I've seen a lot of things thrown around about there being only 4 possible dialogue options. Is there anything to actually prove this that I'm just missing out on?

I reckon that'll it branch, exactly like both previous games where there's a "I'd like to talk about your tactics" and then it splits. I'm not giving up hope just yet!

It's four options at any one time, with each option averaging about 3 words each essentially a paraphrase of what the PC actually says.

It's seems to be 4 options at most as each option seems to correspond to one face button.

There were seldom more than 4 in FO3, so I don't see the big deal. If anything, will probably just branch more

Hopefully it splits, but even in that case there are still two problems:

1. Because selecting dialogue options that way is cumbersome, there's a strong incentive for the developers to avoid it as much as possible.

2. Simply having a voice actor (and especially having 2) means that every additional line requires much more time and effort to add than before.

Yes but from what a lot of people are saying, it's like that those 4 options are all you have. However, I believe selecting one option will open up more dialogue options. So it'll be like you are choosing a subject, and then you can say four different things+

There is numerous situations with more than four options, that where complete sentences and not "holophrases"/one word summaries of what is actually said.

Maybe, but that's very linear and funnels the player down a certain conversation to get to subject X for example.That's not my biggest grievance, my biggest grievances are that the famous conversation UI has been ditched (a hallmark of the series).To compound this transition, the dialogue system is by far the worst of the main series games at conveying what the PC is going to say, leaving every remark vague compared to the verbatim of the Fallout 1,2,3 and NV dialogue system.

Also it's difficult to imagine how skillchecks (or whatever the hell takes skill system's place) are going to be implemented into this system.

I want to love every Fallout game, but Fallout 4 commits two fatal errors (skills expunged and dialogue streamlined seemingly).

As pointed out by others...I'm concerned about a conversation going in an unintended direction by the vaguity of a couple of words vs. the entire thought. To me, if decisions dictate outcome, it makes it even more important to know what you are about to say. Just my two cents, but if you want to expand "choice to consequences", more information (and not less) would be manditory.

I'm not bothered about this 'only four dialogue options'. FO3 and FONV usually only had three (Token good, token evil, mercenary).

What concerns me is how abysmal the paraphrasing is, in conjunction which the lack of meaningful difference. There isn't three/four ways of saying one thing (Please tell me, I want to help - Pay me the right money and I'll fix it - Of course you are useless and need someone to step in >:| ) but four things that look all equally pointless and dead. Even the ones that LOOKED like they'd have weight do not - for 200 years? vs Impossible! I'd have thought the latter stronger, more insistent. But it was said with the same "Uhhh uhhh but... uhhh that's impossible uhhh" confusion you'd expect from "200".

Abysmal.

I'm not even opposed to VA, not in general, but even the first Mass Effect wasn't that bad.

Same here...I'm excited to have Fallout 4 but this has me worried.

It was often more, grated it will not be an goodbye option to quit dialogue.

It was also usually more in Skyrim even if it did not have skill (perk) checks who is common for quests in Fallout.

Typical setting is an quest giver who also have more information about the issues around the quest.

And yes this dialogues also tend to branch down even if more than four options, note that if you branch you must also have an talk about something else option.

First thing who is axed is probably the ability to having them say anything again. rater you get an new option as one of the four.

This will allow them to add new options in case of the old, downside is that you better stay focused and listen.

Yes, but you did also have other stuff like more information about the quest and the surrounding story.

Just start skyrim again and count the number of dialogue options around. Skyrim is an better example as it don't have skill checks and no variation in quests.

I hope this dialog system will be fixed in post-release patch...