[Rbstr]

I really, really doubt that we'll get a single world.

The technical challenges of that are immense. Take a game like EVE (AGAIN!) you get 1k people in a system, shit doesn't like it. Even when the basic operations of combat are more simple than a FPS in terms of calculation (targeting and random chance instead of hit detection).

4kmx4km isn't huge, but it also isn't small. It's about 2.5 miles to a side or 6.25 square miles. LA Noir, for instance, is 8 sq.mi. I don't recall original PS sizes...but I'd bet the map sizes are similar.
I think that's OK, PS map sizes were fine, the problem was how they organized things within them. Bigger could be cooler, but we'd just end up with faster vehicles. You can't have it take 30mins to drive a tank between bases.

That's definitely water, you can see the coastline sketched out. Seems like this continent is sort of an water/land inverted Cyssor.

I really worry that the land is just cut off on the edges though. That would really break immersion. Continents being surrounded by ocean that ends in a wall is one thing but the land can't simply stop.

All of you "We want navy" dudes should be happy, though. If this isn't really out dated is practically confirms watercraft, lots of hovering stuff or lots of amphibious vehicles.