Well... That the game turns out so bad the franchise ends with it.
I'd gladly wait for TS6 to come around one day and be truly amazing.

Sims that look like they were pulled out of an internet flash game.

Wasps. They freak me out. Bees too, but mostly it's wasps.

As for TS4 fears, well I'm riding on the coattails of Matrix54 and Lovcat, build mode and life stages. Vector walls or at least point-to-point walls would be a great evolution. Seamless aging would be a great evolution.

I fear the game devolves into "look at my dream pixel people, oh I'm in love with them" and is still successful, because it would mean the consumer paradigm has shifted and we've all been replaced by players who don't want what I want out of a Sims game, which is a sandbox for creativity that still allows for challenging gameplay.

No, they don't.

No open neighborhood.. I'm almost dying with all those people @ the official foruns saying it'd be ok if the neighborhood was "semi-open" (I don't even know how that'd work)

I'm afraid of the CAS mode being really anti-intuitive. I like my sliders, and while I'm not afraid of change, they don't have me convinced that the new CAS is going to be an improvement upon the past, rather than a crappy side-step. I would be happy with both ways continuing to exist, however. Also, I hope that the Build mode is only an option of how to do it. The dragging and dropping that they showed in the video could be pretty useful for expansion of already existing houses, but to initially build one.. it looks kinda limiting.

As others have mentioned, I hope that there are other life stages. It's a Sims game, and this shouldn't be something we have to worry about, but it -is- EA. You never know with them. I'm a big legacy player, so I hope that they add more options for the different life stages, instead of children and teens being shorter, less useful adults, with shallow interactions inbetween.

Lastly, I'm hoping for a lot more (good) options in CAS in the base game. I remember when I first got TS3, there were only a couple of not fugly clothing and hair options to choose from, nevermind the pudding faces. I really like the aesthetics of this one, it reminds me of my maxis match CC in TS2. I'd like some stuff other than the couple of t-shirts we've seen and hair that has been in the game since TS2.

This, plus the possible lack of actual sliders in CAS.

One of the gut feelings I get from the trailer and the presentation is that creation/design in TS4 will be about "broad strokes" - EA/Maxis are focusing on making it easy to create something quickly, so you don't have to spend too much time before you can start playing the game. That's not a bad thing in itself - it's possibly a good strategy for trying to increase the appeal for more casual game players who might not be prepared to spend 30-60 minutes designing your character before they can dive into the game - but I worry that it will be at the expense of the tools for more fine-tuned design.
I really hope that EA/Maxis are wise enough to include an option to switch between the simpler and a more advanced interface, in both CAS and the Build mode, and any other areas of the game where they intend to introduce quicker design solutions.

That would be the logical design choice! But so far, looks like it's only simplification instead of diversification.

They seem to be catering to tablet users who are used to touching instead of clicking. Hence the push and pull CAS and Build Mode.

It's very upsetting.

Sorry but that is just false. They would NOT have to remake the engine. If they can add it with expansions, WHY IN THE WORLD can they not include it in the base instead?

Even the console sims games all have rain...
The Sims 2 was supposed to have rain in its base...


I can tell you why: EA wants to milk our udders for every penny we own. If they could get away with it, im sure they would have a thing in TS4 that you can only make 4 sims per family, then for 4 more sims (8 total), you need to purchase a DLC.

That explains my sore nipples.

I really can't see them doing that - it would be utterly pointless.

I don't really have any fears about this game though I am expecting that it's going to be a mess a la TS3 and/or SimCity. So much of EA's output in this and related series since TS2 has had such huge problems (Sim Medieval - good grief). I'm HOPING I'm wrong. I really am.

I've seen the first look video. I have a really ominous feeling about the implementation of these emotions...

...that they will dominate the whole game, turning the "Sims with emotions" into "Emotions with Sims"? It is a possibility. Big one at that.

I fear the online features.

They keep saying they are optional, but "optional" is a relative word. What if I have to engage with real people for my sims to advance in their careers? Reaching the top of a profession is clearly "optional". Unlocking some outfit or or piece of furniture is one thing, but what if I have to post to Facebook to unlock gameplay?

Of course, none of this would worry me if I weren't already so excited about the game!

I look at it this way. If the opening of restaurants and businesses require the game to be semi-open then I'm all for it. I don't want another game that just has an endless number of rabbit holes again, besides I'd just keep playing Sims 3 then if that was the case.

So, my fears.

1. Rabbitholes are still rabbitholes (I don't mind work/school rabbitholes but don't want it for any other buildings).

2. Genetics being the same or worse than TS3.

I fear:

1. No option for TS2-style ageing. TS3-style ageing is great for legacy players, but it has limitations for players like me who are control freaks of their sims and/or enjoy playing challenges/storylines involving multiple families. A hack-free option for TS2-style ageing (i.e "freezing" the ageing of inactive families) would be wonderful. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to disable ageing in inactive families given we can already disable story progression...

