I agree it was mostly basic that early, but already by the 80's, LEGO ads were full of elaborate sets. Not nearly as elaborate as now, but certainly much more. The proportion of special pieces in each set were certainly much smaller, and made getting those special pieces a lot more exciting.

This [1] from LEGO Movie specifically plays on the 1980's space sets, for example, and I personally had quite a few of these [2] sets in the early 80's.

[1] https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/benny-s-space-squad-70841

[2] http://www.doubledumbassonyou.com/2016/02/19/lets-enjoy-a-lo...