Basically what I got out of your post is that you want to implement change, but you're generally worried about the reception of any changes that are implemented. It's quite obvious to me that as it is, the game has some rather major flaws, but the players are generally content with the way things are. That's not to say that change isn't welcome. For example, I feel like many of the changes that have been implemented recently are helping to refine existing commands and are really quite useful. I think that change is good, if this change isn't simply for the sake of change. Adding guilds, adding features, adding commands and whatever other additions are things that players like, when they're well thought out, properly tested and useful or neat. It's also important to note that adding new things isn't necessarily what we need. Making what we have work better is always a good start. For example, if you showstats guilds, you'll see which guilds maybe don't work for players. They're guilds people find boring or useless and aren't particularly fun to play. Some guilds like elementalists and chanters, people don't particularly enjoy, but feel obligated to play at some point because what they offer the MUD. You can't do too much without blade spells and chants...

A good direction for the MUD to take is to review guilds and spells and make the less desireable guilds a lot more fun. If you want to make players more unique, maybe start by making guilds more unique. We have like 13-14 guilds, but many of them are identical in many ways. Tinkers and fighters are quite similar. Clerics, Paladins and WPs get many similar spells. AMs and SMs share many spells. I'm not saying that guilds shouldn't share spells, but in the case of Clerics, Paladins and WPs, they share like 10 spells between the 3 guilds, and some spells are just renamed so they don't seem to be the same.

I suppose what I want to say is that having a good concensus from players as to what they'd like to see change, then planning and implementing the changes properly would benefit the MUD. But, change for the sake of change isn't what the MUD needs. Having active admin is very exciting for players, it's nice to know people are around making cool things for us, but if it's gonna turn around and ruin things we have fun doing, it's not worth it.