If we're assuming our characters didn't just pop into existence as fully formed adults like they are in the game, but instead assume that they were born as infants to some sort of parents, grew up, and then became the fully formed adults they are when we start the game - then it would follow that they would know how to, for example, find their way around the area they grew up in.
I may be wrong, but from what I have experienced around here so far, this is all about the PS approach: "Find it out yourself, and do this ingame" - while considering recommendations to stay IC ingame, everything you will have to find out ICly, consequently.
So yes, your chars are only appearing adult after been kicked into the world, mentally every new char would be like an empty vessel, a newborn.
So, for instance: How about listing most important (currently) known animals, beasts.. flora and fauna, publically on the homepage (including main features of each)? And in general: provide the players with a basic knowledge of the ingame world, for they could play appropriately right from the start, to start playing prepared, instead of being forced to do a lot of OOCish researches ingame, thus having so many new players playing chars "from areas far, far away", or "from another level"?
As for the roads, and in the same context, I think it would only be reasonable to change the textures of the main roads, connecting the major settlements, to paved roads. This way a new player had a better chance to play a new char as one not entirely ignorant of the area it was meant to have been grown up in. And for the settings, I would guess it would make more sense if, given trading routes exist, inhabitants already had the idea to establish proper roads
