It shouldn't be a level playing field if some are willing to do the extra work and others are not. I think that is ultimately the point of the new development. V1 was flawed but the thing guys like the most was that when they made changes to their gameplans, they could see those changes in the game results. V2 took that away and made a level playing field by dumbing things down. Putting in the extra work of gameplanning does not currently offer much, if any, reward for the effort. Polabonez gave the example where he won a NC without ever setting a V2 gameplan. There are many more examples. V3 brings (or at least promises to bring) the ability to actually make a difference with your extra effort. That is the very thing that V1 fans wanted brought back.
If you play basic, you should have a level playing field with others who play basic and, if you are smart about it, you should be able to dominate Sims. If you play advanced, you will have to put in the extra time, but you should have an advantage on the basics. I think that is only fair.