There already exists a number of threads on this forum about desired updates and new features, and I suppose I could have used one of those, but since this is essentially an ultra mega wishlist, I decided it would be easier to just make a new thread about it. As I was doing my daily rounds on New Horizons the other day, a tidal wave of inspiration hit me as to what features could be added to make Animal Crossing—and especially New Horizons—feel fresh and not just a repeat of the previous games.
Something to keep in mind before I proceed: I have deliberately abstained from including any changes directly pertaining to villager dialogue as well as features that already exist in previous titles. These topics have been discussed on countless occasions, and I want this thread to be about fun and exciting new additions to Animal Crossing, rather than grumbling about how more recent entries may have failed to live up to their predecessors. I’ve also decided against listing bug fixes or tiny frustrations that exist due to developer oversight. It’s not that these features don’t deserve to be addressed, but that it’s perhaps more suited to the ACNH Pet Peeves thread, and also they’re far too numerous to list here.
With that out of the way, here is my long-winded list of things I thought a future update (or future installment in the series, since 2.0 was the last major update for New Horizons) could introduce to make the games a noticeable step forward from the previous games.
Something to keep in mind before I proceed: I have deliberately abstained from including any changes directly pertaining to villager dialogue as well as features that already exist in previous titles. These topics have been discussed on countless occasions, and I want this thread to be about fun and exciting new additions to Animal Crossing, rather than grumbling about how more recent entries may have failed to live up to their predecessors. I’ve also decided against listing bug fixes or tiny frustrations that exist due to developer oversight. It’s not that these features don’t deserve to be addressed, but that it’s perhaps more suited to the ACNH Pet Peeves thread, and also they’re far too numerous to list here.
With that out of the way, here is my long-winded list of things I thought a future update (or future installment in the series, since 2.0 was the last major update for New Horizons) could introduce to make the games a noticeable step forward from the previous games.
Basic Controls/Quality of Life Features
- Aiming reticle for tools
This is something that has frustrated me for a long time. To my eyes, I may be directly facing the area where I want to dig, or holding my net right in the path of a bug, or perfectly aligned with a fish’s line of sight, only to use the appropriate tool and completely miss the mark. Just adding a simple reticle for where your tool will land when you use it would make these common activities much less tedious. And if Nintendo insists on keeping tool durability, it would minimize the number of uses wasted on accidental misfires before the tool inevitably breaks.
- Visual indicator for when fish bite
My primary strategy for catching fish is to close my eyes and listen for the sound of the bobber being bitten. Because looking at the fish while it nibbles away greatly increases the chances that I’m going to accidentally attempt to reel it in too early. But what if I’m in a situation where I need to turn the volume down? There is a slight visual indicator that shows when a fish has latched onto your line, but especially if you’re playing in handheld mode, it’s so slight, it’s easy to miss. I am perplexed at the noticeable absence of a more visible indicator to convey when a fish has bitten the lure, because Pocket Camp (a free to play mobile game released multiple years before New Horizons) already has one. In that game, when a fish has bitten the lure, an exclamation mark will appear above the player. This is a necessity for a mobile phone game, but as the Switch (and also the 3DS, but I digress) is also a portable system, it should really be afforded the same luxury.
- An actual options menu; it’s 2022 for cripes sake, Nintendo.
Don’t like any of the features I’ve mentioned above? Then, just go to the options menu and turn them off. It should be that simple. But to the present day, Nintendo has been reluctant to give us any settings that allow players to customize how the game controls, or to give us any settings that might increase accessibility for disabled players.
Modern (circa 2002) conveniences such as music and sound channel sliders, the ability to toggle animal speech on and off, and many others would also be so greatly appreciated.
Modern (circa 2002) conveniences such as music and sound channel sliders, the ability to toggle animal speech on and off, and many others would also be so greatly appreciated.
- Designer Mode For Landscaping/Waterscaping
This one is slightly contentious. I think Nintendo may not wish to implement this kind of feature out of fear of making terraforming on a personal level completely obsolete. However, I think this option would go a long way to making the process quicker and easier.
