Does terraforming ruin the natural aesthetic?

[BluePing]

So I’m like quite new to the game and I haven’t started terraforming yet because I kept resetting from making mistakes but I was just wondering whether it kinda ruined the natural aesthetic... I’m scared if I started terraforming I’d make a huge mistake and make my island look “unnatural” and I realllyy don’t want that to happen. I want to maybe move the rivers but I want to keep the island and that central but I’m scared I’ll accidentally make a mistake or whether I’ll make the decision and regardless it will destroy the natural aesthetic of the town . I’ve been to a few towns with friends and that and their towns are nice but after terraforming they kinda look a little unnatural as they said it was really quite difficult to get it right. I’m scared if i start it might ruin the aesthetic and my island would be ruined... what is everyone’s experiences with terraforming and does it ruin the natural aesthetic of your island?

 

[meggiewes]

I've played with my town a little. I shortened one river and lengthened another. I also put 4th layer decorative cliffs around my river mouth to make it look like it sprung from a mountain. I don't think it looks unnatural.

If it did anything, it made me more excited to do a bigger terraforming project.

 

[BluePing]

I've played with my town a little. I shortened one river and lengthened another. I also put 4th layer decorative cliffs around my river mouth to make it look like it sprung from a mountain. I don't think it looks unnatural.

If it did anything, it made me more excited to do a bigger terraforming project.

Okay thank you I just wanted to know peoples opinions as I’m scared if I make a change I’ll mess it up and spend all my bells and ruin my island and have to reset AGAIN I’m kinda scared to terraform I’m not gonna lie

 

[Altarium]

You can make it look natural by softening edges, but Animal Crossing has never been overly realistic. You get straight rivers and mountains when you first walk into the island so those don't really feel out of place.

 

[cheezu]

If done right then no.
I have seen some 5-star terraformed towns where I did get too much of the artificial vibe though.
Just take it slowly and experiment.

 

[BluePing]

You can make it look natural by softening edges, but Animal Crossing has never been overly realistic. You get straight rivers and mountains when you first walk into the island so those don't really feel out of place.

Yeah that’s true but I’m really liking most of my island at the moment with just a few small changes to make, it has the cool little island in the middle that’s separate and I wanna sort the river around it out where the waterfall comes down but I’m just scared it will get rid of the natural vibe around there

Post automatically merged: Apr 19, 2020

If done right then no.
I have seen some 5-star terraformed towns where I did get too much of the artificial vibe though.
Just take it slowly and experiment.

Okay I will, my town looks super natural at the moment with no work done I literally only wanna change a couple parts but it’s where my favourite part is and if I mess it up then it’s all messed up lol

 

[Altarium]

Yeah that’s true but I’m really liking most of my island at the moment with just a few small changes to make, it has the cool little island in the middle that’s separate and I wanna sort the river around it out where the waterfall comes down but I’m just scared it will get rid of the natural vibe around there

I wouldn't worry too much, even if you end up messing up you can build anything back up to how it was. You can maybe take some pictures for reference and if you go too far, you just copy the picture.

 

[Fey]

I’d take a picture of how it looked before.
If you do end up regretting a decision, money and time are really the only obstacles to going back to how it previously was. Still much preferable to resetting altogether, imo. I would try not to worry and just see what you can create. It’s all a process, and mistakes can be part of that.

 

[meggiewes]

Okay thank you I just wanted to know peoples opinions as I’m scared if I make a change I’ll mess it up and spend all my bells and ruin my island and have to reset AGAIN I’m kinda scared to terraform I’m not gonna lie

I would suggest to just start with playing with paths. When you are comfortable doing that, then try cliffs. Then water. If you make a mistake, you can totally fix it.

And if you really dont want to, you don't have to terraform at all! You dont even have to put down paths. The choice is totally up to what you think looks good.

 

[BluePing]

I wouldn't worry too much, even if you end up messing up you can build anything back up to how it was. You can maybe take some pictures for reference and if you go too far, you just copy the picture.

