Intentionally regressing villager friendships

[Chungus]

I am making the mistake of grifting for Mott's and Keaton's photos on my new island. I'm doing so thinking that these villagers aren't permanent, so I might as well get their photo while I still can. I suffer from Villagers Moving Away In Previous Titles Syndrome, so I am afraid that I'll lose these villagers to someone in the campsite or for any other reason.

Turns out, all I am doing is rushing their friendships and now I'm thinking at least one of them is going to be permanent after all. I'm finally getting unique dialogue out of Mott, too, so I'm even more afraid to befriend him because then he'll start regurgitating the same stuff all over again.

As a result, I'm considering lowering the friendship to keep the dialogue more interesting, as silly as that sounds. Have you guys tried doing something similar? If so, how do I go about doing it without totally polarizing my villagers?

 

[Hypno KK]

I think it's actually possible to lose friendship points so you could always try to do that. I don't know if it changes their dialogue but what they say seems to be based on your friendship level so it should.

I wouldn't worry about losing these villagers. I've asked about this before and it seems like in NH they always need your permission to move out. I'm not sure what you mean about losing them to someone in the campsite because you need to move out villagers before you can even invite someone from the campsite.

 

[Sharksheep]

Losing friendship points is difficult. Ignoring them doesn't decrease.

You have to gift them trash or rotten turnips to decrease the friendship points. Or smack them with a new or push them around until they get angry.

 

[saucySheep]

Just hit them on the head a lot that will help

 

[Miss Misty]

You can change who the campsite villager wants to replace by exiting the game from the Home screen before finishing the dialogue where they pick someone. As @Hypno KK said, they won't move out on their own unless you give them permission. Also, in my experience, you get more unique dialogue as your friendship increases, not less. You just need to talk to them a few times to get rid of the "I saw you [doing whatever you were doing] yesterday!" and "I hear [event] is coming soon!" stuff.

 

[sleepydreepy]

Losing friendship points is difficult. Ignoring them doesn't decrease.

I somehow lost friendship points with one of my villagers for seemingly no reason other than TT'ing (ignoring them). I use to be best friends (or very good friends) with Tom, then I started TT'ing to demolish and rebuild stairs/bridges quickly and TT'd about 3 or 4 weeks total. Then one day talked to Tom and he asked me the "money, friendship, power" question that crankies ask you in the beginning when you are getting to know them, and after I answered he said "looks like our friendship is just getting started!" I was so offended (lol) because we were close to best friends! I stopped TT'ing after that and I'm working on getting our friendship back up.

So yeah, basically what I'm trying to say here is I am pretty sure I lost mega friendship points from Time Traveling/ignoring a villager, so I think it is possible. (because I never hit my villager or give them trash)

 

[Sharksheep]

I somehow lost friendship points with one of my villagers for seemingly no reason other than TT'ing (ignoring them). I use to be best friends (or very good friends) with Tom, then I started TT'ing to demolish and rebuild stairs/bridges quickly and TT'd about 3 or 4 weeks total. Then one day talked to Tom and he asked me the "money, friendship, power" question that crankies ask you in the beginning when you are getting to know them, and after I answered he said "looks like our friendship is just getting started!" I was so offended (lol) because we were close to best friends! I stopped TT'ing after that and I'm working on getting our friendship back up.

So yeah, basically what I'm trying to say here is I am pretty sure I lost mega friendship points from Time Traveling/ignoring a villager, so I think it is possible. (because I never hit my villager or give them trash)

According to the data mining, there's not that case. Have he asked you that question before or was that the first time you heard him ask it? My villagers do ask the same questions again after some time has passed.

 

[Chungus]

I wouldn't worry about losing these villagers. I've asked about this before and it seems like in NH they always need your permission to move out. I'm not sure what you mean about losing them to someone in the campsite because you need to move out villagers before you can even invite someone from the campsite.

I'm mostly talking about my weak will and impulses. If I see a good villager in the campsite, I just may have to get them, you know? And I'd hate for one of my villagers to fall victim to such impulses. Hence my overblown urgency to grab their photo in time!

