Museums - who would you like to see donate to it?

[S.J.]

This topic has come up before, but I'm interested to know what people would like to do differently (if anything at all)!

I find it a bit boring to go to the museum, read the plaques, and see that all the items were donated by one person! Though, I can see how it would be different if you shared your island with other people in your household, or if you enjoy playing multiple characters on the same island.

I think it would have been nice to have friends and villagers be able to donate to the museum too! It would definitely help fill the museum more quickly. If a villager leaves, you might still have a memory of them being on your island through the plaque, or it could just be cute to look through your museum and see the names of your friends!

What do you think?

 

[azurill]

I would love it if villagers could donate to the museum. Since they live there too. Maybe they can help you find that last bug or fish you can’t find. I think it would give the island/town a more community feel since everyone on the island was working together.

 

[Doo]

I think it would be nice if villagers could donate, but perhaps only additional donations of the same? Because otherwise it kind of takes away from completing the museum

 

[Xara]

I’m happy with only player residents being able to donate to the museum, and would prefer it to stay that way. Even if I have more than one resident, my main resident is the only one who I have donate to the museum, so I agree that it is a bit boring to only have museum donations made by the same person. But catching new fishes, bugs and deep-sea creatures, and finding new fossils and artworks and getting to donate them to the museum is one of my favourite things to do in AC. I’d be sad if I went to donate something I was so excited to catch/find, only to find that it’d already been donated by a villager or someone else. It’d honestly make me feel less inclined to catch anything, dig up fossils or buy art.

I’ve always liked that completing our museum is something we have to do on our own. It makes it feel like a bigger accomplishment, and makes me proud of myself when I finally complete that last exhibit! Though, it would be cute to have the villagers donate to the museum as well. Maybe they could have their own exhibit that only they could donate to? I have no idea what that exhibit would be… maybe species-specific artifacts that only respective species can donate? It’d be a nice incentive to experience more villagers and try to have at least one of every species at different times as well!

I know there are people who wish that other players/their friends could donate to their museum, or that they could at least buy their missing fishes/bugs/deep-sea creatures from other people. Maybe when you first unlock the museum, Blathers could ask who you want to be able to donate to the museum, and you could choose only residents, residents and villagers, residents and friends, residents and all visitors, or anyone? That way, everyone can choose what they’d like!

 

[Croconaw]

I would love if villagers could donate. They already could donate to PWPs in New Leaf, but hopefully they’ll have more of an impact on the museum. Their two coins weren’t helping much for the PWPs.

 

[TN4U]

It really should be expanded to include online friends. If villagers were allowed to donate and they get the credit, then it defeats the challenge of trying to find the items yourself. HOWEVER, I do think that they should receive a finder's credit if they found something, gave it to the player due to high friendship, gets donated by said player (and in artwork's case; Blathers determines it's real) and is put on display. Seeing just my name on all the donations in my museum sort of reminds me of how much of a loner I can be sometimes.

If they allowed anyone online to donate to any museum, they would become filled very quickly, and provide somewhat of a disadvantage to players who prefer to stay offline. Besides, in real life, museums can reject random useless things that are donated to them by random people. What I'd like is a new online method sort of like the "best friend" system with certain tools, in which you can entrust a best friend - sort of like a voluntary contributor - to donate their duplicate pieces to help your own museum. That way, duplicate fossils, art, and fish/bugs aren't being sold all the time to the Nooklings or thrown away, and they are given a full credit for donating.

 

[KittenNoir]

I would happily let anyone donate anything to my museum I would love the help haha

 

[themysterybidder]

I would keep it as it is! It sounds a fun idea having villagers and visitors donate to your museum, but I like to look at the exhibits and feel a sense of pride knowing I donated them!

 

[August]

I prefer donating things myself because its a nice, steady challenge to fill the museum- BUT, the more the merrier my lazy, freeloading villagers could stand to do something else while I carry the weight of this island.

 

[oath2order]

Only me, I only want my name attached to who donates stuff.

 

[airpeaches]

I think it would be really great to be able to see friends and villagers adding to the museum, however I could see that causing some chaos if you had villagers add to it that you dislike and whatnot. I think it would have been nice to have friends be able to donate, it's not like they'd have to so you could just focus on doing all the donations on your own if you truly only wanted to see your own name in there. Though it would be nice to be able to help friends or see their contributions toward your own collection!

 

[Reaper3201430]

No one may donate to my museum! I must do it all! Hahahaha!

 

[jvgsjeff]

I'd prefer it to stay as player residents only for the usual categories (fish, bugs, sea creatures, art, fossils). I don't think the accomplishment would feel as satisfying if Beardo and Stinky did half the work.

But I wouldn't mind if there was a set of non-catchable things that animals could donate. Like flowers, plants, or decorations that made the museum look nicer over time. Maybe a bench in the aquarium isn't there at first, but one of your residents donates it (perhaps after learning a crafting recipe for it). Or the fossil room is dimly lit at the beginning, until an animal donates better lighting. I doubt this is something Nintendo would do, but there's always room for improvement in details like that.

 

[Halloqueen]

While I'm not bothered by it one way or another and don't care if there's ever any change, I think it would be nice if villagers could rarely donate something to the museum. Some really common bug or fish maybe, or like one piece of art or something. It would make things feel a bit more realistic, you know? You mean to tell me that in this town/island of over ten people, only the player(s) are contributing to this community effort?

I also think it would be neat if online friends could donate to the museum, but I can see how that could be a bridge too far. Not allowing it also saves from any awkwardness if you have a falling out with said friend or something. I just think it's kind of boring to have most of the donator names being the same person/few people, you know?

I'm fine with it staying as is, it gives us things to work toward and keep playing the games to accomplish, but yeah. Fun what-if.

 

[Pyoopi]

I like just me donating to it buut, I think I wouldn't mind if I saw my villagers donate too. Maybe I still have to complete the museum on my own and then afterwards, they could donate more (always feels a little weird how the museum only takes one, when most zoos/aquariums have multiple species.)

I think it'd be cute if they could not only have their name but a short sentence of their experience catching the critter. I always liked talking to them when they're in a museum and their comments are pretty funny. Imagine them writing something about trying to catch a wasp, tarantula or scorpion, lol.

 

[Clock]

Anyone, it would be more helpful and faster in earning more for the museum.

 

[stitchmaker]

Main profile always donates everything. With only one game for the Switch it would be nice if all profiles could do Museum donation for critters/fossils. Plaque with each critter could include names that donated.

 

[MrBox]

Honestly, I'd want the "donated by [character]" to be gone. It makes me feel a certain negative emotion when I go through the museum and see that they were all donated by me. I'd rather it just not say who donated it..

 

[Mountain_Elements]

Honestly, I'd want the "donated by [character]" to be gone. It makes me feel a certain negative emotion when I go through the museum and see that they were all donated by me. I'd rather it just not say who donated it..

Yeah, I just started reading this thread now, and that's the same solution I came up with. If people still want credit, there could be a single sign in the entrance that says, "All exhibits were donated by [character]." There doesn't need to be a contribution credit for each individual item.

 

[BobRocks20]

I don't really care about who donated them TBH, I just want to see all the critters! Look at them move... So intriguing! Allowing friends and villagers to donate seems like a nice addition too.