Yeah, I like your "Follow the exact steps of the controlled character" formation idea - also added it to the "Beta UI Wishlist" thread, by the way. But the real way to fix all these complaints on the forum about party members pathing through damage environments is to set their AI to avoid those environments in the first place, regardless of the currently selected formation. Of course, that's much easier said than done, but that's really the root of the issue.
