I fully expect it to play similarly to XV. Snowball's chance in Hell of it staying 'classic'.

That would be one reason to do so. x ) I did try to plat every game I played, but I found that too hard for some I didn't like. Nowadays I don't have time to plat games anymore... : <

EXP in FF7 went to all characters even if they weren't in your party. They have to because of the fact the main character disappears half way through and you are forced to use others, if they are majorly underleveled you'd lose too easily. FF8 compensated by having enemies level with you, can't remember how FF9 did it.

There are so many gaming experts on the net, makes you really wonder why they aren't making games themselves!

Seriously though, let them make the game they want it to be. Artists need freedom. If you tell an artist what exactly he has to do, you get shitty results. If they choose to make a totally new battle system or even alter the story and whatnot, I will just try it and see if it is any fun. I won't tell the developers how to do their job. I'm pretty certain they are more talented than me anyway. I do, however, have enough imagination to believe that there are countless ways of improving the battle system of FF7 and there are also completely other ways to do it while still remaining fun and rewarding. If you ask me how exactly such systems would look like, I can't give you an answer. But it's also not my job to think about such things. If you know what I mean.

Action RPG's have set standards for gameplay and difficulty that would still keep the epicnes intact. No. Let turn based work for some games, but let some franchises evolve.

I'm pretty sure many people who love to be able to make games. You do not have to know how to programme in order to recognise what you would like in a game series over 20 years old.

This anaolgy you put forward is odd though. Let's say someone is told in an art class 'Reproduce Sunflowers by Van Gogh'. What they do is reproduce Sunflowers by Van Gogh, like they were asked. If the person asking them then says "Why didn't you change it?" The artist would be confused as that's not what they asked of them. People commission artist to do all sorts of work and expect it to fit a certain criteria and while in this case we as fans are not commissioning it, it's up to the developers to change it as they see fit but the produced product will still be Sunflowers... right?

Or will it be Self Portrait with Grilled Bacon by Dali when we expect Sunflowers by Gogh?

... I know what I'm on about. Change the battle system, different game, it's the main gameplay after all.

I really hope they don't change it beyond recognition but I guess I'll be completely turned off by the new art-style.

Would be nice, but i don't think it will happen

Reproducing something isn't art and you don't need an artist to do it. I know there are many many artist who are hired to do special tasks, as an author I am one of them myself. But even when I'm wrtiting for some advertisement or stuff like that, it gets better the more freedom I get. If someone says to me: "Write a script for an ad for my coffee!" I am free to think about whole concepts and can really let my fantasy come to work. If that person however says "Make an ad about my coffee with a happy family at the breakfast table and be sure my company logo is all over the place" I am pretty restricted in what I can do. The result is then for the most part some generic ad that you have seen countless times before. I did my job, I got my money, but it wasn't fun and nobody will remember it in the future. It's garbage. Gosh, I really hope I can release a book rather sooner than later. 

Anyway, now let's imagine Square-Enix tells the crew for FF7R EXACTLY what to do. Do this, do that, change nothing, just improve the graphics. The artists would be bored to hell, they wouldn't have fun working at something like that, they can't bring their own ideas in. I can't imagine a game becoming good if the developers can't put heart and passion into it. I guess it could work if you don't hire any artist but only dem technical folks who pump up the graphics. But really, that sounds boring to me.

But what if you write an advertisement for tea (Action) instead when you were asked to do coffee (Turn-Based)? It's still a caffeinated drink, right? Yet I'm not interested in Tea, I wanted the coffee (This is an example, I'm british so live off tea pretty much :P).

The latter parts just described my job, I make white labels based on our system around other people's websites. I didn't develop the system, I don't develop the clients websites... it's not fun. But it's my job, I regulary use modern coding to update older website to fit our pages, a developer is being hired to remake FF7 not a new game which has the same name. If it's not turn based it might as well be a spin off like Dirge or Crisis Core.

I wonder what people really expect when they hear 'Graphical upgrade' because in my head for FF7 there f*ing loads of stuff to do. Think more, this is modern day gaming vs 18 years ago. Everything can be fleshed out. Towns can be full 3d town to wander around (3RD person), you can talk to people, interact with things. Character models will have full animation, non-combat will match combat models and (sadly) have speaking voices, you'll see emotions in them. Imaging a turn based battle, with ATB as usual with fully animated characters, smooth animations and effects, not just the character 'gliding' to the target and hitting them. When the character gets more injured (less HP) they could stand in a more hurt position, cure could show them properly recovering, potions could show them actually drinking it. They get poisened and they actually appear sick not just a weird symbol above their head until you use a potion on them. Remember the 'Fury' thing in FF7 that made you get limit quicker but meant you had higher chance of missing attacks? Make them so the character looks and acts more angry, saying stuff in battle that is more harsh. 

Do people really expect just a shinier version of this? https://rpgsquare.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/final-fantasy-vii-attack.jpg