Island Features
- Exterior Soundscapes
Sound is a criminally under-explored element in the overall aesthetic of your island. Sure, you can install any number of record players, boom boxes, and other musical furniture in your home to play songs from K.K.’s expansive library. And the Happy Home Paradise DLC now allows players to choose from a variety of soundscapes to use on the inside of their home. But what’s stopping us from doing this outside, as well?
New Horizons allows players to place music players outside, which track player proximity and become quieter or louder based on how close they are to the speaker. And that’s a good step in the right direction. But if, for example, I wanted to make an island that was Halloween themed, the normal town tunes can really diminish the impact. One solution would be to have music players scattered all over the island, but that’s… highly impractical.
Allowing players to change the music would go a long way in establishing the theme or central identity of your island. Ideally, the music could be changed so one track plays constantly or players could choose from a playlist of songs to rotate hourly. In addition to the benefits of increased customization, I think allowing players to change the music would also lessen player fatigue at hearing the same pieces of music every time they boot up the game.
Of course, music isn’t the only thing that you should be allowed to change. Suppose you have an island that is rainforest themed. Having a “Sounds of the Jungle” style soundscape would really bring that idea to life. Or if your island is themed around an urban city, a number of soundscapes already in New Horizons could easily be repurposed in this fashion.
These features could be contextualized in-game as diegetic music and sound played over a loudspeaker in the town square.
Island Facilities
New Horizons allows players to place music players outside, which track player proximity and become quieter or louder based on how close they are to the speaker. And that’s a good step in the right direction. But if, for example, I wanted to make an island that was Halloween themed, the normal town tunes can really diminish the impact. One solution would be to have music players scattered all over the island, but that’s… highly impractical.
Allowing players to change the music would go a long way in establishing the theme or central identity of your island. Ideally, the music could be changed so one track plays constantly or players could choose from a playlist of songs to rotate hourly. In addition to the benefits of increased customization, I think allowing players to change the music would also lessen player fatigue at hearing the same pieces of music every time they boot up the game.
Of course, music isn’t the only thing that you should be allowed to change. Suppose you have an island that is rainforest themed. Having a “Sounds of the Jungle” style soundscape would really bring that idea to life. Or if your island is themed around an urban city, a number of soundscapes already in New Horizons could easily be repurposed in this fashion.
These features could be contextualized in-game as diegetic music and sound played over a loudspeaker in the town square.
Island Facilities
- Museum: The Aviary
Since the very beginning of the series, players have been collecting fish, bugs, and fossils to donate to the museum. While there have been some fleeting moments of innovation, such as the introduction of diving in New Leaf, the majority of the changes in this system have only amended the number of creatures you can collect, rather than the type of creatures and the method of obtaining them. This had me thinking: What other creatures could players reasonably be expected to obtain that would be in the same spirit as bugs and fish? As I was putting my Switch down to feed my own pet bird, it suddenly hit me.
Birds. Yes, birds.
It seems like such an obvious next step that I begin to wonder why Nintendo hasn’t thought of it themselves. Players could catch birds, donate them to Blathers, and he will put them on display in a cozy aviary in the museum. (Should go without saying that this is something you should not be doing in real life)
Once that idea formed in my head, I began to wonder, how would the players go about catching birds? The obvious solution would be to use the same nets you would use to catch bugs. That would probably work, too, but I wanted to be a little more creative, so I came up with a different answer.
Suppose if, instead of catching birds in nets, players could instead put bird feeders at various spots around the island, putting different types of feed into them to attract different types of birds. Then, once a bird has made itself at home in one, players could take the feeder, place it in their pockets (video game logic), and donate the bird to the museum. I think this could be an interesting and slightly more strategic—though much more passive—method of capture that would mechanically differentiate birds from bugs.
Some reading this now might be thinking that it would be weird for the game to allow us to catch birds when there is no shortage of villagers who also happen to be birds. To that end, I’d like to remind you of this unsettling implication.
Also, there is a normal, non-villager bird that lands on the bulletin board in the town square, so I don’t think the existence of bird villagers makes this concept untenable. Also, I just like birds.
Birds. Yes, birds.
