Do you feel stressed or blessed?

[BluebearL]

I hear a lot of people (especially from those who still play new leaf in addition to new horizons) that say that they actually find all of the design options in new horizons too overwhelming and stressful. I can definitely understand this, especially for those who aren’t motivated to put in the effort to make it look really good (me lol) so I was just wondering how many people feel this.

Do you find the new amazing design features on new horizons make you feel stressed or is it is one of if not the favourite thing about the game for you?

 

[Sharksheep]

It was stressful at first because I didn't know what to do and I see a lot of amazing pictures and videos of themes islands. Then I tried to plan my island down to the square and I hated it.

I found it a lot more fun when I took my time with it and kinda just making up the design as I go and adjusting when I run out of space or have too much space.

 

[Chris]

I love this aspect of the game. The trick to enjoying it, rather than feeling stressed, is not to rush it. If you don't have an idea that you're absolutely desperate to add to your island that second then don't add it. Don't build just because the space is there and you feel you have to fill it. Your island could be a work in progress for years and that's okay - it means you're going to be playing the game far longer than a lot of people!

 

[BluebearL]

I definitely agree with both of you- taking it slow and enjoying bit by bit adds to the enjoyment. I just hear so many people feeling insecure with comparison etc. it’s interesting

 

[Bunnii]

It's my favourite thing in the game, have always loved design and anything creative/artistic.

 

[JellyBeans]

I definitely agree it's just about taking your time with it! at first it was quite overwhelming having all this open space but as I figured out what to do with it I chilled out quite a bit. now I'm at a point where I have a pretty big open area that I don't really know how to fill currently but I'm not rushing to fill it up. I love having the freedom though <3

 

[Alienfish]

I hear a lot of people (especially from those who still play new leaf in addition to new horizons) that say that they actually find all of the design options in new horizons too overwhelming and stressful. I can definitely understand this, especially for those who aren’t motivated to put in the effort to make it look really good (me lol) so I was just wondering how many people feel this.

Do you find the new amazing design features on new horizons make you feel stressed or is it is one of if not the favourite thing about the game for you?

I think the whole game is stressful for me, so I try to limit my playing and such. I don't mind terraforming but I don't care about making all those fancy waterfall places and such, it's just to remove unnecessary land for me lol

 

[marieheiwa]

i love it! i recently cleared out a ton of my island and it was so much fun and satisfying haha. i’m excited to develop it all over again.

 

[TheSillyPuppy]

I definitely felt stressed and overwhelmed at first ("I want to catch/get all the things!"). With time, I've learned to enjoy the process and take my sweet time since the game isn't going anywhere. I've always had an interest in design but am limited to what I can do due to having mediocre drawing skills, so this game really lets me explore this interest and deep-dive into it.

 

[loveclove]

Def blessed! It was fun to "learn" to terraform. I never thought someone would feel otherwise... But I guess you could just leave the island as it is if you're not comfortable with terraforming

 

[Feraligator]

I'd say blessed. I've changed my island completely like 3 times, still in the process of doing it up now, but I've not really felt stress too much. I basically drew out a map plan on Happy Island Designer (absolute dream btw!) and it's been going well. The stress comes from having to wait and move everything, and shovels breaking from all the flowers, trees and bushes. But taking it one step and area at a time really helps, at least for me.

 

[Manon_Despoina]

I feel blessed, though at first I felt kind of stressed... I had a clear idea in my mind (still do), but it required the removal of my rivers, and I was afraid my plan would fail and that I would mess my whole island up. This did not happen, fortunately, so now I am enjoying an island that is at least 60% terraformed to its eventual form. Still planning what to do with the rest, but I am not intending to rush this. Downside is whole parts of my island are bare, so I am contemplating putting trees there for the time being, to make it still feel like Animal Crossing.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

I feel that New Horizons has an unprecedented degree of freedom in customization.

And that was very exciting for me to anticipate. The ability to terraform and raise the ground or change the course of rivers, decorate outdoors with furniture usually meant for rooms, craft your own decor items which are again customizable... the possibilities are certainly near overwhelming. I can see how it might translate into stress for some players.

For me, it's manageable because I know what I like and what I don't like. So, for instance, even though there are so many DIY options, if I don't like a particular set, I can decide to not want to collect those items in the set, since I'm not going to use them. Collecting any DIY set isn't easy. You need to spend time and effort doing it, and then on top of that you need some luck, especially if the DIY recipes come in the form of balloon presents. (Or Pascal.)

The state of too many choices, for some, translates into the inability to make choices. But, if you know yourself well, and know what you like and don't like, it will help you see that you don't have to choose to do everything. Or anything particularly popular.

