The stamina bar only serves as a constraint. Nothing more, nothing less. Most of the things you mention you can do with the stamina bar is just you working the system to get the most out of it. It's just another layer to get past in order to perform a skill.

To explain better I'll use Doctor Mog's example of how turning around from a mob for w/e reason makes it so he can't attack is fine with the current system since he would only be saving stamina - which would then allow him to hit his attacks in full force upon re-engaging.

With auto attack, turning around and not being able to attack means you missed out on hits that would have otherwise done some damage and gained you some TP.

Do you not see that these 2 scenarios lead to the same amount of basic attack DPS. Te only way it wouldn't is if AA for whatever reason had slower attack speed. The video displayed a decent speed for the most part, comparable to something we do now with stamina. That speed is only going to be increased, to be consistent with their earlier mention of being faster than FFXI. The only difference here is that with the stamina gauge, you have something to blame - something you can find solace in. "It's ok, by not attacking just now i saved stamina which will allow me to attack w.o waiting for a while anyway." All not attacking did was prolong the inevitable moment where you were going to have to wait for stamina. If you 'chose' to attack slowly to maintain stamina, you just slowed yourself down, again to accommodate an unnecessary constraint.

Why not be able to execute basic attacks w.o waiting all the time? Why not let basic attacks be simply a steady form of DPS and TP gain so that you can spend time thinking about more strategic things, like placement of weaponskills with various effects and uses? Why not let DPS be more about making smart choices and displaying good timing & positioning with the right skills rather than how well I manipulate some arbitrary bar that gives me 1 more constraint to make sure I repeatedly mash the same button at just the right pace?

I'm sorry but, when I play a vital role in a party that brings down some massive beast after long-hard work, I want to feel fulfilled because I made good choices and worked well with my team - not because I successfully managed a bar with a predetermined routine that allowed for the most juice to be squeezed.

The reform to the battle system is going in the direction to enhance uniqueness and strategy of classes and actions so that the emphasis is relocated from basic attacks to actual skills.

It can be difficult to accept change after familiarizing with the current system so well. It can be a daring task to attempt to learn one's way around a new system after having spent so much time to master the system at hand. It's important however to not let such fear cloud our judgement, and to constructively criticize proposed change plans to help improve the game rather than stating the current system is just fine because the new one doesn't allow us to play the way we do now.