I guess this might have been discussed a long time ago when EftP came out, but does anyone know why friendly fire isn't something that needs to be managed any more? I'm coming straight from the Exile series, never played the first Avernums, and my memory of tactics includes having to position fighters to leave room for the mages to do their work, which made perfect sense since the area in question was about to be incinerated. My tone here, at least in my head, is less of a complaint and more that I really kinda miss that aspect of managing fights.
That said, so far I think almost every change I've seen has been clearly for the better, which is a remarkable achievement given the nostalgic place the Exile trilogy holds in my heart. (I do, do wish the name hadn't changed... But ahh well...)