Actually, Sims 4 is the first Sims game I'll be buying on release.
I came to the Sims late enough to be able to pick up the entire set for about $20. Sims 2 I started with because my computer didn't have the specs for Sims 3. I played it for a couple of years (and picked up all the expansions and most of the stuff packs, usually on sale), and when I got a new computer, I played the Sims Medieval, which is how I discovered Carl's Guide. After a few months, I bought a combined Sims 3 and Ambitions.
Like many other people, I really appreciate the courtesy of the Forum's members. I occasionally look at the official Forum, just to see if there's any new information, but every thread seems to descend into personal attacks.
Regarding story progression -- I think if you play with your household aging, and the outside world not aging, you'll at least have a town that's not filled with elders. If EA does the same thing they did in Sims 2 -- introducing a feature where you can age up 1-3 of your Sim child's friends -- I'll be perfectly satisfied. And it sounds like we might be able to put our own townies into the mix for new additions.
If it's the household that's saved rather than the whole town, that should cut down on lag and crashing.
One thing I will say is that EA has a tendency to "hype" certain features to the point of annoyance. When Sims 3 was being introduced, I remember that they made a big deal out of CASt, and since I really didn't care if my couch, curtains, and tablecloths all had the same pattern, I wasn't interested. The main thing is not some new feature or lack thereof, but the fact that it's the Sims -- sometimes just like us, and sometimes like what we'd want to be, and sometimes like what we wouldn't want in a thousand years.