2. Bugs. And more bugs. And easily corruptible files. And anything else that will increase the odds of my game going kaboom.

3. Not enough base-game content. We all know there will be Store content available from day 1 which could have been easily included with the game. I'm okay with that, as long as the base game itself isn't sold short to push Store sales.

I agree. I also think they will write the game code to make it as difficult as they can for cc modding and tweaking, so people will have to wait for them to offer the content for a price. I have a vision of all us Simmers standing in line, wearing grungy rags, shuffling toward the Mystery Stew, begging the EA zombie pouring out the bowls for a piece of moldy bread to go with it, and getting a recycled blob of chewing gum instead.

I honestly wouldn't mind paying a $5 monthly subscription to the EA site if new, interesting, and aesthetically pleasing content was constantly and consistently added, and you could download as much as you wanted (no membership levels). The current system just seems like it sucks in your soul and rapes your wallet. Thankfully, I've stuck with being addicted to free downloads from all the Amazing Modders who use tools I will never be able to comprehend (or I'm just to lazy to learn how). I will never pay to download off fan paysites, but I'd make an exception for EA, since EA made the game, as long as it was monthly instead of "You better be rich, bitch!" And as long as it seemed the content didn't bork the game. Since it's EA...

And, damn it, give me a customizable, OCD CAS binning system! Socks and jewelry do not belong together!

I'm not buying Sims 4 until I've had at least a year's worth of analyzing the bitching of all you brave souls who are willing to buy it. Thanks in advance! :D

I'm hoping for great options in CAS and building, but so far I am disappointed by the building features in ts4.
I fear the online features. They say they are optional, but I don't know, I don't like playing online in general.

None of the features from the other games which we all know and love.

My bigest fear is that EA changes the way that story progression works. I think this was the greatest change from Sims2. I love that all my neighbour sims (inactive ones) ages and gets there lives at the same time and in the same proportion like the sims I play (active ones).
The open neighbourhood is one great change from Sims2 too.

I hope this two features remains or be optional.

I hated TS3's story progression. The idea of story progression is a good one (as long as it's optional), but it was poorly executed in TS3. Sims' actions weren't trait dependent. My tiny-lot family adopted five horses! One-parent babies were spawned with no prengancies to keep aging consistent. All the events were just random.

I'm worried that I won't be able to play it once I start buying expansion packs.

Been playing TS3 on a Mac since its release (actually, TS3 is one of the smaller reasons I own a Mac because of assumed improved gameplay etc. - God only knows how wrong I was) and since the last few expansion packs, I've been having nothing but problems; so much so that I can't actually play the game anymore, and I've spent about £300 on the series in total if you include Store content. I feel like a moron and EA are doing nothing to help. I'll probably only get £50-odd for my collection. It feels as though a helluva lot of Mac users have been cheated, to be frank, and before anyone sends me to a support forum - I've tried all there is to try and nothing works. Nothing.

Anyway, if they code TS4 as badly as they did 3, use Wineskin/Cider and all that rubbish, I won't be buying it at all. Even if they're avoiding this method of making the game Mac compatible, I won't be making any kind of a purchase until I've studied every piece of information that I possibly can for months after release. Maybe even years if I can wait that long.

Stuff I'm also worried about;

- EA giving up on putting effort into later expansions, not so much in terms of bugs but in terms of style over substance, which someone else mentioned in the thread at some point
- Origin. Just no.
- Graphics so far look 'meh'.
- A necessity for store purchases because EPs and the base game have minimal, bland clothing and items - EA's higher-ups are money-grabbing sods.
- Overcomplicated social interaction which takes away from other features.

Wow this reply was negative...

Change is good sometimes and I can always adapt to new things in life. However in my Sims game, some changes and being able to adapt cannot be accomplished and it looks like The Sims 4 team is going there. Families are a thing of the past, phasing the baby and toddler stages out seems to be the way developers want to go. I didn't find the cartoon, stylized art style as a deal breaker but had hoped this was just a demo style and would eventually become more graphic. Now I see PKelly was possibly telling the truth and don't put nothing pass EA making this game into a MMO, maybe a light style to see how it goes with the community. That may explain why the game look like it does.

My fears are coming true so far and I am not buying into it. I am so sad about it because I love playing the Sims, but this is the wave of the future and I am not part of it. I am so sad about it too. Oh well.

That Sims 4 turns out to be The Sims: Freeport but on PC

It's already half-way there with the graphics

That and the game will be a buggy mess as usual