Welcome to PlaneShift!
ok, on to the question ^^
1) PS uses
Crystal Space as 3d engine, and it looks pretty nice, also remember, there won\'t be a final, the game will be worked on as long as people feel like working on it (think linux).
2) yes, it really \"lags\" now, this is because the 3d engine too is still in development, however for the next version already, they will use a newer version that\'s (hopefully) a lot faster and less laggy then this one.
3) There are 2 test quests, however since there are errors with the NPC server lately, most NPC\'s are gone, so you can\'t do the quest.
4) well, you have to read the forums for that, a lot of questions are already answered, just look for the search button

5) yes, some players do think this is a really nice idea, there are some threads about it in the wish list, just search for it ^^
6) there are 2 elf racesm dermorian and nolthrir..
so just wait till the next release, Crystal Blue, and read some more stuff about the game in the meantime.