In developing the combat chapter, this is my battlecry: Put stuff where it belongs!
A lot of complex games like D&D try to pretend they aren't really as complex as they are by hiding some of their rules. Moving in D&D seems really simple, and it is until you throw in 5 foot steps, squeezing, difficult terrain, and diagonals.
Right now, dev is taking a structural approach similar to how special attacks like bull rush and grapple are presented. Those weird attacks aren't simply stuffed under the basic attack header in the 3e PH. Instead, they are all listed separately for ease of reference and to make it clear they are separate rules. IME, people new to D&D can see that you don't need to learn and memorize all those weird maneuvers. They are there as references when you start playing, and eventually you learn them as you play more.
I think that's a good approach for a game like D&D - lay out everything up front, but make it clear what you need to know to play D&D (how to move, how to use a skill, how to attack), and label the rest as reference stuff you don't need to learn right off the bat.
So, that's an approach we're using in other areas of the rules in addition to attacks.
