I am in the opposite opinion on a few topics and I would like to explain why;
First, Surplus. The intent of surplus is to prevent players from leveling 1 job to max level and ignoring the content of all the other classes. By penalizing players who either grind too long on 1 class (or bot) they "entice" you to hop on another class and level it alongside your other classes and in the same light allow "casuals" to keep up.
Please keep the surplus, its annoying to players like me who play too much, but it keeps casuals in the game and makes people play other classes.
Second, crafter repairs and repair NPC. Thank you for making crafting classes more than just a "sidequest" to leveling a battle class. The amount of depth in the current system is wonderful. The mechanic of breaking weapons isn't new, nor is NPC repairing the items.
Fixing gear by employing a "crafter" is wonderful and just because people are too busy powerhousing 1 job to 50 to realize they could have been more effective and leveld a craft or asked one in their ls, doesn't mean you should do away with it. Reduce the prices of NPC repairs maybe, but don't remove repairs or take away features that make crafting robust like battle classes.
Third, Stat point allocation. I LOVE this system and I am VERY attached to being able to spec myself however I want. On several occasions I did something fun an out of the ordinary (like tanking The Great Buffalo on Conjurer) and LOVED the challenge it provided. Sure, I COULD have been on Gladiator and done it with ease, but whats the point? I leveled both classes so that I could use all my skills and points however I wanted and I don't think that should be taken away. Being able to backup heal on my Archer if s#!t hits the fan, or being able to tank on my Lancer when the tank isn't around is AWESOME. Now, I know I can't do it as EFFECTIVE as the classes that are intended to do them, but the fact that I CAN is why I love it.
Keep stat point allocation so that us players who want to be a flexible and well rounded character aren't pigeon holed into "defined classes" Make the classes defined in their own right and let the players step outside that box themselves with their own setups.
And finally, this leads to Job Flexibility. Keep the system where jobs can use other abilities at a reduced accuracy, damage, effectiveness etc... Make it so that the classes on their own have a "unique" feel, but DON'T take away the fact that I can have a ton of MP on my GLD to cure 3 myself when healers aren't present.
Whew, thanks for reading, I know its not what a lot of people want to hear, but I feel strongly and wanted to share.
Thanks!
Doctor Mog