Squadron AI needs major improvement.

[basketofseals]

At first I was disheartened by the loss of engage spam for efficiency's sake, but with it gone I'm really able to see how much the insane damage output. I'm not going to say this will be an easy fix, but there should be a ton of easy improvements to make.

I would strongly suggest disabling esuna, positional AI, non-offensive CDs on dps classes.
There's no mechanic in the game that will cause you more trouble than your healer not healing for up to 10 seconds because some mob put a weak poison DoT on your whole party.

ARC is definitely king, but part of that is just because it doesn't waste any time. The squadron AI is basic enough that 99% of the time the CD is both unnecessary and even unused entirely for the duration it's up. PGL is particularly bad as I've seen them cast inner release, and then go through so many other cooldowns that the mob they're currrently focusing dies. Then by the time the PGL reorients itself properly to another mob the buff has already worn off.

Positionals in general just need to go. Keep the requirement or added damage if you want, but the squadron just loses so much damage casting nothing because they're trying to get an additional 40 potency or whatever.

And I dunno, so SOMETHING with ACN. That class has absolutely nothing going for it.

[Lilseph]

I haven't tried the Squadron missions since the patch went live. I learned about the spam buttom pretty late, so this patch doesn't impact me that much. However, did they change anyting regarding the ARC's barrage spam? Because with or without that engage exploit, it was still powerful.

[kikix12]

I would strongly suggest disabling esuna, positional AI, non-offensive CDs on dps classes.

That's not improvement of the AI, that's dumbing it down. Improvement in AI is an increase in efficiency coming from better use of what is available, while removal of stuff that can be messed up is dumbing it down. Sure, dumbing stuff down still improves the efficiency, but the reasons for that differ.

There really is no reason why Esuna should be prioritized when the tank is below a threshold that the healer can heal, especially non-important debuffs. There is also no reason why pugilist shouldn't reposition effectively while doing their combo so that they use their positional fully and at the moment it up at the same time. And there is no reason why buffs shouldn't be actually utilized.

However, the developers intend to work on the AI and I believe Yoshida even said that they intend to give some way to customize the AI. Was it a different AI based on the level and type of AI set (defensive, balanced etc.) or something that gives players freedom to personally customize it, I cannot remember now, but I think it was the former?!

[basketofseals]

That's not improvement of the AI, that's dumbing it down. Improvement in AI is an increase in efficiency coming from better use of what is available, while removal of stuff that can be messed up is dumbing it down. Sure, dumbing stuff down still improves the efficiency, but the reasons for that differ.

There really is no reason why Esuna should be prioritized when the tank is below a threshold that the healer can heal, especially non-important debuffs. There is also no reason why pugilist shouldn't reposition effectively while doing their combo so that they use their positional fully and at the moment it up at the same time. And there is no reason why buffs shouldn't be actually utilized.

However, the developers intend to work on the AI and I believe Yoshida even said that they intend to give some way to customize the AI. Was it a different AI based on the level and type of AI set (defensive, balanced etc.) or something that gives players freedom to personally customize it, I cannot remember now, but I think it was the former?!

It is dumbing it down, but I'm only suggesting it because it's a brain dead solution to an otherwise complicated answer. The AI is just not prepared to properly use the options it has. All of them lead to an extremely detrimental throughput for literally no reason. They can "intend to work on it" as much as they want, but right now I'm begging for a bandaid fix as my CNJ just lets me die to a single pack of mobs, and my melee units lose 500 potency just because they want to get an additional 40 or something on bootshine/aeolian edge/full thrust.

ARC also shouldn't deal 3x as much damage as the other jobs. It doesn't use barrage THAT much, but it just uses it's GCD more effectively because they're essentially always dealing damage. Their only non-damage CD seems to be resource restoration, which they don't use nearly as much as PGL spams bloodbath.

[Moomba33]

I've been running Squads off and on for awhile now to try to get my npcs all of the Tactics. Never bothered with Engage spam (minus trying to keep the tanks on the final boss of WP).

A few things I've noticed:

-Archers rarely use role actions at all. I've seen Refresh or Tactician a handful of times but for the most part they just spam damage skills. Never noticed any of the others. They also don't have positionals so you basically only see them move when they pull aggro.

-As mentioned PGL will lose a lot of uptime using their Role Actions and buffs one by one. The AI makes no attempt to weave them between GCDs and it seems like there's a bit of a delay between skills.

-THM seems to use Role Actions on CD again with long pauses. They also don't have much semblance of a rotation and will constantly be cancelling their astral fire/umbral ice to nothing. Edit: They also seem to use single target and AOE skills at random. I have frequently seen mine run up to a boss to use Blizzard 2.

-CNJ seems to prioritize healing itself very lowly. I have seen Cecily dpsing while at low HP then die to the next aoe damage to come out.

-MRD and GLD both like to use Ultimatum on the pull then single target. I feel like the GLD usually uses Flash quicker than the MRD gets to Overpower but that may be coincidence.
They both struggle with getting aggro back from ranged party members as the ranged AIs will run away from them.

I haven't brought my ACN or ROG into a dungeon yet and I don't have a LNC.

I haven't noticed any major behavioral changes when Tactics were learned. It feels like the system was released before it was ready to be honest.

[basketofseals]

As far as I can tell, the damage users use their skills on just a random basis. All of them will occasionally break out an AoE and hit only one target, and they use CDs without respect for the...well cooldown. Melee classes just have an unfortunate lot of useless ones. I'd be surprised if the AI that determines what abilities they use is any more advance than SNES/PS1 AIs. WTB Cloud of Darkness AI.

Also why do they even have resource based ones which do literally nothing for them?