Realizing it's not the game, it's you.

[Blueskyy]

I'm very new to New Leaf, but I like your approach. I'd rather have a female villager like Fauna opposed to Claudia or Bubbles that I've been given. However, I won't abuse them just because they're ugly. I accepted nobody wants them, including me, so I'll make the most of it.

 

[Plum Pudding]

BEST post ever. When I joined the forum I became a bit obsessed with having a wonderful Dream Town. I was never into getting all the PWP and tier 1 villagers though. I wanted matching furniture sets in my house. I'm more relaxed now about the PWP, not all areas of my town are landscaped, I still update DA even if everything is not absolutely perfect, and I've let some of my villagers go to get new faces through the camping site. It's a very slow process but I enjoy it a lot more. I mix furniture up in my house too!!

 

[uwuzumakii]

It's awesome that you realized this and don't feel unhappy about it anymore.

 

[mayortash]

THIS 100%!! 100%!

I've been playing AC on and off for the last 6 or 7 years. I recently picked up NL again (after getting HHD and getting back into the world of AC) and went back to my original town. The town I created when I first started NL. I also have an AC blog on tumblr.

Every morning I was downloading all my photos from my previous play session and shifting through them to get pictures to upload to my blog. I was getting annoyed when my villagers wouldn't have the perfect looking houses I wanted them to have because they wouldn't display the furniture I was sending them.

I recently stopped blogging. Now I play a few minutes whenever I feel like it. I have totally fallen back in love with the game. I played some hide and seek earlier and wasn't worried about screen capping the entire thing. I just had fun.

 

[Arcticfox5]

So many deep thoughts... This game is really something, isn't it?

 

[Chere.]

Wow that's intense stuff for AC. At least you were able to figure out what the problem was! Good luck with your town, enjoy it whenever you can. x)

 

[Darrling]

I love this post. And in a way, it touched my heart because I've experienced the same pressure from myself as well in AC, and it does take away the progress-making aspect to the game. Once you've begun to rush though, TTing and getting EXACTLY what you want WHEN you want it really does make it dull and boring.

When I first got my ACNL copy back in 2013, I played the game like I did back in my WW and CF days. It was so nice, the progression-making was what I absolutely loved about the games, then about a year later I was a PWP maniac and a greedy bell maker. Obsessed with making the perfect town, and perfect EVERYTHING.

Fast forward to now, 2015 I've since then realized this isn't how I want to play AC. Sure, for some people it works. But the way I am currently playing is far more rewarding. I'm in the progress of tearing down a lot of PWP's and re-landscaping my town. I want to get rid of the bad, forced-perfect town memories.

I'm glad you've come to the realization and are enjoying the game once again. Best wishes.

​

 

[zoopal]

exactly. i recently restarted for the exact same reason. the ability to have anything i wanted in an instant through TT, cycling etc made it pointless for me. in my new town ive made friends with unlikely villagers and not hoarded money like a dragon, made attempts to send genuine letters to my neighbors instead of filling them with symbols. this modest peaceful gameplay has proven immensely more fulfilling to me than most other ways ive done it in the past.

 

[Darrling]

exactly. i recently restarted for the exact same reason. the ability to have anything i wanted in an instant through TT, cycling etc made it pointless for me. in my new town ive made friends with unlikely villagers and not hoarded money like a dragon, made attempts to send genuine letters to my neighbors instead of filling them with symbols. this modest peaceful gameplay has proven immensely more fulfilling to me than most other ways ive done it in the past.

I've actually always liked to send genuine letters to my villagers, even when I was playing like a maniac, it's kind of cool that they will sometimes show you letters you've sent them in the past. Looking back on what you've written them is pretty cool to see what your thought process was at the time! I've always liked it.
​

 

[Chris01]

I've always played the game the way it was meant to be played (in real time) I never TT'ed more than a few hours forwards or back, and I have never cheated, I enjoy playing the game day by day it gives me the true animal crossing adventure experience, I would never enjoy whizzing through the game via TTing and then feeling like you did afterwards because I haven't been true to myself

 

[Spooky.]

Sometimes I really over-stressed myself in the game and didn't let myself enjoy it. I kept thinking 'my town is inferior to other towns, it looks like garbage.' Then I took a break from both of my towns for about a month, and now I've picked it up again and gone back to decorating it, but doing it to make it look nice for myself. And I'm taking it a bit at a time instead of rushing to get everything. My second town is still in the baby stages and it's really barren and empty and part of me wants to freak out about how plain and ugly it is but I need to just relax or I won't enjoy it. AC was meant to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace but I think all the multiplayer functions and stuff have given a lot of us the need for total perfection to make sure other people enjoy our towns.

 

[Darrling]

AC was meant to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace but I think all the multiplayer functions and stuff have given a lot of us the need for total perfection to make sure other people enjoy our towns.

