It's kind of a tricky situation because some people are against the grid-based movement, and some are for it. I guess it will be hard to tell accurately until I finish polishing both mechanics to see which one is better and more preferable. But personally, I'm glad you thought this way about the grid (like planning the next move etc.) because that was the whole point for me at least.
I am also surprised of how similar your opinion about the free movement is to mine. I was sure that if I made the free movement, it would upset a lot of people (especially since the mechanics wouldn't be polished in 48 hours). So, the grid was a safe option.
AND WOW, I liked the idea about a hard mode, I will see how it goes (if it's worth it). Although, just removing the grid wouldn't work and I'll need to rework the whole system.
Once again, thank you for an extremely detailed opinion with a lot of personal thoughts and suggestions. This is truly a valuable response, I'll think of what can I do with these problems to satisfy the needs of the most. My huge appreciation to you, best of luck to you :)