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How do you plan for your town?

Angerfish

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How far do you plan ahead in designing your town layout?

For me, I have a vague idea of what I want. Lately though I've become a little technical with an orchard I'm planning, counting squares and accounting for bushes I don't even have yet.
 
Well when it comes to Public Work Projects, I have a general idea of where I think some things would look good.
Plants, I try to put them in the fenced in area I have, but for some reason they always die in there even when I water them constantly.

I want to put Hibiscus around my fountain but it died :/
 
Well when it comes to Public Work Projects, I have a general idea of where I think some things would look good.
Plants, I try to put them in the fenced in area I have, but for some reason they always die in there even when I water them constantly.

I want to put Hibiscus around my fountain but it died :/
Bushes cannot be directly touching a Public Works Project or any building for that matter. There are also dead spots throughout the town but some people got around it by placing a lamppost or something that would look nice in the middle of nowhere.
 
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Bushes cannot be directly touching a Public Works Project or any building for that matter. There are also dead spots throughout the town but some people got around it by placing a lamppost or something that would look nice in the middle of nowhere.

Well that probably explains why it wont grow around my fountain. It looked so nice in my head
 
I started out by running paths to each house, cutting down trees that were in the way and accounting for rocks and other permanent features. I then planted a bunch of trees next to said paths (I like them to be one step away from the path, with flowers right next to the path), which really makes things start to look good. I then let the paths determine where the PWPs would go. I think it looks pretty good.

In my original town, I didn't do paths at first, so I just planted trees wherever and put PWPs wherever. After seeing how nice my second town shaped up, I'm still reworking the first.
 
I sorted out my paths first, then I set out a general idea of where to put my PWP. If I'm happy where it is, I'll landscape around it (e.g. put in flowers, borders, bushes, and trees). I cut trees down as I go. I started out the day when the game was first released and think I'm close to nearly finishing it :)

It's much easier to get a town you're happy with if you got all the villagers you want and don't plan to change them I think...
 
I do big areas on graph paper.
Measure by digging then figure out what I want in it.
After I have the basics on graph paper I usually do trial and error with the greenery via time travel to see what looks good. Then I just have to wait to buy bushes and unlock pwps...
But I'm sure there's less crazy ways >///>;
 
Mine started off as a hot mess, and it's become more of a hot mess now that I'm actually trying to do some landscaping. Figures, right?

I thought about using graphing paper, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I cut down all my trees so I can see everything clearly and now I'm building everything back up starting with paths, then flowers and PWPs, etc. It's fun!
 
I just ran paths and kind of went with it from there.

I don't like the overly-orderly look you get from lining up trees perfectly straight, so I just cut down the ones that were in the way of my paths. I might eventually cut down the trees that are also within one tile of the path, since I plan to line it with flowers, but I don't have nearly enough flowers yet so there's no hurry.
 
I've drawn out my town map on a piece of paper. I've kept all my original trees apart from ones in the way of paths. I'm planning out where my park will go and stuff, so in the end, I'm hoping my town will look really nice :blush:
 
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I just do stuff as I go xD

*dumps PWP here* Oh that gives me an idea!
 
I do big areas on graph paper.
Measure by digging then figure out what I want in it.
After I have the basics on graph paper I usually do trial and error with the greenery via time travel to see what looks good. Then I just have to wait to buy bushes and unlock pwps...
But I'm sure there's less crazy ways >///>;
Ha, my inner OCD freak loves you!

I got so obsessed with having my town "just right" I restarted yesterday. I half can't believe I did it, but I just feel like I over planned. I want things to look a bit more natural this time. I love looking at dream towns that are really themed and patterened up, but I think I will stick to a path and maybe a couple of random pattern decorations and that's it as far as QR goes.
 
I pretty much done the same thing as Ras did, pathway first, then flowers, and the trees last. There's a main pathway (2 spaced) and a mini-pathway (1 space). The main is used to connect the main buildings, town trees, the 3 bridges, players' houses, etc. The mini-pathway branches off from the main pathway, which leads to the stones/rocks, goes along the orchard, through the flowerbed, and toward villagers' houses.

PWP's locations will vary depending on the map, but I think I'll stick to the same idea I had with my old map. Cafe will be next to the Town Hall, maybe a town clock in-between or on a side of either building. The "Flowerbed & Fountain" combo will be next to the middle bridge that heads downward (will be making use of the flower arch), which should lead to the Town Tree. Lighthouse will be down south, next to the hill heading toward the beach/Kappn'. Wind Turbine probably goes up north, near the entrance toward the shopping district. The benches will be scattered around the main tourist areas. Haven't decided where to put the Police Station yet, but I know the water well will be placed right next to it.
 
I cleared out all the starting trees and flowers, then laid paths down and planted new trees. People move in and out fairly freely, which changes the required path layout, and I fiddle with it more whenever I feel like it needs it - i.e. a route that I expected would be just for daily fossil check access ended up being the main connection between the town's east and west, so I've just redone it and moved a line of trees up one square to make it roomier. I'm still trying to figure out what I actually want for PWPs - I've built very little, my trees all line my paths, and since all my villagers have now clustered around the southern and eastern edges I have huge swathes of the town with nothing there. Hollow could have some amazing parks if I got off my butt about it.
 
my past three towns were a bit of a train wreck but I'll be extra sure this time around to get a nice layout and villagers. I'd probably map it out and plan it a bit more carefully. I'm a sort of perfectionist in AC,,
 
I just ran paths and kind of went with it from there.

I don't like the overly-orderly look you get from lining up trees perfectly straight, so I just cut down the ones that were in the way of my paths. I might eventually cut down the trees that are also within one tile of the path, since I plan to line it with flowers, but I don't have nearly enough flowers yet so there's no hurry.

i do this, i made my path and cut down trees that were in the way, then lined the path back up with trees/flowers/bushes. if i want a pwp i do the same thing, pick a spot then landscape accordingly around it. otherwise, all my trees are pretty much in the same spot

i am, however, also trying to take down all the fruit trees in the north of my town and replace them with spruce, but lord knows how long that's gonna take to get enough saplings rofl x_x
 
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