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The fluctuating payment model - hypothetical
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[Deleted User]
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Assuming 100 levels and a classic themepark (WoW, AoC) type of game, the way I'd do it...
F2P access with cash shop to the whole world including basic versions of all mechanics in the game (mounts and the like). If there are dungeons and raiding, access to all the dungeons under level 100, 1 or 2 of the easiest level 100 ones and first tier of raiding, and limited character slots. Cash shop would have cosmetic items, boosters (for leveling faster, NOT to be stronger), unlocks of mechanics that can also be unlocked in the game (for example, you have the option to pay a certain amount of in-game money to get a fast mount, or purchase the unlock on the cash store and get a mount with the same speed but a fancier skin and more selection of skins for it) and services (extra character slots, character rename, change appearance, etc).
Subscription gets access to more level 100 dungeons that have better rewards, more tiers of raiding, and hard (level 100) versions of every pre-level cap dungeon with improved rewards, in-game discount for unlocked mechanics (mounts, for example) and a stipend of cash shop currency monthly so they could purchase things like cosmetics and extra mount skins, unlimited character slots, and improved mechanics (a free player, for example, would have access to a simple bank slot, a paying one would have other slots unlocked so he could put bags on it).
If you're a subscriber and stop paying, you keep whatever you earned while paying (dungeon or raid gear, mounts) but don't get access to the subscriber perks. For example, if you have a bank with basic + 4 bags, bags become unusable (I'd put a 1 week grace period where you can get things out of the bags, but not put back in, after which they're locked until you subscribe again), or, if the free users get 2 character slots and you bought a 3rd one, but while subscribing you created 6 characters, you have to choose which 3 remain active until you subscribe (again, maybe a grace period of 1 or 2 days could be given where you have access to their inventories to put their stuff in the bank).
As an alternative, cash shop would also sell items that would grant your account limited (1 or 2 days, for example) access to locked dungeons, or a specific raid.
What can men do against such reckless hate?
If I had to choose, it would definitely be cash shop in to sub, but intuitively I would think that I would want the payment system for the game to be as unobtrusive to the player as possible. While people are playing my game, I would want them to think about their next in-game objective as opposed to "okay I can play free for 5 more levels, so I will stop doing PVE and 'x' point and do this instead..." blah blah
People will always try to find ways to game the system, and the less they focus on playing in-game systems and more they focus on out-of-game/payment systems, the worse off player retention and the developers are
I have to agree. If you have 50 levels free and 50 levels as sub, you piss off the ones that want F2P (and probably pay on the cash shop) for not letting them continue playing after they've invested lots of time on their character, and on the other hand the ones that want P2P would be pissed off that they have to go trough a F2P game (with all that it implies) before getting to the P2P part.
What can men do against such reckless hate?