Also, in my experience, you get more unique dialogue as your friendship increases, not less. You just need to talk to them a few times to get rid of the "I saw you [doing whatever you were doing] yesterday!" and "I hear [event] is coming soon!" stuff.

I'm not worried about "I saw you do x and I heard about y" dialogue options. In my experience, whenever I talk to a villager I'm best friends with, ALL THEY SAY is the dialogue tied to being best friends. I literally hear nothing else from them and I wish I could. I'd take anything from Graham other than the "I'm so glad I met you" dialogue that presents itself in only two different variations.

So I just may have to decrease friendship points where I can in my secondary island because I can't take the repetition...

 

[Miss Misty]

I'm not worried about "I saw you do x and I heard about y" dialogue options. In my experience, whenever I talk to a villager I'm best friends with, ALL THEY SAY is the dialogue tied to being best friends. I literally hear nothing else from them and I wish I could. I'd take anything from Graham other than the "I'm so glad I met you" dialogue that presents itself in only two different variations.

So I just may have to decrease friendship points where I can in my secondary island because I can't take the repetition...

There is special dialogue for being best friends, though. I've had Huck on my island for longer than Marshal, and Huck occasionally talks about this performance he went to as a kid that shaped who he is today. Marshal just snarks about my clothes no matter how often I talk to him. The special dialogue was datamined. The problem is the dialogue in this game is so bad and the game kinda forces you to go through like 10+ lines of "small talk" to get to anything juicy no matter where your friendship is.

Obviously you do what you feel is right, but I just worry that you'll find this to be an unfulfilling (and potentially upsetting if you like your villagers & don't want to abuse them) and temporary fix to an issue that is ultimately to do with Nintendo coding the conversations poorly in the first place.

 

[Chungus]

There is special dialogue for being best friends, though. I've had Huck on my island for longer than Marshal, and Huck occasionally talks about this performance he went to as a kid that shaped who he is today. Marshal just snarks about my clothes no matter how often I talk to him. The special dialogue was datamined. The problem is the dialogue in this game is so bad and the game kinda forces you to go through like 10+ lines of "small talk" to get to anything juicy no matter where your friendship is.

Obviously you do what you feel is right, but I just worry that you'll find this to be an unfulfilling (and potentially upsetting if you like your villagers & don't want to abuse them) and temporary fix to an issue that is ultimately to do with Nintendo coding the conversations poorly in the first place.

Ahh, I see! I haven't been talking to them repetitively because I'm always afraid that I'll annoy them to the extent that they'll refuse to talk to me and have that dark cloud over their heads... But I'll have to try it from now on. I have Huck, too, and I want to see him say that dialogue bit! That sounds way more interesting than what I have now.

I think you're right on it being an unfulfilling and useless venture on my part. I'd love for Nintendo to patch in some major dialogue revisions...

 

[Miss Misty]

Ahh, I see! I haven't been talking to them repetitively because I'm always afraid that I'll annoy them to the extent that they'll refuse to talk to me and have that dark cloud over their heads... But I'll have to try it from now on. I have Huck, too, and I want to see him say that dialogue bit! That sounds way more interesting than what I have now.

I think you're right on it being an unfulfilling and useless venture on my part. I'd love for Nintendo to patch in some major dialogue revisions...

There's a very fine line between talking to them enough to get past the obnoxious stuff and talking them so much that you annoy them. My strategy is to talk to them in batches throughout the day (well, the ones whose dialogue I care about at least ) I'll talk to them two or three times in the morning, then I'll scatter more chats throughout the day when I have the time.

 

[sleepydreepy]

According to the data mining, there's not that case. Have he asked you that question before or was that the first time you heard him ask it? My villagers do ask the same questions again after some time has passed.

Huh interesting. Idk what happened then. He use to ask me that question over and over when he first moved on my island, which was like in May or early June, I think. Not sure why he randomly asked me again recently (August). He hasn't asked me again since then tho so idk lol