Don't know what to do with my island

[IslaYuka]

Hey there

So I have been playing since March and my island is still undeveloped. It's litterally just full of random flowers with no paths and all the houses in the corner so I can terraform the rest of my island. Today I just started building without a plan again. However every single time I make some paths, bridges, terraforming etc, I change it back after because I'm never satisfied.

I can never decide on what I want because I always compare to others on youtube. It's difficult even deciding which custom designs I must use etc. I don't want some of those insane islands but just a simple and beautiful one with a nice neighbourhood, much open space, rivers etc. Still I'm really struggling to make it because I just don't know how. Whatever I do, it always looks ugly compared to others and I demolish it after. It's a shame really because I really like that you can express creativity and create your own style in this game. It seems lacking for me though and a piece of cake for almost everyone I know and see.

I made this post because I'm curious if some of you have been (or are) in the same situation. It feels like I'm alone in this lol. It may sound stupid but it's kind of affecting the fun I have with this game while it's meant to be enjoyable and relaxing. That's why I decided to talk about it here and maybe get some tips on how to get inspiration, start terraforming, create river layout, ...

I use the handy site happy island designer but even then I find it difficult to create something I like lol.

 

[Nosfurratu]

I get the same exact way! I see a lot of beautiful islands like on Instagram and YouTube. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I say take it slow, do sections of your island at a time. Be creative in the moment don’t overthink it, let it flow with the layouts. Keep trying out different paths. I like all these creative paths but I feel more comfortable with normal stone path with some added leaves scattered. Take a break every now and then, know that all those crazy islands you’ve seen are a lot of work and hours of hours. I hope you get into the groove of it, enjoy the game for what it is.
(Not saying you do or don’t do any of these things but this is also me talking to myself because I’m in the same boat currently lol)

 

[Hobowire]

i still have your shell stools. lmk if you're available.

I start with an idea, furniture, or theme and evolve around that. you can check out the two house that i built. I'll list them below. It's really hard being your own critic because you'll always think it's flawed. I've changed my amusement park area so many times. I just kept going at it until I have something I am alright with and even then I scrap it a day or two days down the line.

I had all ostrich villagers and was really happy with it but now I want the photo and something more thematic so I scrapped that and going with all deers. Ideas and concepts evolves with my island and hopeful with that it keeps growing.

Finally Finished ASMR HAUNTED HOUSE **criticism please**

I went with no music and went with all furniture or creatures that makes noise. This one was a lot of fun to build. Let know what I can do to either make it creepier or spookier. I'll try to indicate the object I used to create the ambiance.

www.belltreeforums.com

Finally Finished HOTEL **criticism please**

After ordering five items per a day for many many days I finally completed my hotel with full driving range. It still feels incomplete. I would love comments and feedback. Be as harsh as you want I can take it.

www.belltreeforums.com

 

[lPeachy]

Yes I definitely feel this way sometimes but my advice is to...

1) plan it ahead! Use a map designing website or simply draw over your own map digitally (or print that baby out and grab some markers!) to at least get a general vibe of where you want some of the bigger areas to be and your general/main path to be. It doesn’t need to be exact, but the visual aide to guide is soooooo helpful

2) from there, start working on that base plan! Adjust as needed in game but don’t worry too much about the smaller details just yet. Get a vibe for the bulk of it and once you like that move on to...

3) Fleshing out those empty bits! Go small section by section and use some Pinterest/YouTube/etc. inspiration if you need to, but make it your own as best you can! This stage takes a while and I try not to rush it, sometimes I leave sections open knowing eventually I’ll come across something inspiring that’ll fit right in! But also don’t be afraid to change these lil spots if you get bored of them or simply find something you like more~

My biggest advice of all... is to not demolish everything you just worked on right away! Even if you don’t like it very much. Leave it. At least for a day. And look around for inspiration that could fit into what you’re already doing in the meantime before taking the time to fully disassemble all your hard work. Sometimes ideas just need to be sat on for awhile for you to have that AH HA! Moment~ it isn’t a race to finish the entire island, just work section by section and only come back to adjust after a bit, or if you have a real vision for the area again.

