I don't know anything about the history of why this is set this way, all I know is that with a character with weak armour and a ranged type attack the best strategy for attacking opponents is to take pot shots from a distance. In this context the auto-run forward is a suicide scenario for these characters -- especially when there are several aggressive opponents in the field one is auto-running into.
I much prefer lots of messages that I am out of range, etc... letting me choose my spot over having the game take over the choosing for me.
(This dynamic often means that I am repeatedly aborting attacks that I have tried to start... so it isn't a game ender for me. And if this function is actually good for someone I would be happy with having the option of toggling it off.)
Thanks for all the effort you have put into this game.

