So I reset my town, here is what I learned

[Boccages]

I don't know why, yesterday morning I thought it would be fun to reset my town. I had the game on the 19th of March (well the 20th at midnight) and carried through playing every single day since launch. I proceeded to play the game for 12 hours straight after resetting yesterday. I set my Nintendo Switch calendar to May 1st, and then played Day 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Here are a few reflections I am making :

1. The game does a good job of teaching you the different mechanisms by feeding you different content over the first 4 days by having different events and activities : crafting (day 1-4), bells and home loan (day 1), Nook Point system (day 1-3), exploring the island and using tools (day 2-4), collecting bugs, fish, and fossils (day 1-4), visiting other islands, and Mystery tours (day 2-3), and finally building new houses and shops (day 2-4). You finally end up with a customization training given by Nook, and an invitation to Harv's island on day 4.
2. The amount of work we have spent over the months on our island is staggering. Picture this, I only played 4 days, and it took me 12-13 hours. Granted, I did some Mystery island tours (5), and also went through the May 1st Labyrinth island. Collecting materials to build the Nook's Cranny shop, the first bridge, and the houses of villagers #3, #4, and #5 takes quite some time, and forces you to go on Mystery island tours, although most probably 1-2 tours is enough to accomplish the task.
3. Nook Miles are scarce on Day 1-3. Bells are scarce starting on Day 3-4, especially if you try to pay back your house's loan to get the first upgrade.
4. You get to pop up a lot (A LOT) of balloon while collecting materials, exploring the island, and planning out villager #3, #4, #5's houses.
5. Interactions with villagers #1 Jock, #2 Sisterly, is quite limited until day 3, when they start teaching you emotes. But they are pretty much aloof, and since you cannot give them gifts, I've found that interacting with them isn't quite what it will be weeks down the line.
6. I was extremely lucky not having to relocate any house in my (now deleted) first island. Unlocking and having to plop down 6 houses, the museum, and the Nook's Cranny boutique before unlocking the ability to lay down paths is making it quite difficult to plan ahead. The planning of this second island is not going as swimmingly as the first time around. I already want to relocate my house, the museum, Nook's Cranny and villager #3's house while I only needed to relocate my museum in my first game. I knew that I needed to leave space between the tents, and houses (once I started to plan them), but I should have left a bit more space.
7. My first visitor on Day 2 was Leif. He introduced bushes, and I was able to buy some. Nook also gave me the DIY for hedge/fence on Day 2 as he invited me to take a trip to May 1st Labyrinth island as soon as the airport unlocked.
8. Planning the town, laying down fences, and relocating trees, planting bushes, and flowers is the most time consuming task you can have in week 1.By Day 4-5, I was more satisfied with the way I had planned my village in my first game (even though all the tasks where completed over a week and not 4 days because I wasn't rushing through).
9. When planning your town, always think that the villagers houses and shops entrance will face the south. So do not plan having a single street in the middle of two rows, the southern row will look weird with entrances in their backyards.
10. I forgot I should not have completed the task of furnishing house of villagers #3-4-5, before having made enough Mystery Island Tours to invite the lazy, peppy, and normal villagers I wanted. I had only invited Wade (lazy) in when I completed that task, and told myself I would be more thorough with Mystery Island Tours afterwards, thinking Wade would move in first, and then I would have 1-2 days to fly to Mystery Islands as he settled in. Nope. It doesn't work the way it WILL work after the campground has been built. Once you complete the task of furnishing the 3 house plots, you get out of the Service Center, and the names of the villagers already appear on the house plots. Luckily, I was happy to see I was randomly assigned villagers I did not dislike : Sally, and Wendy will be moving in.
11. Although I am not satisfied as I was (in my 1st game) with the town planning portion, I do not think resetting once again is a good idea. The sheer amount of work required in restarting a New Horizons game, is just forbidding. When I did reset (for no good reason) yesterday, had I known I would be spending that much time just going through the motions on Day 1-4, I would not done so.
12. The added 3rd row in your inventory/pockets is a must on Day 2 or 3. The ring of tools is also something you miss dearly when you restart. The 4th row will not be unlocked until later on (it's not yet available on Day 4).
13. I've unlocked quite a few DIY I had not encountered in my first game, even two months in... I am stumped by this fact. Granted, I have way less DIY in my new game, but still!

