So true, earlier versions knew how to add drama, depth, personality and challenge.
In TS4 there is not even a single way to loose aspiration points or skill points. There are no fears. While getting fired or demoted are still there in theory, your Sims will hardly ever experience them. Getting bad grades at school is hardly possible, getting an A is the regular outcome without effort.
The positive things loose their effect if there are no negative outcomes.
Or at least that used to be the case. Nowadays, we are getting perfect results without effort in TS4. Everything is rainbows and sunshine and the thing is, a lot of players seem to appreciate that. There are so many players who mention UI cheats as their most essential mod.
Sometimes I feel like some ancient creature from the Stone age, so I am happy to read there still are others who feel the same.