the path vs preset paths

[jokk]

i use the brick path all over my island and it's a very simple, easy-to-navigate layout, but i'm considering demolishing most of my island and starting over with a version of the path..... what has been your experience designing with the path vs the preset paths? pros and cons? should i do it? i really want a foresty natural island because i'm bored with my rainbow flower island

 

[Feraligator]

For the path, for me,

Pros:
– looks nice
– more natural-looking
– less angular (good for curvy)
– easy to replace with a different design, and there's so many varieties

Cons:
– sound isn't very nice
– easy to kick away
– a bit harder to lay them all out
– (my opinion) they don't look good when in a straight line, prefer them when curvy
– can't plant flowers/trees on them

 

[Sara?]

Personally i have used only in-game paths BUT i did use like customs content path borders to decorate my paths and this is my personal take away from the experience:

Pro:

-> Custom content path borders makes your path look super nice cause its an extra touch

Cons:

-> there is not sound when walking over them and for me its just so relaxing to hear the different sound shoes when walking my paths that I decided to ditch the idea of having a super detailed path way, plus it looks more natural now i guess.


I know it is condensed but that is my reality hahahah

 

[JKDOS]

When it first because popular, I got the designer ID from the creator on Twitter. I've put it down in one section of my island and used it for a couple weeks. It never stuck.

Problems
It didn't sound as good as normal paths
It was too pixelated for me
It had some form of screen tearing.
I can't remember all that well, but I think it also didn't look or sound as nice in the rain either.

 

[meggiewes]

Both! I've been using the in game paths with some path overlays for detail. It is a great mix of both worlds.

 

[coffeedrinker]

I like to use both. I like how the natural path looks in the snow, but I don't like laying it out or how easy it is to mess up. I tend to use the stone in-game path for my main areas, but I wish we had a few more options.

 

[Your Local Wild Child]

For my forest island, I pretty much only use in-game paths (with a couple rare exceptions). The dark dirt path is perfect for a forest floor! I’m sure that user-generated paths look more polished but I don’t like the idea of being able to knock out a bunch of paths just because I misclicked...

 

[Ganucci]

I've used The Path since the end of August and loved the way it looked for a while. However as JKDOS said...

Problems
It didn't sound as good as normal paths
It was too pixelated for me
It had some form of screen tearing.
I can't remember all that well, but I think it also didn't look or sound as nice in the rain either.

These problems just came to a head and I've started converting The Path into the game's dirt paths. Maybe it's just me, but the pixelation of The Path looks really obvious with the now snowy landscape and it just drives me crazy how it looks compared to the beautiful HD wonderfulness of the rest of the game. Once I started replacing it because of this I was then reminded of the sound the default paths make and mmm mmm mmmmmmmmm. So good. It's crazy relaxing how good the footstep sound effects are.

 

[Coolio15]

I mainly use the ingame paths, mainly because it saves custom design slots for other things/decor, plus they just sound and look nicer in most (not all) of the areas on my island.
I have used a bit of the custom paths/designs, but the fact that you have to have separate designs in order to curve them and make them look nicer has always been a big drawback for me personally.

 

[watercolorwish]

I originally used the preset paths, then switched to “the path”, but now I use the 3 pattern brick path thats becoming more common lol. I found I liked bricks more than dirt, but in my experience with the two I definitely preferred “the path”! Its miles ahead of the preset paths visually imo. The lack of walking in dirt SFX was a bummer tho

 

[Katzenjammer]

I'm 100 percent with @Jez on this one as I tried using it for awhile but the sound plus the fact it was easy to kick away just got to be too bothersome, so as I'm re-doing my island anyhow, I figure I'm going to stick with the pre-made paths for the most part from now on.

