New AI "attack patterns" to make different AI attack differently, and potentially the same AI have different methods of attack based on the circumstances.

For example, an AI with a 360 weapon could circle hit target rather than strafe it, or just always try to stay out of range, or just always swarm if in range, and approach if out of range.

An AI with a physical pulse gun with knockback could basically just fire without accelerating if within range to try to kite, and approach slowly if out of range. An AI could have the "escort" pattern, where he just tries to fly in formation with his parent (maybe good for some kinds of fighters?).

These different attack patterns should be separated out into their own methods, and the AI should get some logic on how to select one and how to switch. For example, if an AI is out of energy, he might want to switch to the circle pattern even without a 360 gun until he gets some energy back. No use in strafing if there isn't enough energy to power full RoF.

Downvoted from me. I wish to invite you to understand the frustration this might bring, by taking a look at some of the current AI behavior patterns. A good example is the way roaming Forgones, Big Greens and Icepicks often end up running away when they get low on health. New players often don't have the ability to catch up on these in any way, and the behavior becomes more of an annoyance than a challenge. I fear any new AI attack patterns will do the same.

I would not really be a fan of unpredictable AI behavior. It's fine if different AI-types behave differently but when I'm taking on a group of Green Battleships I like to know what to expect, and not be taken by surprise when one of them decides to kamikaze while the other seven hang back and snipe me. The sort of intelligent decision-making you are talking about could be nice for a boss but the balance of DG AI has always been in numbers, not cleverness.

Above all, AI should not run from combat under any circumstances.

I like the idea, but it's something that would need to be considered carefully. AI still need to be predictable.

these options should be for slaves and not ai

This.

I would downvote anything that makes AI's in general more frustrating to fight.

Idk, when I'm playing mmorpgs, I just want to grind through AIs, get my loot and proceed forward. I don't really care how they behave as long as they are not annoying.
Atm, Star sonata AIs are strange enough compared to other mmorpgs, because they can run away and leave player with no reward for their effort. Just keep in mind that players want to enjoy game.

Honestly, I'm SURE that if this goes in, I will see low-mid players being kitted by ais and left without any way to fight one goddamn stupid AI that shouldnt matter in mmorpg >.>

Goblins/Orcs/Imps already do this when at low health, Sybir. That stupid Nanite+Afterburner is extremely frustrating.

AIs shouldnt use inbuilts in the first place, its fucking annoying when your fighting zebus in nexus and they keep healing up every 20 seconds

I'm not talking at all about making AI's run away. And I'm not really talking about unpredictable behavior, either. For example, if you had a DG full of AI's with 360 lasers, they would all be flying around you in a circle shooting in a perfectly predictable pattern, rather than stupidly trying to strafe you as they do now. Or an AI that will repeatedly circle you for a bit at ~300 range, then go in for a strafe, repeat. Basically, take the single AI behavior that we currently have, and mix in 2 or 3 more for different types of AI's to make the game more interesting and make your slaves a little bit smarter and less frustrating as well.

Several AI already circle you, such as Hawks, Wattages, Rocs, sometimes even Green Battleships. And you can easily make slaves circle based on their thrust and speed.

This is only coincidence, not real behavior.

heck yea for a ranged augged wattage thats circling you at 1.5k range with a speed that slaves cant follow and only laser weps with a high enought range can hit

I am only supporting this for slaves and Ubers. However I have a feeling it's going in regardless, so please just make it available for slaves and fighters, so that they're not stupidly following the pattern of movement for at least trying to intercept it.