In classic eq people didn't know what quests were worthwhile and what mobs dropped the Best-in-Slot loot, so they were forced to explore, a lot. Thats what the basis of your table top rpg comparison comes down to. The only way to make an emu as amazing as EQ Classic is to make a world as diverse and detailed as Norrath. With all the answers these days, there is less to explore for the novelty of it. So people try out twinking, PLing, etc.
Along the lines of Roleplaying, why can't I roleplay that my characters know each other in the game world? Why can't my level 50+ <insert race here> have a younger brother, son, cousin of the same or related race, or have found an abandoned little iksar and helped them along their journey? Roleplaying very easily explains twinking. (And you said you have to drop items or trust someone...but you also said the whole point is to play with a party of people and adventure together....so shouldn't they gain your trust as you go?)
MQing isn't a bug, its code that the Devs specifically put into the game. Without MQing big quests (like epics) would have been even harder for people to figure out. Imagine how much it would suck if your guild looted a rare raid mob epic drop (see druid, ragner, wiz, bard, mage, sk, etc) only to a month later finally figure out what class needs that piece, and for it to be completely and utterly useless.
This is an MMO RPG, and will not be exactly the same as a tabletop rpg, which is essentially instanced in your basement. The gaming culture is also shifting from the way it was in 1999. As an early mmo rpg, EQ could be more about the adventure and exploration, but these days players are driven by rewards and upgrades, not simply by delivering mail across OOT for a few peices of platinum, some gold, and a pat on the back.
Not a terrible post, but your ideas could be more thought out.
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