Sims 4 as an alternate universe

I don't really mind the alternative universe timeline. I wish they did invest more time into the back stories of sims because part of the appeal in previous games was playing these story-rich pre-made families. You always knew *you* were in charge of their future from that point on (like playing The Goth family in TS2 and deciding whether Cassandra stays with Don or goes another route such as Darren Dreamer).

Also, I feel like their stories help to clarify why a neighborhood/world is the way it is. Those stories give a place like "Pleasantview" a rich past.