Senior Producer:
GaaS could lead to multiplayer base fragmentation if not implement correctly.
You cant have multiple civilization being DLC exclusive, it will remove the competitiveness of multiplayer. Hence why expansions packs are good, because it bundle all civs together so there is no fragmentation.
If expansions are out of the table, all civs need be unlockable through gameplay ( and don’t try to do the same thing as StartWars battlefront II fiasco). Also remember some people still hated the fact that on AoE3 you still had to level up you civilization to unlock cards.
Also if each new civilization is part of DLC, it MUST EXIST CONSTANT BALANCE PATCHES. No one will want to play vs the same OP civilization every single game. There are even games in the lobby from AoE3 that stated NO OP. if that happens you will fragmenting the player-base even more.
Rendering
Nothing special here that is worth comment.
AI:
Campaign will most likely be strictly scripted, since would narrate historical events
I don’t think squad is related on how the units group together, because there is no mention in another job offer that Microsoft posted sometime ago:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/627767/Navigation-Programmer
It doesn’t make sense a squad have AI. Maybe they are renaming the skirmish to squad, idk.
Mention about a already implemented AI.
Machine Learning: are they trying to implement some kind of self-improve AI for the hardest difficulty? Microsoft announce a new AI platform in the 2018 E3, maybe is that? like i discussed here :Age of Empires AI