Nintendo's decision to make online play--something which had previously been free on other platforms--a premium service has hit some users rather hard. And while initially one might have justified this with a price tag that was cheaper relative to its competitors, with the addon that was released concurrently with the Happy Home Paradise expansion, the price has increased dramatically, essentially negating that point. I know that I may be in the extreme minority on a forum specifically dedicated to Animal Crossing, but when calculating all other expenses and evaluating the actual quality of the Nintendo Switch Online service, I simply can't justify spending that kind of money. This unfortunately means that I will have to miss out on many of the community features, such as the custom designs portal, item trading, visiting other islands, and etc. It's difficult, for sure, especially coming from New Leaf, where many of these same features were implemented so that they could work without an internet connection at all.
This probably won't get a fair ton of responses, since I doubt many people here are in my unique position. But I am curious to know if anyone else is in a similar boat and what they do to supplement the experience of having an NSO membership. Do you find a way to get custom designs from other players that doesn't involve the designs portal? How do you get the best DIY's? How do you keep a sense of community despite being cut off from it by a paywall? I'd be interested in hearing all your responses.
This probably won't get a fair ton of responses, since I doubt many people here are in my unique position. But I am curious to know if anyone else is in a similar boat and what they do to supplement the experience of having an NSO membership. Do you find a way to get custom designs from other players that doesn't involve the designs portal? How do you get the best DIY's? How do you keep a sense of community despite being cut off from it by a paywall? I'd be interested in hearing all your responses.