1.23 combat was actually fun if you played it.
And yes the textures for 1.0 are much higher as well as character models are 10x better, but ARR has better level design. Even so, 1.0 had much better maps imo, ARR maps feel cramped, cluttered, still, lifeless, and horribly out of place for a lot of areas compared to 1.0 which was vast and felt immersible. Not to mention the soundtracks that went along with the map design fit perfectly and played in a loop unlike ARR.