Thanks that’s a good idea, I never thought about that

 

[RooftopsRevolution]

Hey, do what makes you happy Don't worry about what other people think!
Artificial or natural, make what looks good to you. I really can't deal with the discourse that there's a wrong way of playing haha. Either way if you don't like something just undo it! I've experimented and hated my experiment and just put things back as they were

 

[BluePing]

I would suggest to just start with playing with paths. When you are comfortable doing that, then try cliffs. Then water. If you make a mistake, you can totally fix it.

And if you really dont want to, you don't have to terraform at all! You dont even have to put down paths. The choice is totally up to what you think looks good.

Thanks, I’ll start slow then. I’m actually buzzing to start on paths as I wanna try and start up my theme so I’ll begin with that and just see how it all pans out

 

[Aliya]

I don't think so but it depends a lot on the aesthetic of the town. I retained the shape of my original river, but added little ponds and waterfalls here and there since I want a more natural theme. It's your island so build it to your expectations and it'll look great!

 

[BluePing]

Hey, do what makes you happy Don't worry about what other people think!
Artificial or natural, make what looks good to you. I really can't deal with the discourse that there's a wrong way of playing haha. Either way if you don't like something just undo it! I've experimented and hated my experiment and just put things back as they were

Ohhh okay, I’m guessing it’s quite easy to get back to how it was, I was just concerned that if it looked dodgy I wouldn’t be able to reform it to how it was and I’d get an ugly town I wasn’t content with

Post automatically merged: Apr 19, 2020

I don't think so but it depends a lot on the aesthetic of the town. I retained the shape of my original river, but added little ponds and waterfalls here and there since I want a more natural theme. It's your island so build it to your expectations and it'll look great!

Awh thanks, yeah i kinda want a more natural theme so I might not mess with the river too much then

 

[SheepMareep]

Terraforming can look very natural if you make the effort and take your time to do so. It's also not the most important thing to look 100% natural. I have a teacup shape on my island and I've seen people have maps with straight (very inorganic looking) rivers and large rectangles for a second layer and it still look very nice when decorated properly.

Do what makes you happy and what you think looks good c: just take it slow and dont think you need to have it perfect in a day or even a week, month, or year from now!

 

[Mairen]

The only time I really saw that things were 'unnatural looking' was when the rivers were so straight that they looked more like a canal (which is absolutely fine if that's the look you are going for!). So if you end up redoing your rivers and want them to look natural, add some flow to them~ same for the cliffs. Some straight areas are fine, but if you do a lot of cliff work, add ridges and such. That's my suggestions!

 

[Mick]

If you are going for natural, make sure to avoid sharp corners, thin pillars/walls and let your rivers wander from side to side a bit. It's perfectly possible!

I've just been doing it slowly, deciding on my next move and then changing a bit every day. If you don't like it, you can always change it again!

 

[ThomasNLD]

I think there is some truth in that it can ruin the aesthetic. For me it is, I really wanted to keep the town natural looking, but because of my lack of skill and maybe slightly flawed personality its looking all very man-made. I think its in your oen hands, but keeping a point of reference and maybe look up some other islands to check how they terraformed yet kept it looking natural could be a good way to go. You don't have to copy them, just get inspired a bit.

 

[Khaelis]

Not at all. You can make things look MORE natural by terraforming. The moment you start doing too much is when it starts to look unnatural, and more man-made.

 

[Raz]

The only time I really saw that things were 'unnatural looking' was when the rivers were so straight that they looked more like a canal (which is absolutely fine if that's the look you are going for!). So if you end up redoing your rivers and want them to look natural, add some flow to them~ same for the cliffs. Some straight areas are fine, but if you do a lot of cliff work, add ridges and such. That's my suggestions!

I made a canal but I'm kinda regretting it now. Fortunately, I could still change that area a little bit, but I'll need to plan before doing anything.