I left wow at cataclysm as well.  I returned as a trial to check out their panda land.  That didn't last long... that game has been simplified beyond belief.  But at least they have basic and advanced mmo options which tortanic does not.  No macros, addons, cross server lfg, and a horrid ui with limited customizations.  I did swtor for a month as a sub and quickly saw the writing on the wall.  The game has been out for a year and they have done very little to support it.  No dual spec either... ugh.  I don't see their f2p being successful as it's still just a different style money grab on top of a crappy game.  No doubt the actual storyline was very nice with the voice acting.  I enjoyed being able to listen in on the conversations, however meaningless they ultimately were.  That was nice entertainment.  Pvp is fun as well.

Check out Rift if you get a chance.  That's a nice game with awesome support and functionality.  It is a bit more demanding on hardware, but only because of the shiny pixels inside.  Also a cheaper sub versus panda land or tortanic.