There's been a lot of confusion about what's in and out, a lot of unfounded speculation, and a couple of these threads on what's been cut with, frankly, misinformation or no sources given. So here's an actual factual source that will be updated with hard data and links to real sources whenever possible. I know I'm still missing a couple sources - links to those would be appreciated if you can find them for me.


Removed from TS4

As compared to the base game of TS1, TS2, and TS3: all things that were present in at least one of those but are not in TS4. I'm not counting features that we were told about that were subsequently removed, like the woohoo skill, or unconfirmed elements like supernaturals.

CAS/Sim-related:
- No toddlers (source, source, in TS2/TS3)
- No swimwear (source, in TS2/TS3)
- No different heights for teens and adults (source), teens, adults, and elders all look basically the same (source)
- No alpha edges on hair or eyelashes (source: CAS demo, in TS2/TS3), animated hair (source, in TS2).
- No adjustable eyelashes (source: CAS demo - eyelashes are tied to eye style but not directly adjustable, in TS2 and TS3), eyelashes with alpha edges (source: CAS demo, in TS3)
- No skintone slider (source: CAS demo, in TS3)
- No lullabye when sims become pregnant (source, in TS2/TS3)
- In TS4, Babies can no longer be carried around, are tied to the crib, and must be put back in the crib between each interaction (source, TS2/TS3 babies were not essentially objects)
- No acne (source)
- No aliens (source)

Build/Buy Mode:
- No pools (source, in TS1/TS2/TS3)
- No lots larger than 50x50 (source, in TS2/TS3)
- No lots higher than 3 levels/stories (source, in TS2/TS3)
- No terrain sculpting/ponds (all lots are flat in all the screenshots, no tools for terrain sculpting in the build mode trailer, in TS2/TS3)
- No ability to choose which structures on a lot have a foundation and which don't (source, in TS2/TS3)
- No basements (source, in TS2 via build cheats which are not likely due to build mode changes)
- No dishwashers, trash compactors, recycling bins, security alarms, high chairs, changing tables (some in TS2, some in TS3, some in both) (source)
- No cars (source, in TS3)

World:
- No open world (source, in TS3)
- Extremely low lot limit (limit of 25 lots per world - 5 lots per neighborhood, 5 neighborhoods per world in TS4. TS3 Sunset Valley had 92 lots, TS2 Pleasantview had 26 with room for more).
- No 3D world map (source, in TS2/TS3)

Other:
- No swimming (source, in TS2/TS3)
- No create-a-Style (source, in TS3)
- No story progression (source, in TS3)
- No hopping for clothing or groceries (source, TS2 had clothes shopping, grocery shopping in TS2/TS3)
- No work and school rabbitholes (source), (source, in TS3)
- No newspapers (source, in TS1/TS2/TS3)
- No mac version, fewer translated languages (source, in TS2/TS3)
- No private school (source, in TS2)
- No social bunny (in TS2), no repo man (in TS2 and TS3) (source)
- No disease/sickness (source, in TS2 - added later in TS3)
- No portrait/still life painting (source, in TS3 (?))
- No carpools (source in TS1/TS2/TS3)
- Most normal careers removed (source, in TS1/TS2/TS3)


New in TS4

Features that were not present in any previous version of TS1, TS2, or TS3 base game, but are brand new in TS4, or were only included in a TS1/TS2/TS3 expansion and are in TS4 base game:


CAS/Sim related:
- "Make a parent/sibling/twin" feature
- Sculpting done on the sim instead of sliders (source: CAS demo)
- Many more body sliders (source: CAS demo)
- Random name generator (source, added later in TS3)
- Different styles of eyelids (source: CAS demo)
- Cleft chins (source: CAS demo)
- Tattoos, though no tattoo artist (source, added later in TS3)
- Sims can be left or right handed (source)
- Romance aspiration is now split into two types - sims can want many lovers, or a one true love (source: CAS demo)
- New walk styles (source: CAS demo)
- Bro trait (source: CAS demo)
- Filters for content by type - i.e. can filter tops by tee shirt, sweater, tank, etc. (source: CAS demo)
- Can disable clothing filters for your own sims (source)
- "Party wear" choosable separate from everyday, formal, etc. (source: CAS demo)
- Any hat can be worn with any hair without clipping - no more "hat hair". Any boots can be worn with any pants without clipping. (source: CAS demo).
- All clothes are enabled for maternity (source)
- More options for randomizing in CAS (source: CAS demo)
- Pregnancy test to replace lullabye (source)

Build/Buy Mode:
- Moving an entire building to a different place on the lot (source)
- Move an entire room to a different place on the lot, pre-furnished rooms (like TS3 blueprints but for base game) (source)
- Easy editable wall and foundation height (source)
- Shiftable window height (source)
- Sculptable roofs (source)
- Search for build/buy mode (source)

