Pet AI/Controls Need Work. Suggestions for Scholar and Summoner.

Posting this in the Healer Roles section, because this forum is not well organized and I feel the suggestion is way more important for Scholars.

The AI and controls for Pets in this game are really awful. I love this game, and I love Scholar, but the pet system could use some major improvements.

This post is too long for 1 post, so I'll be posting this as one thread with a few responses explaining things. Please read all of it, thanks!
IF YOU ARE A PLAYER THAT LIKES THESE SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE LIKE THIS POST.
It is fine if you also Like the other posts, but please Like this first post to get a good collective of Likes.

The Suggestions

1> Change Sic and Obey to be Toggles. Change Obey to be the default when a pet is summoned. [Explanation]
2> Allow us to toggle which skills are automatically casted. [Explanation]
http://i.imgur.com/mz2zDSa.png
3> Allow us to use Pet Commands in Macros. [Explanation]
4> Fix the range on Embrace. [Explanation]
5> Allow us to change what HP Percentage the Fairy pets will auto-heal at. [Explanation]

Suggestion Explanations

1> Change Sic and Obey to be Toggles. Change Obey to be the default when a pet is summoned.

Currently, your pet is summoned with a default stance of "Guard", and will "Sic" any monster that attacks you, or that you attack.

My suggestion is that you make "Sic" and "Obey" similar to "Guard" and "Steady". Make them toggled stances that decide whether or not your pet will automatically use skills other than their basic skill. Also, make "Obey" the default toggled stance, rather than the current default of "Sic."

Sic is not an optimal default command. You currently require a monster target to be able to change the command to "Obey" as well. Sic causes Summoner pets to lose a lot of DPS and waste buffs/debuffs, while causing Scholar pets to waste most of their abilities, and sometimes causing enmity issues at the start of a fight.

2> Allow us to toggle which skills are automatically casted.
http://i.imgur.com/mz2zDSa.png
Simple example of a UI for this. Checked = Auto-cast this ability when Sic is enabled, Unchecked is never auto-cast this ability.

3> Allow us to use Pet Commands in Macros.
Simple suggestion. As far as I know, there is no /command for Pet Commands, so they are unable to be included in macros.

4> Fix the range on Embrace.
Embrace has a 30y cast range. The fairy pets will never auto-cast Embrace at this range. They seem to only auto-cast Embrace on targets within 15y or so. Additionally, I can cast Physick from it's max range of 30y on my Fairy, but in the same positions, she will WALK TO ME to cast Embrace on me. This tells me that Embrace's range is either less than 30y in actuality, or the pet has a different way of determining range between herself and a target.

5> Allow us to change what HP Percentage the Fairy pets will auto-heal at.
It seems like my Fairies only auto-cast their heals when people are below a certain HP Percentage, something around 75%. I'd much rather they start casting Embrace when my tank is at 90% HP. There is no specific HP Percentage that will be viable for every battle and every player.

Gambits would be a nice inclusion overall, but ability toggles and pet macros would get the job done too. Personally, I would love the inclusion of the gambit system ASAP.

[Ally [HP 2 or more targets] [<] [40%] [Cast Fey Illumination]
[Ally [HP 4 or more targets] [<] [50%] [Cast Whispering Dawn]
[Ally] [Target: HP] [<] [90%] [Cast Embrace]
[Ally] [Target: Highest Max HP] [Cast Embrace]

It's been a while since I played FFXII, and I don't own a SCH yet, but the behaviour here should be:
Cast Embrace on the tank constantly (even on full HP, which could cause an enmity problem, but would work for bosses like Titan) but switch to healing single targets whose health dips below 90%. If 4 or more targets take damage below 50% max HP, she will cast Whispering Dawn, and if 2 or more targets dip below 40%, she will cast Fey Illumination as a first priority. Of course, there are silly problems with this example, like what if the tank is a Paladin, but there's a warrior in the group? Well, then you could put the name of the tank in your gambit instead if it were like FFXII. There could be some really well designed player-scripted AI written around encounters with this feature. As a SCH, what do you guys think about the Gambit system? Or would you prefer more direct control, leaving the gambit system to SMN/ACN?

Although I think Gambits would be lovely, I just want a basic improvement for now.
Gambits also might bring the jobs to be quite a bit more powerful than they are now, so they might have to balance around it.

I'm pretty much open to anything SE wants to throw at us, but the current pet system is not acceptable if they want FFXIV to strive as a modern MMORPG.

Nothing really to add. Just wanted to throw my name in the hat for support.
Pet Controls definitely need to receive a tune up.

I agree; these changes would fix the issues I have with the Faery.

I'm fulling supporting this changes, and the gambits ones too! Please made them possible

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Originally Posted by Entaris

Nothing really to add. Just wanted to throw my name in the hat for support.
Pet Controls definitely need to receive a tune up.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by nocks

I agree; these changes would fix the issues I have with the Faery.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frozan

I'm fulling supporting this changes, and the gambits ones too! Please made them possible

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Thanks for the support. Hopefully we can get this to SE's attention sooner rather than later, though I'd HOPE they already plan to improve pets anyways.