It is impossible to explain even the most basic battle concepts with menu chat. You can't tell someone how to trap and boost with it. You can't say I'm going to hit this target, you hit that one. It's almost impossible to carry on any kind of conversation at all with the thing. This game is hard enough for someone who hasn't played it for quite a while. Menu chat just makes it that much harder.
As an example of one of the impossibilities, I had a guy jump into a boss battle. I had worked very hard to get to that boss and didn't appreciate it when he started hitting the boss instead of the minion. But I couldn't explain I'd just spend 5 hours doing the dungeon solo, couldn't do anything other than tell him to focus his attack on the minion. and he said, of course, no. My only options were to tell him, again, to focus on the minion or say yes.
It's painful to watch someone in battle just casting spells, with obviously no clue how to use their traps, their blades, their converts, and NOT be able to explain any of that. Or tell someone how to do any one of a number of other simple, game related things.
either Menu chat needs to be drastically expanded or KI needs to create some MUCH better advanced game tutorials. Something like the tutorial from Diego, but far more indepth and presented after level 30 or so, so that the player actually gets some value out of what's being taught.
If (the player) is under the age of 13, (the player) should have menu chat only. If (the player) is between 13 and 18, (the player) should have text chat only which is a very filtered set of words that are only game related.
Be aware that parental controls are available for adults to set the appropriate level of chat for the child.
Sorry but this is a children's game (for the most part) that adults are welcome to play. They promote it as a "safer" gaming environment for kids with parental controls for what level of interactive chat they have. they DO have battle > player> focus> target and a "dont attack my target" or "attack one with lowest life"
You also have the option to Turn off friend teleport. (I do this while I am in a dungeon.) You can hit C even while battling to turn this on again should a friend you WANT to help be available.
Honestly, I am glad the menu chat is there especially for free players and young children. I have open 18+ chat and holy moly it can get ugly with all the filter bypassing, especially when a parent has turned on a childs open chat that doesn't understand just because it is the internet doesn't make it "ok".