World:
- Compartmentalized semi-closed world with loading screens between zones/lots (source)
- 3D curbs around roads (source)
- Visiting and moving to other other worlds, living in one world and working in another (source, source, source), source, source)

Other:
- More detailed emotions, in tiers, with sims' moods affecting each other (source)
- Much expanded ability for sims to multitask while performing actions
- Cupcake machine
- Rocket ship
- Cow plant (was not in base game previously)
- Voodoo doll (was not in base game previously)
- Astronaut and mixology careers
- Bars and dance clubs
- Woodworking skill, comedy skill (source)
- Sims' water and power can be shut off if they don't pay their bills (source, source)
- The Gallery, a way to share sims and lots within TS4 (source)
- Expanded notifications system (source)
- Fire can pass through walls (source)
- Violin instrument (source, added later in TS2)
- Stand-up comedy career (source)
- Sims can pass each other going up and down stairs (source)
- Breastfeeding (source)
- Auto-save (source), borderless windowed mode (source)
- New death types (can die from laughter, anger, or embarassment) (source)
- New options for uncompressed sim textures, graphics post-processing, laptop mode, aging, and populating homes etc. (source)


Corrections? Additions?

Please post in this thread and do @HystericalParoxysm somewhere in your post so the the site will PM me and let me know to take a look. Don't forget the @!

Aren't random name generators and tattoos in TS3 already?

In TS2 we could do this with attached worlds. I am pretty sure that is how it will work in TS4. If not, it will be like the moving to other worlds feature in TS3 that was added in a patch. So I wouldn't count this as new.

Don't think there's a random name generator, is there? And as I said in the first post, I'm only counting -base game- features, as in, came out with the base game. The idea here with this thread is to compare what we had when TS1/TS2/TS3 first came out to what we'll have when TS4 first comes out.



You could do it with attached worlds, but it sounds like it works just between separate saves of worlds, not attached ones... And in TS2, attaching a custom/already played/EP neighborhood was intensely non-trivial and required SimPE, and a lot of swearing and crying (at least in my case).

There's also simply visiting of other TS4 worlds vacation-style (as if it were attached as a WA destination) so it's different enough in execution to count as a new thing, even if it's not -entirely- new functionality. I'm not counting features added in patches as "base game" even though they may technically work with the base game, as that moving to other worlds thing was added to TS3 relatively recently, wasn't it?


(Edited several times because wurdz r hurd.)

I have to say I didn't get this impression at all... What do you mean here exactly - you have a world open, and one as a file on disk that you played earlier, and your sim can in runtime make a visit to that world on disk? You'd have to open that other save to know what he was doing I think, and get him back out when the visit was over? It seems unlikely, unless I have completely misunderstood what you're saying.

That's how it sounded to me - you've got two separate worlds (presumably as saves - it's not been said that the worlds are the saves again like TS3 style but...), sims can visit between them, stay overnight in the other world, and iirc if you're controlling one sim on an outing you can give vague commands to sims left at home without switching back to them? I'm not really sure how it works as it is about as confusing as that "Will you get a load screen or not?" graphic trying to explain the lots/neighborhoods/world thing, but it sounded like you could visit between un-attached separate worlds. It's not in the source I have linked for it as that just mentioned the visiting briefly, but I know one of the gurus explained in a little more detail, will have to see where I saw it.

I'd count filters in CAS as new. I found them useful, by the way. And didn't someone say there's a search in build&buy mode? It was on twitter in the end of june, I guess... Found it! https://twitter.com/SimGuruGrant/st...532729922134016
Yeah, maybe these are too small features for this list, but something tells me I will use them a lot! (if I buy the game).

There is a random name generator option in CAS in TS3 in the shape of a dice next to the last name box. But I honestly don't know if it was in the base game or added in later.

C-A

Lamare - Small features are good too! Added to the list, thank you.

CatMuto - Huh. I'll have to check on my base-game-only TS3 setup and remove it from the list if it's in there. Thanks.

I believe, random name generator as well as random traits/preferences generator was added later.

Well, this post has taught me about a couple of things, like teen height and no terraforming lots, just adding to my huge disappointment. Anyway, I haven't played TS3 in a while but it seemed to me sims could use stairs simultaneously and pass each other, one up and one down, although TS2 never could. Also, I believe we're in for another disappointment in what EA is now calling "a world". In view of all these cuts (like basements, pools, toddlers) and ripoffs (like teens, easier build mode with hidden limitations) I would expect "worlds" to be a new cluster of game-generated neighborhoods based on a 3D map seed. Thus far pictures shown to us present poorly defined vegetation (lower resolution), and fewer colors with practically zero texture, water-color like. That's an environment that should be easily generated, even easier than a SC4 map. So we can say that a realistic looking world has also been taken out, in view of the poor visuals. Little is known about other animations, like getting in and out of vehicles. The videos of moving cars look good, but the actual details remain unknown.