It seems like such an obvious next step that I begin to wonder why Nintendo hasn’t thought of it themselves. Players could catch birds, donate them to Blathers, and he will put them on display in a cozy aviary in the museum. (Should go without saying that this is something you should not be doing in real life)
Once that idea formed in my head, I began to wonder, how would the players go about catching birds? The obvious solution would be to use the same nets you would use to catch bugs. That would probably work, too, but I wanted to be a little more creative, so I came up with a different answer.
Suppose if, instead of catching birds in nets, players could instead put bird feeders at various spots around the island, putting different types of feed into them to attract different types of birds. Then, once a bird has made itself at home in one, players could take the feeder, place it in their pockets (video game logic), and donate the bird to the museum. I think this could be an interesting and slightly more strategic—though much more passive—method of capture that would mechanically differentiate birds from bugs.
Some reading this now might be thinking that it would be weird for the game to allow us to catch birds when there is no shortage of villagers who also happen to be birds. To that end, I’d like to remind you of this unsettling implication.
Also, there is a normal, non-villager bird that lands on the bulletin board in the town square, so I don’t think the existence of bird villagers makes this concept untenable. Also, I just like birds.
- Able Sisters: Create Custom Patterns From Existing Clothing
This is a feature that somewhat existed in New Leaf, where furniture could be customized using the patterns on clothing in addition to custom designs made by the player. However, I think this concept could be expanded upon by allowing the player to take a piece of clothing already made in the game and customize its pattern in the editor.
I’m sure many people can relate to not being exceptionally talented at creating their own clothes. The barrier to entry for this sort of thing would probably be much lower if players could edit existing designs to learn how they are made and to add their own spin to them. There are a number of situations I can think of where I’ve seen a piece of clothing and thought “I’d like something in this shape, but maybe with a different pattern,” or “This piece of clothing needs just one little thing to make it truly special.”
Villager Features
I’m sure many people can relate to not being exceptionally talented at creating their own clothes. The barrier to entry for this sort of thing would probably be much lower if players could edit existing designs to learn how they are made and to add their own spin to them. There are a number of situations I can think of where I’ve seen a piece of clothing and thought “I’d like something in this shape, but maybe with a different pattern,” or “This piece of clothing needs just one little thing to make it truly special.”
Villager Features
- Additional Rooms in Villager Homes
It was to my great disappointment that the 2.0 update which allows you to customize the homes of your villagers does not allow you to fit them with more rooms, as well. It’s rather disappointing to me that while the player may reside in what might as well be a mansion by comparison, the villagers are left with one-room, one-story houses with only the initial room size. Not every villager house need be fully upgraded, but I feel some variation would make visiting their houses slightly more interesting. Not to mention, it would give players who enjoy decorating their villagers’ homes more to do.
- Roommates
And with more space afforded to villagers thanks to having multiple rooms, villagers should be free to move in with one another, just as they can in Happy Home Paradise. This was something I was thinking about when the topic of paired villagers (such as Chrissy and Francine) cropped up recently. It would be interesting if these villagers also operated as a pair. This could include not just living together, but also moving to the island as a pair, instead of one at a time, and having your interactions with one impact your relationship with the other. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Nintendo could also experiment with the idea of letting villagers move into the player’s home, but I’m admittedly struggling to think of how they could do that in a way that is engaging while also staying consistent to the core design of the series. I think it would be interesting if roommates could occasionally add their own furniture and leave little presents for the player, but I can also picture that getting very annoying. This would, of course, be an optional mechanic, no matter how it’s implemented.
Nintendo could also experiment with the idea of letting villagers move into the player’s home, but I’m admittedly struggling to think of how they could do that in a way that is engaging while also staying consistent to the core design of the series. I think it would be interesting if roommates could occasionally add their own furniture and leave little presents for the player, but I can also picture that getting very annoying. This would, of course, be an optional mechanic, no matter how it’s implemented.
These are just some of the things I came up while playing recently. Any of these ideas speak to you specifically? How would you improve on my ideas? Throw them out entirely? Do that comment thing that people do on message boards, because I’d love to hear your feedback. Like/comment/subscribe!
