I see how it is
Sorry about that mate. Eric or Howard will have to correct me if I'm wrong though:
1. Don't know
2. When travelling to towns you will be travelling along instanced routes. Here you will be able to fly pretty mich like you do in yhe current version.
3. I don't know MUSE's stance on this, but they're a small firm with limited resources, and so they'll probably wanna implement key mechanics first. Something like mini-games might not be on the top of their list, but if the demand is high enough, who knows? I wouldn't count on it though.
Besides, with the players and the AI director you'll hopefully have your hands full.
About your rank: there's currently some issues with the sync, try logging out and back in again. It should work as a temporary fix.