 

[Rika092]

I use the path, and i love it for my island which is a foresty/cottage core island:

Pros:
-rustic
-natural
-versatile
-comes in variety (there are many versions of the paths, and suitable for all seasons)

cons:
-difficult to lay out
-doesn't really work for mainroads, because it looks unnatural if you put the same pieces next to each other on repeat
-can overlay with another path/border like the preset paths

 

[rose star]

When I flattened and redesigned my town I initially tried using a version of The Path. I didn't like that you couldn't really set down paths in a straight line, and it was soooo time consuming. Plus I just really like hearing the different footsteps on preset paths. I wound up deciding to use preset paths but with some custom borders on them, and a lot of fun little accent stone tiles to make things look more natural.

 

[Sara?]

Personally i have used only in-game paths BUT i did use like customs content path borders to decorate my paths and this is my personal take away from the experience:

Pro:

-> Custom content path borders makes your path look super nice cause its an extra touch

Cons:

-> there is not sound when walking over them and for me its just so relaxing to hear the different sound shoes when walking my paths that I decided to ditch the idea of having a super detailed path way, plus it looks more natural now i guess.


I know it is condensed but that is my reality hahahah

Correction! I just remembered a new con from having custom floor detail designs and its that every time you wanna pick up stuff you left in the floor for what ever reason 90% of the times you try to pick them up by accident you would errase a part of the custome design so you had to once again put the hat to construct and place the path design ( i did that like 10 times a day ). That was like the ultimately the worst part of it all !

 

[AlyssaAC]

I use the in game paths because they don’t have that weird glitch like the path does. I tried setting the path down and due to those weird glitches, it just kept bothering me. The brick path is my favorite and I like how it sounds like a real path compared to the path.

 

[Halloqueen]

I see people talk about "the path", but I don't know what "the path" is. As such, I only have experience with the paths that are part of the game. I've only used the dirt path for a field I set up in a section of my island to accommodate a large pumpkin patch, and one of the tile paths as the flooring for a makeshift cafe I set up for an event here on the forums months back but then kept around as part of my island's business section because the fencing I used for the walls counts toward the 5 Star rating.

I'm not certain that it's an unpopular preference since I don't really pay attention that deeply to such matters, but I've seen people express dislike for the third tier of the island, whereas I like it. My island has had very little terraforming done and is mostly in the same shape it was when I got it, aside from minor tweaks to allow for certain things like bridge or ramp construction. Unlike a lot of other islands with elaborate, well-planned and well-organized walkways, my island is mostly natural. With how the houses are organized, I can't imagine a way that paths would actually look good implemented on my island.

It's also never been a thing I've done even in New Leaf. I appreciate that it makes people's towns or islands look really nice, but I don't think I've really got the eye for aesthetics or the creativity for that sort of playstyle.

 

[moon_child]

I use the fairy core version of “the path” and it has made my island look more cohesive and natural than ever before. The in game paths can never emulate the same natural look even if I overlay a thousand different borders on them. For this reason, I’m sticking with the custom paths. The only downside is missing the sound your feet makes on in game paths but I’d rather sacrifice that for the overall aesthetic of my island. Oh and yeah erasing it accidentally is also a pain. I know one day I’ll probably get sick of fixing it over and over but as of now I can’t quit the look and feel it gives my island.

 

[John Wick]

The fake paths sound like you're walking on, and crunching up cockroaches. LOL

 

[Raz]

Dark dirt path is the best path in the game. I have the path saved, but when I rebuild my island, I'll probably end up using only the dirty paths and the wooden path (as its another path that I love).

 

[maria110]

I love The Path. I use the darker version of it. I also have the Deteriorated Cobblestone Path variation and one of the gothic variations. I can't remember the creator names or codes but they are google-able. I use the in-game brick, stone, and arched stone paths for the areas that I want to look town-like and for patios and little plazas. I don't mind the fake sound of custom paths. When my character is wearing certain shoes with a hard heel or the zori, they sound very loud on the in-game paths. Clop clop clop. I can do without all that extra noise. The custom paths sound like astro turf, sort of squishy.