I just bought VV1 yesterday. My brother peaked my curiosity when he played a trial version of it on my Mom's computer. It really intrigued me that the game keeps playing even when you're not on your computer.
So far, I'm really loving it! My villagers are harvesting their 1st crops right now, so the food bin is slowly starting to fill back up. It was a close call for a minute, and they're still not out of the danger zone yet.
I'm looking forward to letting this game unfold for me. I am a die-hard Sims 2 player for 5 years now, and I'm used to controlling every aspect of the Sims in some way. It is nice to not have to worry about tending to the villagers every single need. The villagers can eat/pee/etc. all on their own.
Hopefully, I'll make it far with this original tribe. I've already memorized their names.

--green