 

[Carole]

What a great post! Thanks for your perspectives on resetting.

I always loved to reset when playing New Leaf, usually after about 2-6 months, because I loved the beginning of the game more than later gameplay. But for ACNH I hadn't really gotten the "resetting fever" until I read your post. I will wait a while longer, but now I am looking forward to resetting in this game, too.

 

[Boccages]

Well I got the fever. Reset again this morning as I was very dissatisfied with the town planning.

 

[JKDOS]

Nook Miles are scarce on Day 1-3

Getting miles at the start of the game is actually quicker at game start, and that is because everything is so fresh that you get miles for literally every single thing you do. Granted you need to wait for day 2 to get Miles+.


On day 1, to pay off your tent, some quick ways to get miles are

1. Make a design
2. Write a bulletin board post
3. Craft campfires.
4. Fill your tent with as many campfires as it can possibly hold (This one makes a ton of miles)
5. Talk to both villagers
6. Pick up weeds and sell them.
7. Pick up shells and sell them
8. Make some nets and fishing rods
9. Catch some common bugs.
10. Catch some common fish.
11. Donate bugs and fish
12. Make some money selling bugs and fish
13. chop some trees
14. Hit a rock the maximum of 8 times
15. Plant some flowers
16. Water some flowers
17. Plant some fruit
18. Sell some fruit

 

[tajikey]

Those who reset are nuts. All that time invested seemingly flushed down the toilet. I can't imagine setting ExIsle back to day 1. I obviously mean all of this in the nicest way possible, though, I do think you're nuts!

 

[Figment]

Interesting read! Thanks for the insight. I'm going to start a second island soon, so it's an especially interesting read.

I think it's great that there are so many DIY recipes and that you can potentially get some really nice DIYs early in the game.

 

[randomforeignguy]

Lol resetti stop this player!!

 

[daisyy]

really appreciate your perspective/writeup on resetting... although think it just solidified my thoughts that i will never reset, i can't imagine starting over! LOL

 

[CrankyPirate]

I loved your post, thanks for sharing your experience. I was thinking about a reset because I’m not 100% happy with my island name, but on the other hand I would really miss my island as it is now. I put in 300+ hours and I am satisfied with the results. After reading your post I’m sure now I won’t reset for a long time.

 

[Braixen]

I thought about resetting before because I absolutely hate having both river mouths at the south end, but ultimately didn't because I had Dom/Audie, my airport was lined up with the plaza (which I didn't know at first!), had fruit/flowers I liked and most of all, alllllll those recipes would be gone

It is interesting reading these insights, though! It'd definitely be a different experience having done it again, cause I alongside everyone else were still new to the game and its mechanics!

 

[Clock]

I’m thinking of getting a 2nd island as well, thanks for sharing your experience on when you resettled your town.

 

[Boccages]

Let it be known that I finally did reset for a second time this morning (even though I said I wouldn’t). It was speedier this time around as I asked someone to hold onto my bells, some furniture pieces, and 7 Nook Miles tickets. I did reset a second time because the town plan was just disastrous in my second play through. As I said, I wanted to relocate/nudge just about every building I had built for the first 3 days of the game.
I am now going to bed very very satisfied with my decision. I was able to plan out my village in a more thorough manner. I am very satisfied with house and shop placement. Moreover, with my extra Nook Mile tickets, I was able to invite villagers I somewhat liked (took me 8 Nook Miles Ticket, and I got Eunice, Piper, and Ozzie). Ozzie is a dreamie and the rest are likeable at least. So. Yes. First reset taught me a lot I put into practice for a second reset.

 

[chibski]

You have SO much more patience than I do (and I'd bet most AC players). I couldn't imagine nuking my island after over a month of nonstop playing, even if I'm nowhere near where I want to be. Big props to you and thanks for this writeup!

 

[Boccages]

4 days in my first reset took me 12-13 hours.
4 days on my second reset took me 8-9 hours.

The difference?On my 2nd reset I did not visit other people’s town and I have not yet fenced in back yards as much as I had in my first reset. Also, I have not yet planted as much flowers, or collected as much DIY, but that is about it...