Moving villagers where you want

thank you for this guide! when i reset in a few days, this will be very helpful!

Great guide! Very well explained.

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Amazing guide!

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OTHER REQUIREMENTS
- All spaces surronding said 5x5/3x3 area MUST be covered in paths in other to make the villager move into that area
YOU MUST COVER ANY 3x3 SPACES, VILLAGERS WILL MOVE INTO THOSE SPACES REGARDLESS.
TIP: Placing paths in diagonals make it easier, also making the paths grass based also helps with aesthetics.

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I'm not sure I understand this correctly, but I'm likely just misreading or something. I didn't think Villagers regarded paths in any way, since they sometimes plop down right on top of them? Or am I confusing your meaning of paths? I've always had trouble plot resetting, so I'm really hoping to understand this method properly~!

ashubii said:

I'm not sure I understand this correctly, but I'm likely just misreading or something. I didn't think Villagers regarded paths in any way, since they sometimes plop down right on top of them? Or am I confusing your meaning of paths? I've always had trouble plot resetting, so I'm really hoping to understand this method properly~!

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Basically, every area of your town must be covered with paths (so in the first image the little blue squares)! So, any space that is 3x3 with out paths, they will move. Unless you haven't updated to welcome amiibo, they will move onto paths, so this guide will only work with welcome to amiibo. But, Villagers (when moving in naturally) will move into any 3x3 space, so if there are no 3x3 spaces for them to move into, they will move just about anywhere. (While, when using Amiibo cards they may ignore the spaces you've made for them)

So, to sum up, since the update villagers will no longer move on paths that you've set down, as long as there is 3x3 spaces for them to move into.

I hope this helps?

milesupshur said:

Basically, every area of your town must be covered with paths (so in the first image the little blue squares)! So, any space that is 3x3 with out paths, they will move. Unless you haven't updated to welcome amiibo, they will move onto paths, so this guide will only work with welcome to amiibo. But, Villagers (when moving in naturally) will move into any 3x3 space, so if there are no 3x3 spaces for them to move into, they will move just about anywhere. (While, when using Amiibo cards they may ignore the spaces you've made for them)

So, to sum up, since the update villagers will no longer move on paths that you've set down, as long as there is 3x3 spaces for them to move into.

I hope this helps?

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That helps a lot, thank you so much! I do have the update, but I was confused because I had no idea they wouldn't move onto paths now! I wish I'd known that sooner, I just reset a town and am about to get my 10th villager from a card xD But this is great information for the future!!

So wait. When I'm laying down paths to set where they move in, do I need to leave a 3x3 or a 5x5 space on the map?

Drokmar said:

So wait. When I'm laying down paths to set where they move in, do I need to leave a 3x3 or a 5x5 space on the map?

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The villager's house itself needs a 3x3 space, but to ensure that it can move in to spaces, it needs a 5x5 area around it.


So, like the image above, you see the 3x3 space for the house (the grass) and the blue is the 5x5 space around the house

Interesting, I didn't know the update changed that. Do trees stop them from moving into a space or is it just the pattersn that does?

milesupshur said:

The villager's house itself needs a 3x3 space, but to ensure that it can move in to spaces, it needs a 5x5 area around it.
View attachment 200621

So, like the image above, you see the 3x3 space for the house (the grass) and the blue is the 5x5 space around the house

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Alright, thanks for taking the time to clear that up for me!

Jeff THE Best said:

Interesting, I didn't know the update changed that. Do trees stop them from moving into a space or is it just the pattersn that does?

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Just the patterns, sadly. They can still trample any kind of nature. Even then, the patterns aren't always 100% if you have too many things going on in an acre. I learned this the hard way. It cost me a perfect map.

Good guide! My only suggestion would be use different colors for marking so it's visually easier. Like add red and blue tiles. So blue red blue red blue for five across.

I've found doing a line works much better than a grid for homes. But that's just me.

Again great guide! I use this method and your info is what I do

Thank you this guide is very helpful - because I haven't previously taken on board I need a 5x5 space, to fit the house in (ie you need space between the house & buildings, rocks, not sure about bridges that might need 2 spare spaces?)Not that I want to plot by a bridge.

I need to re-read your spacing, not sure I'm entirely getting it. Tho I get you will get 2 spaces between each house as each house requires a 5x5 square.

Its made me rethink a potential problem: when you scan in a villager to replace one already resident, the replacement is the next day, which leaves no time to block the outgoing villagers space. (as you need it empty & it won't be that until the next day).
So that space can always be potentially filled by the incoming scanned in villager.
I assume you could at least make it less likely to be filled if you add tiles around that outgoing villager's house and leave plenty of space elsewehere. Worth a try.

