well, the engine banters are pretty rare and it would take an ungodly amount of real time with the game up and running to get them all. Additionally, I suspect it is the cause of many recurring glitches that have been reported where you'd inexplicably find yourself unable to speak to some of your party members until you moved to a new area).
If your objection is that you want the banters but don't want the Combat AI, I foresaw this. While the Party AI is on, you can toggle the Combat AI on and off using the "T" key.
If your first and only playthrough was without the banter accelerator, then Party AI made no difference. You got as many as the original engine banter system is ever going to give you. If you barely got any... well, now you know why the banter accelerator exists
Qwinn
Edited by Qwinn, 07 May 2009 - 11:33 AM.