Tim

From reputation-style vendors (LOTRO reputation vendors, FFXI conquest system, etc.), definitely. Crafting related vendors tend to stay useful throughout the life of games. For gear, though, vendors tend to have very limited use. Either far superior equipment is available by other means (quest rewards, crafting, loot) or prices are above "market" prices. Of course this is probably a good thing, since it encourages player driven economies. Even so, I would rather have the some options, than be forced to buy only from other players or player-supplied NPCs (GW I'm looking at you).

I could see getting this for most non-combat activities (crafting, gardening, AH, etc.), or casual combat. I don't think many non-gamepad players would go for it, though. The pricepoint would probably be a big factor, too. This long into the game's lifespan, and any more than $30 would probably see few adopters.

It used to matter to me a lot. Now it only matters to me if a class population is lopsided, but even then I'll probably play it. It just won't be my main.

Asheron's Call 2. It was my first real MMO (I don't count the Diablo series). I only played a few months, but I still miss parts of it.

FFXI, too, but I burned my bridges enough to never go back. And, no, FFXIV isn't the same.

Dismantle your toes!

In FFXI, there's also a mob that strips players down to their skivvies, at least temporarily. So, yes, this would be a welcome change.

*played another game

PUGs in FFXI were quite bad for most classes when I played. If you didn't know who you were inviting, it could be quite a gamble even venturing out to xp. Other games have been better in some areas (looser requirements on who you can party with) and worse in others (horrible player search tools). Probably the best PUG experiences I've had were in GW. I haven't player another game that had a mechanic to ask to be invited to an existing party.

I played one of the games mentioned on a "private" server for a couple days. The numerous bugs made it pretty difficult to keep playing any longer. If it hadn't been as buggy, I'm still not sure I would have played more than a month or two. The challenge just wasn't the same (from things like vastly accelerated leveling pace).

Sera Ataur. That officially makes most of the MMOs I've played have pretty bland mounts.