This ^​

 

[Kristen]

This made me realise that this is why I feel the way I do about my second town in a way. Last time I cycled, and now I'm cycling again. Cycling has become more of a chore for me and I don't really feel like doing it anymore but I would feel guilty for stopping so soon, within a month of starting. It's kind of stumped me because now I don't know what to do. It's why I haven't played that town in so long. This isn't exactly the same thing but eh.
I used to scramble to get all my dreamies, and now it feels like a chore to try to keep them. I feel like keeping my town constantly in May though. Not only would it look pretty, but it would stop the stress of needing to constantly worry about who's moving out.

Anyway, I'm glad that you found what the problem was and was able to fix it. Animal Crossing is supposed to be cute, leisurely type of game so when one can't enjoy it as such, it's a shame. I hope you enjoy your new town loads

 

[Jesibie]

This ^​

I'll second that. Or third it.

I don't time travel and while I always have plans for houses, landscaping and future villagers... I know I have plenty of time to get everything I want just going day by day. Many days not even playing. I think by about five months after release day, I was totally in love with my town and it was fun getting everything I wanted. A little here, a little there...
When I came on this forum for the first time, I saw how easily my experience could have been different had I been here talking and playing with other players from day 1 instead of after I had already achieved most of what I wanted in my town.

 

[CuriousCharli]

I am guilty of doing this right now...i have no patience so i time travel..i time travel t get villagers in, i time travel to get them out i time travel for trees to grow i time travel for flowers to breed. I feel i can get whatever i want and it spoils everything but i'm near complete which is why i did it in the first place. I didn't think i can EVER restart..not again i worked so hard on this town for a year+ but i might get another copy of the same game. The game is about collecting i feel but more. Benedict i looked upon as being my little brother, now i'm thinking he should move out. If it wasn't for the guilt that he is the only one left from the beginning, i would. I play New Leaf everyday still and i'm amazed because i had Wild World for 10 years if not less...and New Leaf shows me i know NOTHING about Animal Crossing, but now i do. It's all rushed and a rushed game isn't a fun game.

 

[mariostarn]

I realized this several years ago when playing City Folk. Glad to see this idea is spreading back into the community, little by little.

 

[MOON TRIPS]

I resetted for the third time, and I am sincerely not planning on doing so again. however, I do have a super nice layout, which should ensure that I stay pleased with how things are... hopefully. ;v;
I've never felt the perfection bug like others, and I still have a pretty calm approach to the game. though I do wanna not time travel as much as I have in the past. though a lot of that was to get out of season Gracie stuff or my crummy attempt at cycling. which made me bored with the game. :x which led to my reset, because I missed Dotty, and cycling when I had so much done was just a pain in the butt. I was also less and less a fan of my weird map, so... yeah. there are a few villagers I specifically want, but this time, I am not going to be in a rush to get them. but I am most likely not going to have a complete 10 dream villagers. also makes it less annoying because I wouldn't have to worry about keeping everyone around! :'>

 

[Darrling]

I'll second that. Or third it.

I don't time travel and while I always have plans for houses, landscaping and future villagers... I know I have plenty of time to get everything I want just going day by day. Many days not even playing. I think by about five months after release day, I was totally in love with my town and it was fun getting everything I wanted. A little here, a little there...
When I came on this forum for the first time, I saw how easily my experience could have been different had I been here talking and playing with other players from day 1 instead of after I had already achieved most of what I wanted in my town.

Exactly, when I first wandered around tumblr animal crossing blogs and other communities, it sort of ruined the experience for me. Because I had worked so hard and yet so many other people seemed to have way better towns, perfect villies and everything. It's sort of a shame but I'm glad I've grown out of that. Because in the end, no one cares and I'm sure your town looks just as great as the next guys/girls!​

 

[mayortash]

So this thread has prompted me to pick up my WW cartridge this morning. I haven't played my town in over a year. It has 4 villagers and it's covered in weeds. It's brilliant

 

[ReiraEvenstar]

I seriously love this post. LOVE. You are 100% right. I also had this epiphany, because I was hating AC for the same reason...I restarted my town, and you know what? I am doing the same thing again. Can't stop. I don't enjoy AC the way I did back with the original game, which is what made it fun. How LONG the game took. But you know....I have a perfectionist, OCD personality....really to a pathological level, and it's why I can't stop. How SAD is that? A game that is suppose to be fun. My real life is such a uncontrollable mess of the unexpected right now, that I play AC in a manner to feel like I have some sort of "control". It's a shame I can't enjoy the game in a different way. I suppose I'll keep playing in the manner you mentioned, then reset town, and do it again. Yikes. There is my honesty.

Thanks for bringing up the topic

- - - Post Merge - - -

So this thread has prompted me to pick up my WW cartridge this morning. I haven't played my town in over a year. It has 4 villagers and it's covered in weeds. It's brilliant

Me too!