What does the auto-attack button do?

[My2Cents]

Please forgive the simplicity of the question, but I'm confused as to what teh auto-attack pushbutton does while active, and when to activate it..

[Visty]

when autoattack is on and you hardtarget a mob, then you automaitcly swing at it without doing anything else when youre in range

[KKDragonLord]

if the mob is selected, you attack it automatically when in range

[Aeneas]

Noobs. Don't you know you're supposed to give an obnoxious reply that is clearly wrong in response #2? Followed in box #3 by another response which berates the poster in box #2 for being such a jerk, then giving a partially wrong answer while trying to answer the OP correctly. This is then followed by 30 or so posts bickering about the answer and forum ettiquette. Then finally in post #36 or so the correct answer makes its way in.

I don't want to see the correct answer so early ever again! Efficient retrieval of information will be the death of these forums - mark my words!!

(Just for fun here is an actual post #2)

The auto-attack button causes a group of drunken halflings from a heinous stormreach gang to come careening out of the landscape in a primer gray painted import with windows tinted so dark you can't see in and they can't see out, an oversized rear spoiler, and a coffee can for an exhaust pipe tip. They will drive far too fast directly at whichever target you currently have in your reticle and do more damage to their poorly built vehicle than they do to the mob and cause all passengers to expire. You do not need to use this ability wisely or sparingly - we have an overabundance of halfling gangs and your use of the AA button is a service to the city.

[Kerrn_Siff]

Please forgive the simplicity of the question, but I'm confused as to what teh auto-attack push-button does while active, and when to activate it..

as for when to activate it: When bashing portals in the shroud or ranging from a safe-spot with a 1d2 returning throwing item while you take a bio.

You have better control and can vary your attacks as needed manually attacking for flanking or movement purposes. Also there will be plenty of times where you need to take a pot _now_ or whip a wand or use an item _now_ and if you try to activate such an action while on auto attack and within range of a bad guy you will generally not take the action until after the current attack sequence is done in my experience.

Plus I've seen auto attack swing happily when the mob is not actually in range and you end up looking a bit silly.

Using auto-attack takes away a fair amount of the flavor of DDO by removing much of the active combat system from play.