[Hiro]

luda has put it perfectly, with the exception of family guilds, which is not just "an extra tag" but more a way to distinguish yourself individually aside from being in guilds because it becomes more of a symbol with a set of expectations along with it, rather than just another guild. in a way, family guilds have more importance than just normal guilds because of the symbolism that gets attached to them: players inside a family also tend to bond more as friends than in a guild, because it's more personal. aside from that, all other guilds fit into the categories luda has said.

as for whether guilds have deviated or not, the answer is obvious. of course they have. on what server does being in a certain guild actually mean anything anymore? nowadays, people won't stick to one guild, they'll hop around because no one guild can sustain the emphasis of power that guilds used to have. guilds don't tend to war anymore, and if they do, it's very impersonal, with the winning guild being the one that doesn't log off.

if guilds had more of a focus into the game play of graal, more server supported guild-related activities and events, then maybe they could become more relevant. people would want to join certain guilds because of their performance in those events - right now, theirs no reason other than friendships to join any certain guild; while being a good reason, it shouldn't be everything: families are more designed for friendships, guilds are more designed for performance in PKing or sparring.