Yeah, I set up the auto battling for people that might find the battling tedious. With auto battles, you can over level your party and then just let them blast through the easier fights. That way the exploration is a little less daunting.
I actually have been thinking about how to implement an endless sort of battling, or maybe tougher battles that aren’t tied to revealing the map. They could offer different rewards, or just more talent points. Maybe for next update!