How can I keep HHD interesting?

[Llunavale]

I'll start off by saying I don't dislike HHD at all! I'm just worried it will end up going the same way Tomodachi Life did for me. I'll play it, love it, but eventually realise it's too repetitive and will just collect dust on the shelf.

It's a specific repetitiveness that gets me I think, because the Animal Crossing series is inherently repetitive yet I have sunk easily over 650 hours (probably even more) into New Leaf since I got it on release day and I'm not bored yet! Wild World lasted me through 2006 to New Leaf because I didn't have a Wii to play Let's Go to the City on, so I can't even imagine how many hours went into it and there was even less to do!

However, HHD is very specific: you remodel villagers' homes and that's about it! There's little bits thrown in here and there; developing the small town is a nice touch, but it's very easy to finish it. How has everyone managed to keep it interesting for themselves so far?

Having been out in America for now nearly two weeks, has anyone got bored of it? Regret buying it? How are you keeping it interesting for yourself if not?

I'm thinking it's a game that's not really supposed to have any longevity to it, but maybe people really like decorating!

 

[KitchenWhisk]

I've kept myself from getting bored by coming up with silly themes and extra personality traits for my clients, and also by mixing patterns like a madman.

 

[Muyho]

I kinda gave up on putting effort into homes (because there are no points or anything)
It's more fun watching real-life people painting their walls / moving into a new home. You get to learn lots of stuff...
For now, I am just giving ratings because it makes people happy

 

[Angieb303]

I really wish you could fail or the villager would rate you or something. If I don't like the stuff someone gave me I just put the required objects in the room and move on.

 

[kayleee]

One way I give the game longevity is by only playing it for short amounts of time each day, like decorating just one house or two. I used to be able to sit and play new leaf for hours, but this game just isn't suited for that in my opinion. I haven't gotten too bored of it yet playing it this way so I think it's working out well for me

 

[jPottie]

I make the game challenging for myself. If I get items and a theme that I don't really care for... well, too bad, because it's the animal's house and not mine. So I try my best to make an awesome house with what was given, and it usually takes 30minutes - an hour.

I haven't really been getting bored by it yet either. I love decorating & designing, and that's why I bought the game, and there's an endless amount of possibilities that keep growing each time I do a new house. A lot of replay value in New Leaf came from the real time system, and logging in each day, only being able to do so much. Here, you can do as much as you want in whatever time span you want, so that probably makes a difference.

 

[Llunavale]

One way I give the game longevity is by only playing it for short amounts of time each day, like decorating just one house or two.

That's true, it's definitely one of the big reasons I'm still enjoying it I think. I would guess you can burn through the majority of the game in a couple days if you played it non-stop...

I haven't really been getting bored by it yet either. I love decorating & designing, and that's why I bought the game, and there's an endless amount of possibilities that keep growing each time I do a new house. A lot of replay value in New Leaf came from the real time system, and logging in each day, only being able to do so much. Here, you can do as much as you want in whatever time span you want, so that probably makes a difference.

In New Leaf I would make it my mission to redecorate villagers houses (especially villagers like Benedict that have odd-looking interiors...) by sending them the furniture that'd look nice in their home! It was hard...they didn't always put it on display
You're right about the play time too! It's very possible to overplay it and get bored of it in no time...I'll have to keep spacing it out

 

[DJStarstryker]

I really wish you could fail or the villager would rate you or something. If I don't like the stuff someone gave me I just put the required objects in the room and move on.

I'm actually glad they don't. It might not work as well as you'd hope it would. For example, in Style Savvy Trendsetters there's a part where you dress up models to walk a runway. You are given a theme to dress them up as. You pretty much can't win the higher difficulty modeling contests unless you stick to the brand of clothes that corresponds to the theme and you can't mix and match even though multiple brands of clothes may look good together. For Animal Crossing, it would be the equivalent of being forced into using all of one particular furniture set and not being allowed to mix and match even if it looks good.

I feel like you need to create your own personal challenges for this game. For instance, trying to make the best house you can for what the animal wants. Or you can decide to make your own creative interpretation.

An example of the latter is Tangy wanted a fruity home. I decided to make a fruit themed cafe.

 

[Carole]

I've gone back to playing ACNL most of the time. When I play HHD, I just do 1-2 houses and then quit. I do like having the cards, so when I feel bored sometimes using them helps.

 

[Dizzi Paradise]

I'm actually glad they don't. It might not work as well as you'd hope it would. For example, in Style Savvy Trendsetters there's a part where you dress up models to walk a runway. You are given a theme to dress them up as. You pretty much can't win the higher difficulty modeling contests unless you stick to the brand of clothes that corresponds to the theme and you can't mix and match even though multiple brands of clothes may look good together. For Animal Crossing, it would be the equivalent of being forced into using all of one particular furniture set and not being allowed to mix and match even if it looks good.

I really can't agree with this enough. If we were rated by the game, everybody's rooms for each villager would look exactly the same, with maybe minor variations on placement. There'd be no HHN, what would be the point? Nobody would want to go look at a bunch of houses that all look exactly the same. And it would be so restrictive, it would take all the creativity and fun out of it.

Here's an example from me. I wasn't looking forward to doing Harry's house. I had him in my New Leaf town, he was one of my first residents and I grew to love him. He came with the bathhouse wall and the big tiled bath - so obviously enjoyed being clean! In HHD he wants a "messy" house and comes with a bunch of sloppy furniture. That's not the Harry I know and love. So I thought about how I could make him a messy house that would actually suit what I think of him, and have come up with a plan (impoverished nobleman with a love of baths, has had to let the servants go so is living in elegant squalor). And now I can't wait for him to show up so I can make him the house I have in my head. If I had to follow rules to "win", it wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

That said though, I currently have two animals outside my office wanting soccer houses. I hate soccer. I have no idea how I'm going to make doing those houses fun for me. Not yet, anyway.

 

[KitchenWhisk]

I'm actually glad they don't. It might not work as well as you'd hope it would. For example, in Style Savvy Trendsetters there's a part where you dress up models to walk a runway. You are given a theme to dress them up as. You pretty much can't win the higher difficulty modeling contests unless you stick to the brand of clothes that corresponds to the theme and you can't mix and match even though multiple brands of clothes may look good together. For Animal Crossing, it would be the equivalent of being forced into using all of one particular furniture set and not being allowed to mix and match even if it looks good.

So much this.
I always had really low HHA scores in New Leaf because I've never used a full series in my life, or I have furniture purposely facing the wrong way or whatever, and then Lyle would complain. No Lyle, your home-rating algorithm doesn't understand actual aesthetics. Shut up.

 

[Llunavale]

I'm actually glad they don't. It might not work as well as you'd hope it would. For example, in Style Savvy Trendsetters there's a part where you dress up models to walk a runway. You are given a theme to dress them up as. You pretty much can't win the higher difficulty modeling contests unless you stick to the brand of clothes that corresponds to the theme and you can't mix and match even though multiple brands of clothes may look good together. For Animal Crossing, it would be the equivalent of being forced into using all of one particular furniture set and not being allowed to mix and match even if it looks good.

Pretty good point actually...though, the HHA ratings are OK. Certainly it'd need work for something like HHD but I'm sure it could have been done where the ratings took more than a single theme into consideration - including not being as harsh with the orientation of furniture...

That said though any sort of win/loss situations does mean you lose a certain amount of freedom in order to do it "right," so I do agree with you!