[BlackSolider]

I don't want to get deeply involved into an internet back-and-forth (especially when it doesn't directly involve me,) but here are my thoughts on the recent subjects of a 'forced storyline/quests' and 'local guilds only':

Every game needs to give a new player some sort of background/direction when they start. Simply logging onto a server and knowing nothing about the fluff, locations, ways to make money or get items, etc. is a bad influence on newcomers. Thus a game/server should walk the person along for a short time, describing where they are, what is going on, and how to get started. People looking for a true story-based RPG should probably get another game, but giving people an idea of what is going on around them is generally a good idea.

The debate likely comes from how long a person should be handheld by the server (ie: being "forced" to do stuff) before being left to fend for themselves. Outside of getting the sword and the shield, nothing I found in the storyline (after having played through it recently) was impossible to do without. Having lvl 1 gloves or a warp ring was nice, but even the 4th heart is negated in events when everyone is given the same health (I believe 3.) So from what I've seen, after you follow the story to get the sword and shield (along with reading about some of Graal basics and classic's story,) you're free to either continue the story or go off on your own, and thus seems fine.

The issue about 'local guilds' vs 'global guilds', as well as 'multi-guilding' is probably more complex. Personally I like the idea of 'local guilds' that represent something significant on the server (a location, area, idea, or whatever,) but these aren't likely common. Most local guilds are probably friends joining forces to try and become the big shots of the server. I'd like to see both global and local guilds allowed (could also lead to some fun 'invasion' type events of guild battles) but ultimately it doesn't matter that much to me.