I think most people’s concern is the severity of its implementation.

I’m not 100% against MTs. I’m 100% against paying for statistical advantages. Cosmetic differences are ok to me. Things like pots, convenience devices (loot grabbers or faster horses, etc) are fine as well. Server Transfers, Respec tokens, new hair cuts… all fine, b/c they don’t give an advantage over other players. But, my issue arises if the items bought give an advantage in any form in PvP or make a player w/out the want of purchasing an item obsolete. For instance, if a set of armor can be bought, and then the community spams for a tank to run a raid, but has to have that armor. That’s unfair.

Additionally, I DON’T like the NCSoft and SOE mechanic, b/c their MTs are ON TOP of the monthly subscription fee. So, in your example of perception, where are those additional funds going, or what is the monthly sub paying for? It’s no longer just the service and updates. And further with CoH, they’re seeing even more revenue from in-game advertisements, so why are they charging players even further on-top of that?

One or the other, not both IMO.

But, if done carefully, I think that the MT model could be a great success if implemented in a careful fashion in the western market, especially in this economy. But, if not implemented in a very casual and cosmetic way, what that game will lose, is hardcore players. And that hurts any game.

Most hardcore players won’t waste their time w/ playing hours and hours a day, creating guilds, running guilds, and hosting events for players and guildies alike, if their hard work is futile. Hardcore players are the backbone of every successful game. They’re the raid leaders. The strategy writers. They run the fan sites. They creat add-ons. They make programs for players to see their “builds”. They are the forum celebrities. If they put all that effort into a game, and see that Billy-2-hours-week can just purchase the same advantages they busted their hump for, why devote time to a game that allows that?

I’m not saying ALL hardcore players are like this, but being able to devote time and knowledge of a game and being in the upper echelon of players, provides a sense of superiority to those players and drives them to keep going. Most of the hardcore players I’m talking about spin the superiority into an extremely positive manner. Not all, but most. As such, they do more by holding groups of players together b/c they have those achievements over other players. If you take that away, you only have casual gamers that just will not hold a community together for very long.

TOR probably has the best chance, b/c of its recognition, to be able to pull off a MT based model, if done right, and still making Hardcore players viable as the “glue”. But it has to create a very delicate balance of giving casual players something “worth” paying for, while not impeding on hardcore players’ ability to lead through example.