I was of the understanding that you could choose whether or not to pay for a name ... but if you opted not to that your name would simply have numbers at the end of it.
I don't know, I guess I don't mind paying for the game because:
1. My understanding is that there are no monthly fees, and it is possible to play without sinking cash into the game if you choose (you just don't get some of the "nice to haves" like a name without numbers)
2. Tirnua is a startup and I'm assuming that they're trying to secure funding. To be realistic - any potential investor will want to see an eventual return on their investment. Leaving the obvious issues around EA's lack of support of TSO to the side, my understanding of TSO's troubles was that the game was not making a profit. (Even though we all know that the lack of players and therefore revenue was quite likely due to lack of updates/fixes/promotion and the need to spend money to make money) Whether you like or dislike Secondlife, you can't argue that it is a successful business model, and the great thing is that players as well as the developers/owners of SL are making money. If Tirnua builds that same capability, there is the possibility of rewards for players as well. I understand the game has to make money somehow.
3. I don't know about you, but I *miss* my sims. Really, really miss them. I haven't found another game yet that comes close to giving me the same enjoyment as throwing out a few serenades or crafting. I was so excited when I saw that Luc was building a team to make Tirnua happen. Call me optimistic, but I can really see them creating a game that has the things we loved about TSO, with lots of new options & functionality that we didn't have, without mandatory killing and bloodshed, with the ability for us to really have input as to how we want to see the game evolve. And for that, I don't mind putting my hand in my pocket to show support for what they're trying to achieve. Especially as I have no idea whether they're managing to pull a salary or not (!!)
That being said, I say all this with the comfort of having those few dollars to play with, and I can understand with the all that's going on with the economy that people want some bang for their buck.
I'm also guessing that the extra money payable when you purchase TAU is to do with the fees that Tirnua have to pay to Paypal for each transaction ... eg you pay a flat amount per transaction plus a percentage of the value of the purchase. So if you make one large purchase they pay lower fees to Paypal and they're passing that on ...