Also, I don't have a competitive streak. I feel that I don't need to be among the first to complete a fossil/bug/fish/sea creatures/art collection. I don't have to catch or find everything within a season. There's always next year. I don't have to rush to "finish" my island, whatever that means. I like playing the game at my own pace. Because my game is my escape from the stress of real life. So I exempt my game from having the same rules that usually apply in real life, such as deadlines.

If I don't feel motivated to do anything about my island today, it's fine. I take a day off. I do only what I want. I put my game away when I'm done. When I'm motivated, I know I will get things done, and it will feel good.

It's all too easy to get influenced by hype and popular trends, by what people are talking about on forums and social media. If you feel overwhelmed, stop and ask yourself: Am I doing this for me or am I trying to impress someone else/be like someone else? What do I like? What don't I like?

It's okay to be yourself and enjoy the game on your own terms.

I apologize for the wall of text. The older I get, the longer I take to say anything.

 

[Shellzilla_515]

I feel blessed because it’s an option open for me to use and to have fun with it. I don’t play Animal Crossing to exclusively make designs which is why I’m not stressed at all upping my game. It’s amazing to look at other people’s designs but not really bothered because it’s not entirely my thing.

If you think about it, it’s awesome how people have different goals to playing this game such as what you mentioned earlier, taking a break from real life, or simply talking to your villagers. Just my two cents.

 

[Nefarious]

Blessed. It made me realize how stressed I was playing NL in comparison. I’m one of the 5% that still has 98% their original map. I don’t need to impress anyone, I just design something that feels homely to me and I really enjoy it. My island has the fexibility to change for years to come, NL felt more “do or die” as you had less control where things went. Placing down buildings like the cafe and campsite were permanent.

 

[Lotusblossom]

Very stressed.... not blessed.. i feel this game is just a silly distraction and my life is taking a beating for all the time i waste on it.. but what can i say its an escape from reality..like other things i dabble in.. its what i signed up for.. just wish it was more enjoyable less stressful. While there is a lot more freedom still the little parts that arent completely free get to me.... like the fact that someone else gave bob in a starter house the wrong cake and it totally threw off his feng shui and now i can do nothing to fix it.. the game has so many limitations.. its just not real life so when im sacrificng real life for somthing with so manh limitations yes i feel very stressed and its only getting worse as time goes by and i slowly fall deeper into this hole where more things need to get done.. i just want to finish the island and get it done so i can enjoy it but that will litereally take me hundreds of hours that will make me miss out on everything else in real life and im serious.. its just not healthy for me.. maybe it is for other people but i honestly wish i never got this game.. sure life has limitations too but this is a game it should be more enioyable less stressful.. worst of all i feel like its the government manipulating me just for money with this distraction.

 

[skarmoury]

Very blessed.

The reason I stopped playing New Leaf was because I had no direction with my town, and without terraforming I always felt like I wanted to tear my hair every time I tried to plan, and there's at least a bit of area that's preventing me from foregoing my ideal plan. Plus with unmovable villager houses, I've probably spent at least 2 hours per house trying to reset just for villagers to plop where I want them to plop.

Before getting New Horizons, I dabbled a bit in the ACNL editor hack, and I very much enjoyed having so much freedom to edit the landscape of my town. Seeing that New Horizons had this similar terraforming feature that's thankfully not a hack this time is what made me pour 200+ hours of gameplay into my first month. Granted, it can get stressful the more hours you play every day, but learning to rest is what makes me keep going.

I totally agree with what others have said, no worries in taking your time to plan out your islands. Probably 1/4th of my island is still bare, I haven't had the proper inspiration for it yet and I don't want to force myself to rush. Instead, I'm concentrating on areas that I've already done, it's more enjoyable for me at the moment to polish what I already have. Right now I'm completely reworking the roads in my neighborhood area to make space for a cafe and recreational area.

 

[HungryForCereal]

blessed. im born with the skills of terraforming. jk lol.

also double blessed because 2 youtubers have done a tour of my island and one more is coming to do a tour too!

 

[skarmoury]

I basically drew out a map plan on Happy Island Designer (absolute dream btw!) and it's been going well.

WOAH, thank you for mentioning this! Checking it out now and it looks so HELPFUL. Ahhh I'm excited to terraform again!!

 

[Pintuition]

I alternate between feeling stressed and blessed! I've been taking designing my island in small chunks as to not get overwhelmed. I started in the front and worked my way back so visitors see a well designed island, not my ugly junk piles in the back! It's a process!