I decided that autumn was a good time to actually see what I could do with an NPC. Went to the evac shelter and asked the starting npc what I could do to help. She gave me a USB drive and told me to download stuff from her computer in a pharmacy.
After that walk in the park she told me to draw blood from a zombie and analyze it in a hospital. I got there, turned on some old fashioned Doom music (E1M1) and went in lazer pistol blazing. Got the blood analyzed and blasted my way back out of the hospital (with a grenade). She offered to teach me submachine guns, grenade launcher, increase my first aid skill and learn speech. Seeing how my M1A1 had a grenade launcher attachment I opted to learn that, and she told me it was too dangerous there and told me to follow her. And then she hid in the corner from the oh so dangerous trifflids that didn't know we were there.
I eventually informed her that I was in charge now, and we went to my car where she promptly wasted every trifflid in a 2 mile radius. After which she told me it was still too dangerous and I told her to teach it anyway. I gained a level in grenade launchers, and got to 5 in first aid before deciding it's going to get dark soon and hopped in my car. Realising I didn't have a second seat, and that even if I did she probably wouldn't get in it I peeled away. I wonder if she's going to try to follow me across the map.
Anyway I see now that NPCs are useful. I need to find more. But so far all I ever found was the one from the shelter.