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1) The one core basic feature would you 100% expect to be in, and expect to be perfected at launch, bug free and 'cool'
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Not so much a particular feature, but a smooth, consistant and well itemized levelling experience. Nothing turns me off a new MMO more than content gaps and ridiculous itemization that's obviously had absolutely no thought put into it. The moment I hit the 'oh damn, I'm out of quests, looks like I'm going to have to go grind a bunch of levels' is usually the moment I return to my previous game. Likewise, if the zone design and itemization reeks of rushed developement, it turns me off a game really fast. Make it as easy as possible for people to want to keep playing.
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2) What one thing that hasn't been done well, or at all, in any MMO, would you most like to see as a thoroughly fleshed out mechanic/content piece/UI feature?
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Non-itemized character progression. Don't get me wrong I love my phat loot and all, but items always seem rather transient to me and I like the thought that the effort I've put into my character is more than the sum of his gear, which will all eventually be replaced anyway.
Of course the hard part with that is that it's very tricky to balance. There's a careful line to walk between making it impossible for new players to catch up and making such a progression system meaningless.
For an example of a company who did it very, very well, look at Mythic's Realm Rank system in DAoC. I think they struck an almost perfect balance here, it meant something to have a high RR character, it was something that took a long playtime and was rewarded accordingly, but it was very possible for a new character to catch up to a competative level within a reasonable time frame. Of course the older player would always be slightly ahead assuming equal playtimes, but because of the way they scaled it you could become competative quite easily.
In the time it might take someone to go from RR9 to RR10 another player would be able to go from RR 1 to RR7 or so, which would leave them able to play at a decent level. Likewise, they balanced the rewards fairly well. A RR10 had an advantage, but not so much of one that a well played RR5 couldn'tstand a fair chance against them.
The trick in applying this to a PvE game would be only gaining progression from meaningful content, so you don't see players grinding solo or in small groups 10 hours a day just to keep up.
Ok I'm kind of rambling on.
