8 attack directions would be overkill and give weapon length an even greater advantage than it already has. Animations would be confusing. 6 Sounds ok though.
Even better, they could code a completely free directional attack and blocks system that would make you attack precisely in the direction you moved your mouse, and make you block in a similar way. On-the-fly animation computing engines allow that (like in GTA4). Weapon length would determine how much your weapon covers you when you block in a given direction.
- No crosshair for ranged.
- A proper 1st person view, with proper "ironsights"
- WSE changes like ground collision
- more realism (accuracy or ranged, animations...)
- more stats (constit...)
- stamina, more skeleton zones with their own hp state and consequences
- dynamic equipment state (a mace hit will make a bump in plate armor, probably decreasing the protection and speed of the user), realistic armor properties (mail very bad against pierce and heavier than plate yet much cheaper and easy to make), precise coverage (open helmets don't protect your face from frontal attacks) etc.
- human turn inertia in MP (whirlwind effect got fixed, but the turning speed is still retarded, chars are human beings, not flies)
- more combat actions (shieldbash, sprint, disarming...)
But, and I stress that, the game has to stay an action game. It can be, even with complicated mechanics, but the outcome shouldn't be based on stats.