I agree.. off by default for ranked games.. toggleable on/off option for player / private matches.

Nah, scrap them both. They're just cheap gimmicks that add nothing to the quality of the gameplay.

Multi-leveled arenas on the other hand, those can stay. If they're done right like in DOA3

I still agree pretty strongly with this. Free fall just has to go, and I can't say that I've ever liked traps, but I appreciate them trying to make them better and better overall. It's just a dead attribute of the gameplay unless we're talking the Story Mode.

I like to have more to do with my character in the arcade/arenas. While I like to experience more overall with my character during the konquest.

I have ta agree that free fall is out of place in MK. Like I said in another post...I am on the line with it at times but it seems like a mid match interactive loading screen. However I am sure there are people that do enjoy it so I would have to fully agree with bose645 that they should add on/off toggling to a lot of things...free fall being just one of them.

i personally think the free fall was a good idea but i think they need to improve the kombat during free fall i didn't like the fact that to hit someone it has to be a rock paper scissors type deal. i like the free fall concept because it gave the fight some dramatic intensity like in a movie it showed the fighters didn't care they were falling and still tried beating the crap out of each other.
if anything just make it so your still fighting in the air but you can block , hit, etc. without guessing what button your opponent hit first ( i know that sounds confusing since that's what a fighting game practically is) :P

dude i completely agree with you

I agree that the freefall is a total gimmick, but I totally disagree about traps not being a part to add quality to the gameplay. They add an awareness factor to the arena. You really have to stay aware of where you are at in the arena. It also adds a bit of strategy to the match...an opponent could try and control the other fighter's movements, trying to trap them up against a deathtrap.
Do I want the traps in as they are now? Absolutely NOT. I totally hate how a simple jab can send an opponent flying 50 feet into a death trap. The moves required to thrust an opponent into a death trap should be deliberate.
They should, IMO, make them more akin to ringouts, albeit gory and MKish, with a possibility of recovery or escape for quick thinkers. The way they are now are just too simplistic and glitchy, and if they were going to keep them the way they are, then I agree, get rid of them.

Hmm, I can definitely agree with that.

Free Fall was fun but I'm not sure if it'll fit in a "fully MK" game. It's very fantastical so maybe without the superheroes present, it shouldn't return.

Death traps do indeed add strategy, however I hate how they can cut matches too short.

I'd prefer Stage Fatalities return in place of death traps. Like let there be death traps but have them only accessible after "Finish Him/Her."

This!

But how would that work in a 3D environment without beng awkward and glitchy like in MK4?

I think it could be done with today's technology. Granted, MK4s did look glitchy, but to me, the whole game did too. I think they could pull it off better today. Still, I think the best directions to do this are up and down. Uppercutting into spikes, fan blades, etc can work, as well as uppercutting and having the opponent fall through the floor (ala MKA Bell Tower level). I do like, however, having these types of things being secret codes to imput as it puts in more of a surprise factor the first time you see it.
As far as other pit fatalities outside the arena, throwing the opponent into them would probably be the best bet. This would probably have to mean that the arenas would have to be a bit smaller, so the fighter isn't throwing their opponent into something that is over 100 ft away. Also, use stage fatality codes to pull this off.
It would just take some careful, creative level design and programming to make it look and work properly, but I think it could be done.

drop them!

Traps should only be on in the last round of the fight. Otherwise, I like them.