Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Mega-threads and Guides BG3 Party Movement Mechanic

Uh, yes, it DID exist in the originals, actually.
And in every other more recent title that borrowed the same RTS-styled control scheme.

You could absolutely select any arbitrary number of units in BG1, 2 etc and give to your selection generic commands (move on click, stop, attack, enter stealth, etc).

Both in and out of combat, given that the two modes weren’t even strictly distinct and shared the exact same controls.