Will be interested to try it out. I like this model better. For those that can't play very much, they at least temporarily inhabit more space to make the world not seem as empty. For those that get into it, they can pay for the full features.
For me, I hated having to buy a MMO game with the first month being free. That's $60 - if you don't like it after a month, it's not like you can sell it and get some money back, and you can't play just a little every month. It's always been play as long as possible for the first month, then realize how bright the sun is outside after you're done.