It's better now, but it could still use improvement. Is the base worth the full price I paid in 2014? Maybe it falls just a little bit short. The toddlers did improve the overall value IMO. If only it didn't get new bugs for each patch, and it had most of the base game stuff that's been present in previous games. It's kind of sad it still doesn't have terrain and pond tools when even Sims 1 had it from the start, but that's just how it is. :(
I'm ambivalent towards the traits and emotions system. Those don't bother me as much, but I would appreciate some additional tuning and improvements. The emotion system can be gamed too easily and isn't as meaningful as the pre-release promotions made it out to be.