I think most here can agree that The Sims 4 ran its course many years ago, well before the 5 years of the prior Sims' games' life cycle. It's by far the weakest of the mainline series. If they don't announce the release of TS5 sometime this year, I think I would lose any shred of interest in future releases I have left.
However, TS5 can be of equal or greater quality to any Sims game prior. Not just by reintroducing features from previous games, but by adding whole new features. The question, of course, is what features should they add? The return of the open world, provided they add plenty of townies to make them feel more densely populated whilst still preventing lag, create-a-style, and running a business are obvious choices. But I'm more interested in new features you think The Sims 5 could benefit from.
Open world. Create-A-Style. Without those, no for me. I haven't played since I bought the base game. I just don't like the limitations. I like to go forward, not backward and the Sims 4, for me, went backward.
If I were making sims 5, I would start with the sims themselves - giving them more depth and personality. Since I tend to write quite a bit I'll put it behind a cut.
First, I would want sliders for each sims main personality, something along the lines of:
outgoing - loner
nice - mean
slob - neat
lazy - active
insecure - self assured
adventurous - habitual.
Second, I'd add the traits we have in sims 4, kind of like quirks, so things like genius, hot-headed, ambitious, kleptomaniac... These would be assigned automatically in the game (though changeable with a simple cheat). Depending on your core personality as well as how common they would be, you'd be more or less likely to get one (for instance someone who is very kind would be less likely to be a kleptomaniac).
Third, I'd keep, but expand, lifestyles from Snowy Escape as well as character values from parenthood and call them something along the lines of "acquired traits". Things like bookworm, vegetarian, art lover would be added there, along with outdoorsy and the rest. These would entirely depend on your sims actions and choices. No one would be an art lover without viewing art, going to museums or painting for instance. Some of these you'd get when you've done something enough times (like lifestyles) others when you age up. Elderly sims would have a trait that is based on their life in general (nostalgic, bitter, cougar...)
Fourth, and finally, I'd add phases. Not just for kids and teens, but for older ages as well. They'd be less common as you'd age up, and more tied with life events, for instance uni students might get one that lasts as long as they are students (studious, party, jock...), new parents would get one (worried parent, loving parent, relaxed parent), divorces and death of spouces, parents or children could be others. As middle age happens mid life crises would be possible with this system.
All these would work together, influence the sims mood, reactions, whims, preferences and autonomic actions. Together with more possible interactions between sims, I think this is the most important for a new game. Worlds, objects, careers can all be expanded, added onto and fixed - but if the sims are one dimensional then the game is too.
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