Twin Skies at PAX08: How does socialization work in this game?
Meteor Games realizes two major components of making an MMO popular: people want to play with their friends (both old and new), and they want to be recognized for their achievements. For these reasons, they've approached the whole MMO community thing from a different angle.
First off, you're not stuck with one guild, you can actually join multiple guilds that reflect your multiple interests. Let's say you enjoy playing a certain mini game, or you love to just explore; then you can join a mini game guild or an Explorer's guild. However, there's even more incentive to reach outside your guild to make "PUG" not such a bad word. For example, there might be achievements to reward a priest for healing 10 strangers, or buffs for those who can start a conga line with a group of strangers. Socialization, both in and outside of your circle of usual friends is encouraged in Twin Skies.
In addition, another way to interact with other players is through PvP. There will be zone-based PvP introduced soon after launch with unique zone-based conflicts and unique mechanics that will change regularly. For instance, there may be a spellcaster-only battle on one day, and something different on another day. This is meant to break up the monotony of battles where players can develop and memorize a strategy that will always win.