I feel like I ruined my island...

[foxmulder]

I’ve worked hard on my island and it looked pretty good, but I’d done a lot of development before I unlocked terraforming and I felt like my layout could be better. Long story short I tried to change some stuff up and now I can’t get anything looking right again, my island is covered in items/flowers/trees/shrubs, moving buildings is the biggest pain ever, and I’m feeling pretty down about the whole thing. Has anyone else been through something like this? How did you handle it? I’ve played almost every day since release and this mess makes me not want to even turn my Switch on

 

[Mr.Fox]

I 100% felt the same way at one point...but you've just gotta push forward. I had something awesome envisioned for my island, and then I realized I couldn't pull it off without a domino effect happening (moving one thing leads to inevitably having to move another), so I thought I was done...and yeah felt pretty 'meh' towards AC because of it.

But then I thought, I put all this time and effort into building my island up to that point, I don't want it all to be for nothing. So I kept thinking and thinking what else I could do, besides my first idea, to make my island better...and after a few days I came up with an idea I liked...and made it happen.

Turns out, my second idea was far superior to the one I initially thought was the 'make or break' move for my island.

My advice to you would be to just brainstorm. You'll eventually think of something you like better than your current situation.

OR...use the fact that your island is covered in weeds/items to begin making a rock garden, and then make that the new feature you build your island around.

 

[Leo King]

I had felt similarly about changing up my island, though I hadn't moved buildings. I've started with small bits of the island, instead of the whole island at once. I started with a zen area, then did an area of the beach, then the next day, an amusement park area. I hope this helped...

 

[Etown20]

I've been playing the game every day since launch, and I'm just now getting to the point where I'm satisfied with my island, 4 months in.

Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error, so the best advice I can give is to not be too hard on yourself and just take your time with it. If you build up an area and then want to tear it down, it wasn't a total loss because at least that's one option you can cross off the list.

Sometimes it's hard to see the potential in empty land, but once you start adding stuff to it, an area can really come alive.

I realized I didn't need to solve everything at once, and just taking it slow and fixing up one small area at a time can feel rewarding.

 

[DeltaLoraine]

I agree with those who’ve commented already. I’ve gone through so much trial and error on my island. I would start with one section at a time, and if I couldn’t quite figure it out that day, I would move onto another area and figure that one out instead. Plus it helps when you get more and more furniture and DIY recipes to mess around with.
Overall, I’d just say to not give up! Many people are in your shoes as well. You are totally not alone in this

 

[foxmulder]

Thanks everyone I definitely think I need to step back and come up with a plan. I’ve been used to just winging it with previous AC games, but terraforming makes that a bit more difficult. (Does anyone else kinda miss NL where you didn’t have to make so many decisions? )

I’ll also add that my island isn’t barren or anything (again, I’ve been playing since launch) which is only adding to the troubles - having to dig up trees/flowers, not having enough pocket/storage space for items - so my problem is less with having empty space and more with having junk scattered everywhere. Maybe my first project should be a storage clean out.

 

[Sharksheep]

If you are having trouble moving buildings because of a domino effect, you can place buildings on the beach for the long term until you can clean up your island more. My Able Sisters was on the beach for a month before I decided to move it and I still have 6 houses on my beach.

 

[Serabee]

I'm going through this a bit right now...

I'm doing MAJOR renovations, demolishing some cliffs and trying to tuck a haunted house into the cliffs... I keep looking at it and thinking "HOW will I ever make this look nice" and I'm feeling overwhelmed Now I have to decide if I really want a 2nd tier cliff in this area at all... and I just don't know

But, if all else fails, I can rebuild the cliffs how they were and try again! I found thinking of my island as something that's constantly developing and changing, as opposed to something I need to "finish", to be helpful. I've had multiple times now where I thought, "Done! I love it! I don't want to change anything!" And then, a few days later...

 

[Tiffany]

I know how you feel. I had to move a bunch of buildings(and I might again). Somethings I like and others i don't. i made a cafe than turned it into a diner and i still dont like it. i want to change it again but idk to what yet. I wanted to make a kind of foresty ares with a path running through but i cant find a path i like that doesnt have a million parts to it. plus my flowers are going crazy and i need to get rid of a lot of them. i dont do much terraforming cause 1 im not god at it and 2 im afraid ill really mess something up and wont be able to fix it(and i have). Im not very good at designing stuff. i wish i had picked an island that did not have 2 south river entrances. and i wish it was off to the side or something. its like right in the middle and cuts my island in half and i feel like it takes up so much space. so basically i live on hot mess island.

 

[Bluebellie]

Place all the flowers and building on the beach, this helps a lot. I’ve been stuck on a particular part of my island for the longest time. Yesterday I decided I was clearing the area. I took out all trees deleted path, etc, and today I feel like I’m getting somewhere.

