Auto attack wasnt the problem with battle, as your skill repetoire grows you use a lot of different attacks, every attack served a purpose. BUT then again this was back in the day where you were rewarded for fighting difficult mobs that used a variety of abilities. Now the best exp is from groups where you barely do anything and most of your skills dont matter. Got to remember, the game used to reward you for being effective in battle, so spamming basic attacks was only a good idea if it actually was the most effective.