the new "missions" are already super-RPG-like as M. put it

The major difference in the YPP missions is that, when you complete them, you don't get anything.

I'm not sure the multiple-oceans thing is going to be any worse than the alts we have now--it'll just be that your alts may never talk to each other. Especially if they divide the forums by ocean, then it may just turn out to be several instances of PP running simultaneously.