I'm surprised tho that you have bolded the text that plot resetting can corrupt your game.
I have never seen that posted before. and a lot of players use it, including myself and I have had no problems.

I am wary where players advise one to power off without saving (eg with a new 3ds on Club Tortimer, no wifi switch).
Nintendo 3ds manuals say don't power off within a game. (maybe not all, certainly the early ones did).
I don't power off to reset, but I am wary to some extent of plot resetting and don't over do it.

You do need to know what you are doing, and how you do it depends on how you change time in the game. It is a lot easier to plot reset if you change time with the system clock and then load the game.
However that is by the way.

It is easy to make mistakes in placing tiles, either by placing too many tiles so there isn't a space for a villager to plot, so they take out paths or go in 'poor' locations.
Or not placing enough tiles - visually you can ignore spaces cos you have trees & flowers planted in them, so don't pick the flowers up to tile where they were, nor tile around trees enough - can be a bit of a shock the next day to see the villager has taken out flowers & trees.

That is why if I can, I would also continue to plot reset unless I was very sure I had tiled enough.
I can't plot reset in some of my towns as I have 4 human characters. In 4 character towns I've gone rather overboard & tiled a lot (not every space but majority), and been OK. Its not as time consuming as one might think, but enough, not something I would want to do that often.

It didn't know plot resetting could wreck your game, how does that happen?

So villagers won't move onto paths and they need a 3x3 space, 5x5 around them, if I mark that out with paths like you did in your picture do I need to get rid of the paths so they then have the 5x5 space?

Mayor-of-Bliss said:

Good guide! My only suggestion would be use different colors for marking so it's visually easier. Like add red and blue tiles. So blue red blue red blue for five across.

I've found doing a line works much better than a grid for homes. But that's just me.

Again great guide! I use this method and your info is what I do

Click to expand...

Yeah sorry about that! Didn't really think about it and was just use a space I already had out for villagers moving in ^__^!
Lines work too, but I find it that villagers may not move in equal spaces, so it bothers me a bit!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it!

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ashubii said:

What's the best (or easiest) way to go about covering your town to make this work? I imagine covering every inch but those 3x3 spaces would be time consuming, but does it have to be every inch or do single tiles placed in a way that leaves no 3x3 areas where you wouldn't want a house work?

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The way I do it is just covering it randomly to make sure there's no 3x3 space, I suggest doing random diagonals, or just filling random spaces and checking to make sure there's no open spaces (especially around nature/trees). It's actually really not as time consuming, because it can be 100% random and not specific!
I hope this helped ^__^

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DivaBlueGirl said:

So villagers won't move onto paths and they need a 3x3 space, 5x5 around them, if I mark that out with paths like you did in your picture do I need to get rid of the paths so they then have the 5x5 space?

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Nope! A villager's house must be 3x3 so the space with the grass in the image, but the 5x5 is to make sure they have enough room to move into areas. For example, if you wanted to move a villager in by the river, you need exactly one space from the river to ensure they move in, because they need a 5x5 surrounding them. The paths is just making sure there's enough space in between houses and objects (such as cliffs, rivers, pwps, etc)

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pawpatrolbab said:

It didn't know plot resetting could wreck your game, how does that happen?

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As far as I know, from my own experience and a couple of my friends and some online, the plot resetting and quitting an already made game with a new character over and over can fry the game and glitch it to the point where the game can no longer start. I lost an ACNL game and so did a couple my friends. This also includes the villager reset trick.

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katysu said:

Thank you this guide is very helpful - because I haven't previously taken on board I need a 5x5 space, to fit the house in (ie you need space between the house & buildings, rocks, not sure about bridges that might need 2 spare spaces?)Not that I want to plot by a bridge.

I need to re-read your spacing, not sure I'm entirely getting it. Tho I get you will get 2 spaces between each house as each house requires a 5x5 square.

Its made me rethink a potential problem: when you scan in a villager to replace one already resident, the replacement is the next day, which leaves no time to block the outgoing villagers space. (as you need it empty & it won't be that until the next day).
So that space can always be potentially filled by the incoming scanned in villager.
I assume you could at least make it less likely to be filled if you add tiles around that outgoing villager's house and leave plenty of space elsewehere. Worth a try.

I'm surprised tho that you have bolded the text that plot resetting can corrupt your game.
I have never seen that posted before. and a lot of players use it, including myself and I have had no problems.

