The Sims 4 has neither pool building nor toddlers and everyone's very upset

People often describe The Sims fans as "casual gamers" but by glob they act hardcore when something is taken away from them.

The Sims 4 was given a thorough going over in a new developer blog post recently, but for all the good, celebratory details in the article it was the following two bullet points that got the strongest reaction:

• Build Mode truly is the most powerful, and fun, Build Mode we’ve ever created. While it’s not possible for us to include every single feature and piece of content we added to The Sims 3 over the last 5 years, we’ve added features that you’ve asked for and that offer a whole new intuitive and fun way to build. These are features like Wall Height Adjustment, Dynamic Foundation Sizing, and Smart Windows! And though pool building won’t be available in September, we do have a new Fountain Tool so you can create sophisticated landscapes. Whether you were a novice builder in The Sims 3, or an experienced pro, I really think you’re going to love The Sims 4’s build mode.
• We are also very excited about our new Create A Sim! You probably guess this since we’ve been showing it off everywhere. We’re particularly proud of our new Genetics system, where you can create relatives from any other Sim. It’s like a game in itself! As for ages, we have babies, children, teens, young adults, adults and elders. With our new personalities, you can really feel how their individuality plays out in the gameplay. We can’t wait for you to try it.

Executive summary: pool building and toddlers, both features that have appeared in multiple Sims games and expansions, are off the cards. Pool building has always been a part of The Sims, and is one of its most notorious features; if you delete the exit, your Sim will eventually drown. Toddlers appeared in both The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

The exclusion of these two features has made a lot of fans really angry; just check this Reddit thread, for example.

One explanation for this rage is that users believe these features will be included in future paid DLC and expansions, as The Sims is well-known for producing massive amounts of DLC, and to remove features from a series to sell later is an unpopular move. That said, there's nothing to indicate this will actually happen; if these features ever are added, they may arrive as free updates.

"While we recognize that some of you will be disappointed that pools and toddlers won’t be available when The Sims 4 Base Game launches in September, you should know that we’re building an incredibly strong foundation that is capable of fulfilling every one of your desires in the years to come," Maxis's Ryan Vaughan said.

Thanks, Polygon.