All AI critters now seek melee, or: LOLDRONES

As of I17, I have noticed that Rikti Drones are behaving in a most unusual way. The following screenshots are completely unadulterated.

Some Rikti, hanging out.
I throw Ball Lightning at them. That'll show 'em!
Drones: CHAERG!!!11!

The character in question does not have Taunt, so it's not the -range effect that is causing this. Instead, every single AI-controlled entity, including entities with no melee attacks whatsoever, now attempts to close to melee as soon as they have no ranged attacks immediately available.

Here's another sequence:

I've already gathered a nearby group. Let's see if I can get more!
That Ball Lightning sure makes a pretty arc.
I like my Brutes like I like my women: COVERED IN DRONES!

The other guys hang back as I'm over the aggro cap, but as soon as that's no longer the case they charge right up. The exception is the Mentalist: he has enough ranged blasts that he never closes to melee.

This issue also affects Mastermind pets: Mercs and Bots in particular have been reported as much more prone to fistfighting. And there's another issue which I thought was unrelated but might not be: in the last mission of the Ice Mistral SF, as soon as I hit the cavern lined with psychic crystals, the game starts exhibiting severe input lag (similar to the ITF mission 3 hill), whereas before I17 it did not. Destroying most of the crystals reduces the lag. If the AI of the crystals (which are technically enemies) is now seeking a path into melee range, that might cause the slowdown.

Has anyone else noticed issues related to AI controlled entities attempting to close to melee range for no good reason?

As SPTrashcan's dedicated tag along journalist, here's some more photographic evidence.

Also, the related thread on MM pets doing the same thing is here:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?p=2856255

ummm YAY? LOL Makes my job easier!

I was noticing this last night.

Made Rikti farming a lot easier for my brute.

I want it fixed right away, but not just yet.

I noticed something that could be related a little while ago, I think last weekend. Psychic Clock bosses use their ranged attacks in melee now. I am absolutely positive this is new behavior. Previously I could herd them up and the bosses would shift to pounding on me (Smashing damage only). Now they keep firing those Psi (ranged) attacks even when they're standing right next to me.

I've noticed this with mm robots. Pets charging into melee have always been a minor issue, but now they charge in all the time!! It's seriously crimped playing as a mm!!

That must be one hell of a milkshake.

Confirmed. Makes playing a Robotics MM extremely tedious. Please fix ASAP.

I can see it making a MMs job a lot more difficult. My Tanks are LOVING it, though.

Seems this is the other side of the coin from the "mob wandering" issue. Blasters and Defenders love it. Tanks, Scrappers and other AoE specialists (FIRE/KINs) HATE it.

Having my MM pets ALWAYS running off into a distant target for melee is annoying, no matter how hard you try and make them stay next to you, even putting them on passive, they still all run off and attempt to melee attack someone/something, makes PvP with my MM impossible now.