In my opinion, EA do not need to change the game for new players. If it ain't broke, then don't fix it. There was nothing wrong with the earlier iterations other than a little updating to keep up with the times - graphics, smoothness of play, updating to run on new systems etc. If they had done that, then they could have just built extras onto a solid foundation.
It was a big mistake for them to cut out so much that we were used to having - there is no way this game should ever have been released without basics like swimming pools and toddlers. And, since then, they seem to have been cutting down on quality and giving us more and more restricted gameplay. No CAW, no Cast, no ability to visit next door without a loading screen, no editing of non-Lot areas, no accessing career Lots in the main world, no ability to play one sim at home while also playing a sim at the gym, no vehicles/bikes, no proper open-for-business, the list could go on...
Yes, there are things that they have improved upon since previous games (such as CAS, the ability to pick up and move houses or rooms when building) but an awful lot of stuff in the game seems to have gone in a direction that is cheap and unfinished.