Sounds like you are already too in love with it to be reasoned with. In one of the first look videos the Devs clearly talk about facebook and twitter as an option to connect to friends, no one said it would only be based off that....
The game is still being developed so nothing is set in stone. Look at what a pile of dogshit UO turned into slowly but surely over the years... The fact is nothing will ever take the UO player base that left UO away from terrible games like WoW because people can log in and feel good about the way their character looks and chat in a safe area without some angry nerd ruining their day. So what you are left with is either diehard old school UO pvp fans or, weird "Richard Garriot" Fans that anticipate another ultima online out of him, and if someone is still after all these years worshiping lord British they are probably one of the fruitcakes that farmed inscription on demise to get rich and then eternally sucked at PvP once they got a suit.
The fact of the matter is my little nerdlings, UO was a one of a kind experience that kicked ass while it lasted and died hard with a stale fart. Anticipate what you will but I predict Shroud of the Avatar to be an epic letdown.