being an “uncreative” AC fan

[carackobama]

We’ve all seen the amazingly detailed, terraformed to the max, crazy towns online and while they’re amazingly impressive, I’ve seen a lot of people get stressed out and down on themselves while comparing their own towns to them and that makes me sad. Seeing people say they feel like they’re not good at the game and not want to play because they feel their towns will never be at that level is heartbreaking so I wanted to post an encouraging thread for anyone who may feel a similar way.

First and foremost, while AC has a lot of design elements to it, it is not a design based game - it’s a life sim with many different aspects, design and creation just one of them. It’s super fun to decorate and think of ideas for your island or town but if that’s not something that comes naturally to you, you can still play the game and have a good time! For years (I’ve played AC since 2006) I never even realised heavily designing your town was a thing, I loved the game for the atmosphere and the characters and the escapism of your in-game life. It’s your game and you can get what you want out of it, even if designing isn’t your bag.

For those who love to design and create but feel like they’re not coming up with amazingly unique ideas or that their town isn’t as good as others or the way you want it to be, that’s okay too! I love creating a theme on my island and in my towns and I’ve definitely got down on myself for not feeling like mine are as good as similar versions or I’m not sure how to achieve certain visions. This game is meant to played slowly and not rushed and just because something isn’t perfect or hasn’t been figured out yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. Some people like to time travel so their island are more developed and that’s okay too, but if you haven’t got your island to that point yet and you’re comparing yourselves to others remember there’s no rush.

There’s also no pressure to have a perfect or crazy or even at all themed island ever! If you want to experiment with design but don’t want to go all out, there’s no obligation to just because some other people online have crazy and cool and outlandish islands. Your island is your island and if you want to keep it simple that’s totally valid too.

I really hope this thread helped even one person who was finally insecure or stressed out about the game! Your own pace and playing style is totally valid <3

 

[Licorice]

For me I landscape the way I have since City Folk. Basic path lined with flowers and trees planted in the same pattern I've been doing for years. It's what works for me. I don't like towns that are too busy and super landscaped to the point where you can't walk around freely. There's some gorgeous islands already and yeah they're cool but I'm happy with my little forest.

 

[juneau]

Well said! Couldn't have come at a better time, actually - I'm gonna show my boyfriend this post. I've been playing this nonstop since it came out and he couldn't understand the appeal, but seeing my obsession with it he finally caved and just bought and finished downloading the game. I'm very much into designing my island but I do worry he's not gonna have stuff to do in it since he's not as into that aspect of games, and he's also the kind of person who needs clear objectives in games to find them enjoyable, so I don't know if this will be for him, but I hope this post helps him!

 

[Maiana]

Thank you for this ;m; I've been feeling rather insecure about my island lately due to how simple my design will be once it's complete. Been looking at other islands lately and they are so beautiful- I look at mine and get so discouraged lol.

 

[HavocSource]

Thanks for this comforting post, i can't seem to be able to decorate stuff, but i like this game even without that

 

[moon_child]

For me I landscape the way I have since City Folk. Basic path lined with flowers and trees planted in the same pattern I've been doing for years. It's what works for me. I don't like towns that are too busy and super landscaped to the point where you can't walk around freely. There's some gorgeous islands already and yeah they're cool but I'm happy with my little forest.

We’re on the same boat. I like visiting landscaped towns but my own, I like to keep simple and practical because I play on it everyday. I don’t just “tour” it. I gather materials, fossils, fish and bugs and I want to be able to move freely for those activities.

 

[Solio]

Honestly, I prefer the more natural-looking towns. Sure, there must be a lot of work behind those super-detailed towns and I respect that. But often times it just looks crowded an artificial to me. There's stuff everywhere and every inch of the ground is plastered with a custom-design. Not to mention that some folke seem to prefer bright pink over any other colour... It's just not my aesthetic, you know. But of course, in the end, it's a matter of taste.
So don't feel insecure if your town is more on the basic side. That makes it in no way inferior. In fact, for people like me, your island might look better than any disneyland.

 

[Everdeen]

I care more about my interior design abilites than I do my ability to landscape. I want my island to feel alive, lived in.

But I also value that my island feels very natural for me, the player and main inhabitant to feel like I can do anything I want and go exactly where I need to with ease. I love convience and I enjoy those who built themselves a wonderful little town. Thats cute and all but quite frankly I enjoy my island as it is right now.

