There is a portion of the fan base that expects to make it to 20th level with every character or they feel that they have wasted their time, and a portion of that group that even feels entitled to. These people tend to prefer point buy or arrays, because they can't imagine investing that much time in an inferior build. I think this philosophy is fine, but it is a symptom of MMO's which are all about the "end-game", where players compete to have the best character possible.
I think that Adventure Paths feed into that MMO mentality. Players feel like they have "lost" the game if they don't complete the path successfully and with the same character that they started with.
When not playing an MMO I much prefer old-school randomly generated attributes. I make no assumption that my character will survive, and my goal is to simply have fun and tell a good story. Sometimes character's die, and a heroic death can make for an excellent story. There is no pressure to have the best stats at the table, because I am not competing against the other players. I am working with them in an endeavor of collaborative story-telling.
I think that Adventure Paths feed into that MMO mentality. Players feel like they have "lost" the game if they don't complete the path successfully and with the same character that they started with.
When not playing an MMO I much prefer old-school randomly generated attributes. I make no assumption that my character will survive, and my goal is to simply have fun and tell a good story. Sometimes character's die, and a heroic death can make for an excellent story. There is no pressure to have the best stats at the table, because I am not competing against the other players. I am working with them in an endeavor of collaborative story-telling.