Is Local Duty Finder your server only? My biggest issue with the game is having to DF with other servers, I like grouping with my own server and believe it helps build a communiy. Heck, most my Guildies in past games come from people we bump into in a Dungeon.
I actually like the idea of CT being only one group of friends, the rest strangers because one problem with MMOs these days is they become very silo based - once in an FC you rarely do anything with otherson the server, whereas something like this will help bring different people together.
Having said that, it is risky for the very real fears others have - poor players preventing you from getting anywhere. However, I get a feeling that will be a minority case (maybe I am an optimist). When using DF for current content it is often random people thrown together, however, I would imagine, in the majority of cases, that the groups for CT will be 3 premade groups of 8, presumably 3 FCs wanting to do CT. True there will be times when it is a purely random group off 8, but I think it won't be too common.
On another note , I am always amazed at thoese complaining about having to FATE grind their alts. My main char has pretty much done no side quests since lvl 20 because I have just focused on Story and Class quests and at lvl 40 am yet to run short on the questling (well, occasionally I have been 10 or 20k xp short of lvl).
I guess if I put on blinkers and solely focused on each quest to the exclusion of all else I would have needed the side quests, but generally when going from A - B on a quest I can't resist jumping into a FATE nearby, heck, sometimes I would inadvertantly do 5 or so FATES by the time I get to my destination. Due to playing this way I have not had to do any actual farming of anything, my main alts haven't either (Marauder and Conjurer, both mid 20s) thanks to them being in seperate areas for vls 1-20 and me having left so many quests behind