When you compare Origins and Inquisition side by side you can very easily see how casual the game has become. I don't know if exempting more detailed control over the AI was done out of the casual nature of the game, the game being rushed out the door without extras, or maybe they just thought the AI was smart enough to do most things on their own. Either way, it's a disappointment. The AI isn't very smart at all and I find myself constantly pausing to fix their stupid decisions or cursing when they don't use spells properly.
I suppose if you want complete control over the battle you'd need to turn the AI off and spend majority of your time paused to issue commands.