 

[loveclove]

Sorry to see that you're still stuck!
I guess the key might be to stop watching the videos and stuff and just creating something until you feel like you're happy with it. Like we talked about a couple weeks ago, don't let the comparison ruin the game for ya.
On the other hand I'm not that big creative teraforming artist either, so I use the inspiration to allow me have more fun, having some kind of base to explore and create. I mainly used pinterest, saving posts that I like, and using them later as inspiration, so that I already knew were I was going and that I already liked it

 

[craftyshack]

I've totally been in this situation!! When I first saw really pretty islands, I thought that I could never get there and things seemed so out of reach. Getting a 5 star island seemed impossible. But then I went to my friends' islands and learned that it was possible to get 5 stars without going crazy haha, and it gave me encouragement and confidence that I could do it too Now other believe that my island is insane and crazy haha so you can totally do it!! Like others have mentioned, just start in pieces. For me, I started with my entrance, and trading area! Then I added things a bit by bit. Now I have a corner of the island left that I am trying to develop so in the end, I think having the confidence to do something that you like! whether it be inspired by someone else's idea or one of your own, and then just doing it and don't get overwhelmed by all of the possibilities! You'll have an amazing island in no time (ok, more realistically a few months haha )

 

[Noctis]

My friend was in the same dilemma until he realized that it just overwhelmed him and he decided to work on an area little by little. I've visited over many times so I can give him advice and it looks good so far even if he hasn't done a lot but he's getting there little by little.

I also agree with @lPeachy. Don't demolish anything right away. I used to do the same thing and trust me leave it for a few days because you might end up coming with an idea by looking for inspo. Now a days I get my inspo from Instagram and there's seriously some amazing ones and I've gotten so many ideas just by looking at posts.

Also never compare your island to anyone else's. It's your island and it should cater only to yourself.

Don't let the terraforming also get to you. If it's not your thing it's totally okay!!! I hate how so many people make it look so natural and when I try it myself it looks like a terrible mess.

Right now I'm also at a point where I'm not enjoying the game because of some regrets I have. When I boot up the game I just sigh and I'm going back and forth deciding whether what I want to do is something I'm willing to 100%. So I've been just stressing about that these past few weeks. Hopefully I can figure what I want soon.

 

[Lanstar]

Looking at your dilemma, I first suggest setting restrictions on your town theme. I.e.: Cut down on things and mechanics you don't want for your town so you can narrow down and truly focus what you do want.

Just saying you want a 'Beautiful and Simple town" is problematic, as it doesn't pin down a theme: Do you want a natural theme? A magical theme? A nostalgic throwback theme to the older games? I see you want lot's of open space and rivers, but what do you want on top of it it? Any particular flowers you truly like? Furniture?

In other words, try to figure out what you really want, and set restrictions to pinpoint how you'll design you island - As opposed to getting anxiety from looking at everyone else's work.

 

[IslaYuka]

Thanks everyone for the comments! They are really helpful!

After reading another topic on here I’m thinking about restarting.. It scares me but I don’t like the resident services placement and airport colour I have. What holds me back is that I’ll lose all my progress and that it will kind of hurt lol. I’ve been playing since March after all.

 

[sleepydreepy]

Thanks everyone for the comments! They are really helpful!

After reading another topic on here I’m thinking about restarting.. It scares me but I don’t like the resident services placement and airport colour I have. What holds me back is that I’ll lose all my progress and that it will kind of hurt lol. I’ve been playing since March after all.

I'd wait to restart! Try working with what you have first, and restart as a last resort. Even if you do restart in the end, terraforming on your current island would be good practice.

As for deciding on what to do, I personally like to draw on paper what ever comes to mind. Some parts of my island are based on real life places, and other parts are just random designs. If you have a general concept sketched out on paper it might be easier for you to translate that into the game, rather than just working from your mind. I also like to design in sections, and have a bunch of mini areas on my island that I then piece together.

 

[IslaYuka]

I’m thinking it through because I can’t get my current island back after I restart haha.

Do you think the resident services placement making the design in my mind impossible is not worth restarting?

 

[Lanstar]

I, too, think you shouldn't restart, as your island layout isn't your problem, but your mindset of designing it.

In New Leaf, there was a mantra about people asking for the 'best' layout, during the days of permanent rocks and rivers. The truth: There is none - Any town layout can become beautiful if you try!

The Plaza Placement really isn't worth restarting for in my mind, as is the Airport placement - they can be worked around if you so chose to adapt to their spots.