I really like how my top area of the map look, and how the bottom....I just have to make it connect in the middle and that’s where I’m having issues.

 

[-Blue-]

Just take it slow and steady and don't look at the whole picture. Just slice up your island in little sections and formulate a plan. That is what I am doing. My topmost island is pretty much wrecked. I terraformed the entire section to be level 1 and got rid of all the mountains and waterfalls. I just didn't like how much was going on there. It felt cramped, but once I got rid of it I feel like I regretted it for a while.

But now I am just taking it one piece at a time/day.

 

[Hirisa]

I totally hear you and I think most of us have hit a creative wall while developing our islands. I know I've hit that wall more than once. What has helped me has been to remind myself that this game has always been a marathon, not a race, and that all ideas are replaceable, meaning "don't get so attached to one idea of how things 'should be'". Remember that your villagers are going to be happy there no matter what it looks like. In terms of actionable stuff, try to do one small thing to improve your island whenever you log in. Remove extra flowers and lay down invisible patterns to stop flower spreading in just one acre, then congratulate yourself for making progress. Or decorate one 3 x 3 space. Don't give up on your game or yourself. The slump cycle will eventually be broken, trust me.

 

[Bazzlin]

I know how you feel! I've switched my island up a few times now. I knew my initial setup would be temporary before I unlocked terraforming, so I made it look presentable until I was prepared to change it. Well, I changed it. Created a huge zen garden, even placed villagers homes where I thought they would be for a long time and created yards for them. Then I was inspired to do a better entrance and expand the Zen garden. That meant moving villager homes. Now my island is a hot mess.

My biggest issue is finishing even one area and battling the never ending propagation of flowers. It. Doesn't. Stop. I can't get ahead of it and I'm in over my head with flowers.

Sometimes I get stuck and move on to another part of the island. I have 10 different areas that are all partially finished.

Honestly though, I look at the game like one giant project. That is the game. I'm not looking to get to a 'final' design that I'm happy with. I suspect that as the seasons continue to change, so will my island and that is all part of playing ACNH! The only advice I have is to go over every area of your island and make a plan. Sketch it out on paper if you have to. It is so much easier to build something when you have a blueprint!

 

[JSS]

Take landscaping little by little each day! I get burn out when I try to do too much of it at a time.

 

[Hobowire]

I’ve worked hard on my island and it looked pretty good, but I’d done a lot of development before I unlocked terraforming and I felt like my layout could be better. Long story short I tried to change some stuff up and now I can’t get anything looking right again, my island is covered in items/flowers/trees/shrubs, moving buildings is the biggest pain ever, and I’m feeling pretty down about the whole thing. Has anyone else been through something like this? How did you handle it? I’ve played almost every day since release and this mess makes me not want to even turn my Switch on

yea... quite often. I drink my caffeine, scrap the idea, and then reboot. Usually sinking hours of gameplay into correcting the error.

 

[sleepydreepy]

Personally I like to divide my town into sections and go from there. It makes things seem a lot less overwhelming! Even if you end up completely bulldozing everything, it will be a lot easier to do it little by little in groups and not all at once.

 

[Matt0106]

Start small. Maybe start with the area near your house or entrance? What furniture do you want outside? Flowers? Fencing? And then move on. Take it slow. My island is still a mess because some parts are getting done while others aren't. And don't compare yourself to those amazing looking islands you see on social media; A lot of them use time travel which is why they completed their island so quickly (nothing wrong with doing that though).

 

[Sami913]

I think everyone here has the right idea this has happened to me a few times and what has worked most often is taking a break from trying to perfect my island. When I’m bummed on my design and can’t figure out what’s next, I spend some time on other aspects of the game and then something usually comes to me. Things like visiting your villagers/giving them gifts, shopping at Ables, catching bugs/fish/swimming usually tend to chill me out and spring some inspiration... especially since those things require running around the island (and looking at it) while not focusing on fixing it.

 

[fluttershy300]

Take a break. I get that sometimes but I would take a break and then come back later. Don’t rush to have your island fully decked out and pretty.

 

[skarmoury]

Everyone's said a lot of things I agree on! I've felt the same about being frustrated that things aren't turning out the way you imagined, but I'm sure a few more brainstorms and tweaks will have you happier than before.

If it's any help, I watch a lot of island tour videos and note all the little details (i.e. cliff placements, items decorated, paths used). What helps me from getting bored is that I try to focus on one area and terraform & decorate it to how I like it before moving on to another new area, so I always have something to look forward to. I agree it's a pain having to adjust to what's already been detailed, but I'm confident you can think of something along the way if you look up for inspiration!

And as others said, it's good to take a break too! Personally, some of the best ideas come from long shower baths where I close my eyes and try to vision an area of my island.

If you want some less serious advice from me, if all else fails I just make waterfalls and rivers LOL