I am wary where players advise one to power off without saving (eg with a new 3ds on Club Tortimer, no wifi switch).
Nintendo 3ds manuals say don't power off within a game. (maybe not all, certainly the early ones did).
I don't power off to reset, but I am wary to some extent of plot resetting and don't over do it.

You do need to know what you are doing, and how you do it depends on how you change time in the game. It is a lot easier to plot reset if you change time with the system clock and then load the game.
However that is by the way.

It is easy to make mistakes in placing tiles, either by placing too many tiles so there isn't a space for a villager to plot, so they take out paths or go in 'poor' locations.
Or not placing enough tiles - visually you can ignore spaces cos you have trees & flowers planted in them, so don't pick the flowers up to tile where they were, nor tile around trees enough - can be a bit of a shock the next day to see the villager has taken out flowers & trees.

That is why if I can, I would also continue to plot reset unless I was very sure I had tiled enough.
I can't plot reset in some of my towns as I have 4 human characters. In 4 character towns I've gone rather overboard & tiled a lot (not every space but majority), and been OK. Its not as time consuming as one might think, but enough, not something I would want to do that often.

Click to expand...

The 5x5 space around the house provides at least one space surrounding the house, which is needed in order to ensure they will move in by houses, rivers, cliffs and more. (While I'm sure certain things, like the square, may need more space, but as far as I know villagers only need one space to move in by it)

Actually yes that is a problem with amiibo cards! Leaving large spaces with house markers will be the best idea, because due to that being an open space, depending on how many open spaces you available for the villager to move in, it's likely they may just move back into that same spot (I had to redo moving in villagers from cards multiple times)

Personally, I've had about 5 friends and a couple online, including myself, who lost games with a lot of work due to plot resetting and villager resetting (I didn't do villager resetting), but due to the game and how it works, it basically corrupts your game and makes it unusable.

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katysu said:

Thank you this guide is very helpful - because I haven't previously taken on board I need a 5x5 space, to fit the house in (ie you need space between the house & buildings, rocks, not sure about bridges that might need 2 spare spaces?)Not that I want to plot by a bridge.

I need to re-read your spacing, not sure I'm entirely getting it. Tho I get you will get 2 spaces between each house as each house requires a 5x5 square.

Its made me rethink a potential problem: when you scan in a villager to replace one already resident, the replacement is the next day, which leaves no time to block the outgoing villagers space. (as you need it empty & it won't be that until the next day).
So that space can always be potentially filled by the incoming scanned in villager.
I assume you could at least make it less likely to be filled if you add tiles around that outgoing villager's house and leave plenty of space elsewehere. Worth a try.

I'm surprised tho that you have bolded the text that plot resetting can corrupt your game.
I have never seen that posted before. and a lot of players use it, including myself and I have had no problems.

I am wary where players advise one to power off without saving (eg with a new 3ds on Club Tortimer, no wifi switch).
Nintendo 3ds manuals say don't power off within a game. (maybe not all, certainly the early ones did).
I don't power off to reset, but I am wary to some extent of plot resetting and don't over do it.

You do need to know what you are doing, and how you do it depends on how you change time in the game. It is a lot easier to plot reset if you change time with the system clock and then load the game.
However that is by the way.

It is easy to make mistakes in placing tiles, either by placing too many tiles so there isn't a space for a villager to plot, so they take out paths or go in 'poor' locations.
Or not placing enough tiles - visually you can ignore spaces cos you have trees & flowers planted in them, so don't pick the flowers up to tile where they were, nor tile around trees enough - can be a bit of a shock the next day to see the villager has taken out flowers & trees.

That is why if I can, I would also continue to plot reset unless I was very sure I had tiled enough.
I can't plot reset in some of my towns as I have 4 human characters. In 4 character towns I've gone rather overboard & tiled a lot (not every space but majority), and been OK. Its not as time consuming as one might think, but enough, not something I would want to do that often.

Click to expand...

The 5x5 space around the house provides at least one space surrounding the house, which is needed in order to ensure they will move in by houses, rivers, cliffs and more. (While I'm sure certain things, like the square, may need more space, but as far as I know villagers only need one space to move in by it)

Actually yes that is a problem with amiibo cards! Leaving large spaces with house markers will be the best idea, because due to that being an open space, depending on how many open spaces you available for the villager to move in, it's likely they may just move back into that same spot (I had to redo moving in villagers from cards multiple times)

Personally, I've had about 5 friends and a couple online, including myself, who lost games with a lot of work due to plot resetting and villager resetting (I didn't do villager resetting), but due to the game and how it works, it basically corrupts your game and makes it unusable.