Currently I am happy with how the worlds are set up. How the loading screens are set up. I think the same way as you as before, I also want to have open neighborhood, however it will come to a cost. The reason why to me I feel The Sims 3 is shallow is the openness it offers. We had no loading screen after the big one loading screen, however if I want to send my sims on a date, the only choice I had fully control of them is at the Park, Pool, and Library. Wanted to see your sim to date at the Spa? Restaurant? Movie Theater? well you had no control of them inside of a rabbithole. Of course we may not see the return of rabbitholes in the game but it will result of the removal of a lot of features.
An example is the business System. The reason why businesses didn't work on The Sims 3 is the open world itself. Without the open world the game can change coding of different lots during a loading screen just like The Sims 2. But since the world in 3 was open, it didn't happen. We didn't get a fully functioning restaurant, and the ability to run a business. Yes we got one in Midnight Hallow however the open world itself was the problem why we need rugs to make them functional, and there isn't a new big gameplay it offer, unlike in Sims 2 and 4 where the new gameplay is confined at that specific lot(e.g. Perks system). Now I don't want features I paid for which is the Retail, Restaurant, and the Vet business to be removed for the sake of loading screen.
Let us not forget that side from that we had simmers who doesn't had high-end computers. The limit per lot is 20 sims add more sims to that it will be a lagfest. Yes the team may give the players an option but what would be the purpose of an openness if the player feels it as a ghost Town because he/she dosen't have a very good computer?
That is my point of view. I however agree about apartments. They need to change that.