1) I agree, would be nice. could actually be planned, just not released yet, it's one of those basic things in most games.
2) It's the same buttons most games use, I didn't think about it much until I went in to change it in the controls section. I think if they did anything they could just have a movement window pop up during the intro to explain casting and melee types.
3) It's a design decision they made. It wasn't originally that way, but they went in that direction. I don't think it's a bad thing really...It only feels limiting at the early stages when you only have a few weapons available. once you get into the game proper, skills and weapons drop in enough amounts that you don't notice it really. It also helps to read the windows that pop up during your first few quest rewards, they give you some insight.
One way they could introduce it better would be to have more choices available in the first quest rewards, so you don't feel so limited. As an example, There's no 2h melee option for players who want to try that out, or a pistol option for those who don't want to go bow. So having a 2h melee, dagger, and pistol added to that first quest reward would be nice.
I don't mind the mechanic of weapon determining what skills you can use. They have to have some kind of limiter to force players to make a choice. Most games do it through classes, but they wanted a classless system with flexibility, and this seems to be a good way to put that choice into the game while still allowing for flexibility and hybrids. As an example, I was playing with a dagger and catalyst that allowed me to throw out bombs and throw blades while casting lightning bolts and fireballs at the same time, as well as leaping into melee and cleaving mobs with Bleeding edge. There's allot of flexibility in the system if you take a close look at the skills and possibilities.
