Oh, thanks for talking about that - I'd missed the earlier mention of the mule mail plans.
FWIW, I vastly prefer a mail system. To me, it's less hassle to fire off a bunch of parcels and not have to worry about logging mules in and out to keep things appropriately sorted (I have a food ingredients mule, a gem and ore mule, an NPC presents mule, etc. ) One of my current mule frustations is that I log out one mule, wait on the logout, then discover I forgot to trade one item that belongs on that mule, so I have to log them back in again - it all takes time.
That being said, I don't like the idea of being completely disallowed from mule trading. I hope there will be more clarification on that once the mail system is available.
Ok, back to the thread topic:
I'd be more likely to spend extra money on real life items. I'm not really that fond of spending real money on in-game toys. It's some combination of wanting to use in-game mechanics for anything in-game, and being somewhat stingy about spending. I'll still sub ( and would sub if there were no VIP perks) but I tend not to buy stuff in MMO shops.
Setting up real life merchandise may be entirely more hassle than it's worth but if it happens I'd be happy to pick up a couple t-shirts or sweatshirts. Hmm ... likely completely unrealistic suggestion: If there was a way for us to submit a screenshot and then get a t-shirt with that screenshot and a PG logo printed on it, I would drool over that.
For in-game stuff, I like the titles and tombstones discussed so far. I like bestowable titles - if someone comes up with a nifty title, I'd love to see lots of folks running around with it.
The hangout notification sounds like it could be fun. I don't think I'd want to get a mail for every open repeatable hangout but maybe the hangout mails could come with an option to mute further communication from the NPC if I definitely don't want to hang out with them anymore? Or some kind of extra screen that shows currently available hangouts? I have to admit I recently started tracking the repeatable hangouts in a spreadsheet, so having something in game would be a convenience feature for me.
I'm fine with name changes - I know there's some opposition to the concept but I don't mind (but don't particularly plan on changing any of my names). The gender change suggested earlier would also be fine with me, but I'd definitely not pay for that (who would want to play a guy?).
Other than that, I prefer that everyone in game plays with the same rules. I find it really hard to draw the line between "fun perk" and "I want that, why can't I earn it in game?".
Buyable loadout slots could be an interesting idea - I'd somewhat prefer they are earned through gameplay but the already available number of loadout slots is probably plenty for most people, so adding more on top of that would be ok.
I don't mind cosmetics like outfits, mount skins and pets being available, but I don't think I'd buy them myself. I like to show off stuff that I've earned through my game play, so buying things with real life cash doesn't really work for me there. I might make an exception for a particularly cute mount or non-combat pet but probably not.
I have to admit for cosmetic stuff that I'd actually want, I don't like the idea of possibly having what I really want be available only through RL cash. I'm thinking stuff like different hair styles and housing items here. I'm so biased.
I would likely pay for more character slots. I like alts, and I'd like to get all my characters on the same account.We currently have the option of getting 4 extra characters for $40 by getting a second account - it would be nice if it could be added to the same account instead.
I definitely don't like the idea of being able to buy extra inventory slots. I don't think I like buyable in-town storage slots either. Everyone wants more slots, so I don't really want to gate that behind a paywall. I have fewer problems with a bigger shared storage chest being associated with a VIP subscription - maybe because that's only a few slots per account, not character, and because it would go away if the sub expires. ( Incidentally, it's not a VIP feature I'm that excited about because I'd really prefer mail to begin with.)
Crafting xp bonuses also sound like a bad idea to me.