What were your expectations for Heroes 4?

I didn't expect anything, but I got a game that I can play endlessly. I was drawn to the hero's independence; you can play the game almost like an RPG (and I'm generally an RPG person). Many consider this a drawback. Caravans, independent army movement, I've always loved the music (except perhaps the wailing in the Chaos and Necropolis castles), and I absolutely adore the autosave system (there's nothing like it anywhere else). In general, I love the game in all its forms. Heroes 3 didn't have that much freedom, but it had many other advantages, such as upgrading buildings and creatures. In short, I could list the pros and cons for a long time, and I could complain about this topic for a long time. :)
It's just a shame that the third and fourth games will never be combined in the way I want... I was already disappointed with the fifth, and I simply don't believe in the sixth.