I've never gotten into using QR codes to decorate my town in new leaf since it was just taking up space I could have been using for clothes. Props to those who turned their little islands into towns. I LOVE to visit other peoples islands and get ideas from them. I always feel shy that my island isnt as nice as it could be compared to my friends but everyone has different tastes and speeds they play at and ect.

Every island is unique and wonderful and we all just gotta remember that.

 

[Delphine]

Oh wow that's such a cute post, thank you so much I actually needed this haha!

I've strangely been feeling a lot of pressure for my island to look nice lately, though we're still so early on in the game! The thing is, I'm scared that my landscaping and decorating might be a bit basic, and I realized I still have a lot of the same reflexes I had in New Leaf, so I'd like to take more advantage of the new possibilities in New Horizons and step out of my comfort zone, so to speak.

I actually enjoy interior design much more than landscaping but since I have many loans to go through and not a lot of furniture, I can't yet express all of that and it's a bit frustrating but hey, patience!

As for landscaping, I'm still figuring things out. That's okay too! Going back and forth and making adjustments through the weeks is actually funnier than having a settled, "perfectly" finished island/town from the beginning, in my opinion n_n

I agree that what's most important is definitely that the island is practical for you to go around and have your daily routine, and it must feel authentic to you. It's nice to get inspiration from other people but it's also a reflection of one's own personnality.

Thanks for this post, I think it's an interesting subject to bring up! c:

 

[cornimer]

Yes thank you for this post! I've said this in a few threads now but I really don't enjoy designing my town at all. I didn't know pathing/landscaping was a thing until I joined this forum. I thought everyone just played the game like I did - befriending villagers and catching bugs and living life. I tried to get into pathing after joining but I couldn't do it, it just made me not want to play. So I'm committed to not doing it in NH, and while that makes me a bit embarrassed to invite people to my island sometimes because it's not decorated other than with outdoor furniture and trees, at the end of the day I'll enjoy the game more if I play it my way!

 

[Red Cat]

There are obviously some extremely talented landscapers out there with beautiful looking towns both in NL and NH, but I've always wondered what those people do with their towns after that? AC is a video game, not a portrait. If you make your town "perfect", then what do you do after that? Just walk through it and admire it everyday until it gets old? I'm not trying to tell people how to play the game, but AC has always been more of a journey instead of the destination game. Since Nintendo is going to be gradually rolling out new content for this game, I wouldn't go overboard designing my town when there may be changes that make me want to completely blow it up later. So for now, I'm keeping everything close to the plaza to save time and just trying to keep all of my trees and furniture neat and organized so I can play the game without having to navigate through a maze everyday.

 

[Krissi2197]

Thanks for this ;; I'm not that creative and it feels so weird seeing these amazing islands and then going back to my own... Basic bland one. I'm doing my best to make the island look as good as it could be and have it be something I'm happy with without worrying about what other people's islands look like.

 

[Hyoshido]

Always been game with basic looking islands, y'know, not put too much sweat and blood into.
I mean, them creative folks are valid for making nice islands, but I'm perfectly fine and comfortable keeping things basic, feels a bit more natural y'know?

Cheers for the support and acknowledgement though, it's a real shame that complex islands are making people feel awful about theirs

 

[claracampanelli]

i really like more natural/forest-y towns/islands. i was actually really happy with my town but i had to change it to get the stars achievement (had to put some fences - which i personally don't like, because it kinda blocks me from running around, and some random nook miles diy i had to craft, and i also put down some paths but i'm not liking them that much)

i'm still figuring things out. decorating the island has never been something that comes easily to me. i think i'm just gonna take things slowly.

 

[carackobama]

I’m so glad this post got a good response and made some of you feel better! Your islands and personal playing style are valid no matter what <3

 

[sdw4527]

Thanks so much for this! Definitely needed it! Honestly, I was seeing myself falling into that depressive spiral when I unlocked terraforming. Although it might be inspiring to others to see work like this, I just get depressed seeing how my own island would never even come close to how good those looked.. Didn't help that I misunderstood one of my close friends' messages and thought he was saying how lame my island design was :/

You're absolutely right that Animal Crossing is about what you make out of it. No need to be forced into a method of play you just aren't comfortable with. I think I might experiment a bit with making paths at the very least (since I never even bothered doing that in past games), but much later on. I'll stick to how I've always played AC games for now