@HystericalParoxysm
Thanks for making this thread!
New for basegame:
Bars/Dance Clubs, Bartending and Mixology
Cow plant and Voodoo Doll
Party Wear

Hi, HP, for a new CAS feature the entire Randomizing System is rebuilt to be smarter than it was in previous games, meaning things randomized actually flow together well, especially clothing.

Also, for the 5 Neighborhoods per world thing, if I don't remember it being confirmed that every world could only have 5 neighborhoods, it was only 5 lots per neighborhood, and Willow Creek was limited to only 5.

Actually I am not entirely sure there was a 5 lot max either - Willow Creek has varying numbers up to 5 but I don't think anyone said that was a maximum the game allows.

Hmmmm... will have to check on exactly how that's phrased re: the 5 lots. It did sound more general than just Willow Creek but I've been hopped up on cough medicine for the past week, the game could have unicorns for all I know at this point. Will do some double-checking this evening after kids are in bed and make sure everything's accurate. Last thing I want to do is spread misinformation.

Tho obviously if we can't place our own lots, and EA never put in more than 5 to a hood, it might as well be the maximum

I searched up and down through my posts, and Grahams, I found the discussion about loading screens but for some reason I saw everything but the explanation of 5 lots vs 5 neighborhoods, however SimsVIP has an article up for it:
http://simsvip.com/2014/07/02/the-s...orld-explained/

I remember distinctively that Willow Creek was only limited to 5 neighborhoods, and I do recall it being only 5 lots per neighborhood, I think it was tweeted, I'll try and find it, if I can.

EDIT: FOUND IT!


SOURCE: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/po...5.page#12109317

Ah okay so it's not necessarily a hard limit in the game of no more than 5 per neighborhood, 5 per world, that's just how Willow Creek works, with a max of 26 lots in it rather than 25 (and probably less by the sound of it). No info on the desert world yet but I'm guessing that's gonna work like Riverview did for TS3, as registration DLC rather than on the disk (unconfirmed but they are saying -so little- about it, it's either wildly unfinished or not free DLC)... So it is still likely fewer lots shipping with the game than TS2/TS3 (and even TS2 base game you could place more lots whereever you wanted them, couldn't you?). Anyone have numbers on the lots included in TS1, and could you put more where you wanted? And also any info on whether or not you can place lots where you want them in TS4? Inge suggests you can't but if that's confirmed I'd like to add it to the list.

@HystericalParoxysm

New: All clothes are maternity enabled.

CSIMSIE @CSIMSIE
@Cinderellimouse @SimGuruRusskii @SimGuruGraham Also I loooooved the fact that all clothes are always available, especially with pregnancy.


Graham Nardone @SimGuruGraham
@CSIMSIE @Cinderellimouse @SimGuruRusskii Wear what you want when you want - it's a fantastic change
1:34 PM - 24 Jun 2014

Source: https://twitter.com/SimGuruGraham/s...505736657084416
and http://simsvip.com/2014/06/11/the-s...ng-of-the-past/

I think it is base game only. I only have the base game and I had the dice in CAS.

@HystericalParoxysm

I'm a little confused regarding the left- and right-handed sims. The same guru, that confirmed it, said two days earlier, their would be no such thing. Well, I'm guessing the newer tweet is the one with the right information and it's really not that important to me, but sometimes I wonder, if they even know, what they are talking about.
Thx, that you help keeping track ^^

I *think* it was added in a patch, though.

We can't really comment on CFE, can we?
I mean, the houses will have a 3 story limit, and there has been some "hints" that CFE might not be there...

Found a tweet: https://twitter.com/SimGuruGraham/s...179848321167361

I don't know if this counts as a feature, but it was handy in past Sims games.

@HystericalParoxysm

I can't remember what they're calling any of the new worlds ATM but I'm pretty sure one of the gurus tweeted that there are six neighborhoods in the world that comes with the BG. The 6th is the one with the 50x50 lot that's a park. I'll try to find the source and update this post if I do.

Since each world will be a collection of themed neighborhoods - the extra one for example is a desert world so each neighborhood will have this desert theme - I am interested in learning how they travel between worlds. The way it sounds now, they will just travel from one lot in their current world to a new lot in a different world, which makes me picture all the separate 'hoods of all the current and future worlds as something like a honeycomb, all with different themes.

Difficult to believe it would work that way, because you would think there would be some kind of limit on the number of neighborhoods that would be connected together in such a honeycomb format. Very confusing!

https://twitter.com/SimGuruSarah/st...402043616911360

https://twitter.com/simgurugraham/s...829755372765185

So five lots per neighborhood, and these lots can be either residential or community? That would make no sense with zoning laws.