Yeah,I design my islands very much like a New Leaf town with minimal terraforming and waterscaping.I don't like a lot of stuff on my islands because I want to actually be able to play the game without having to navigate multiple waterfalls and tall multi-terraced landscapes.
My new island is sort of like that. I didn't change the waterways or terrain very much and just placed the shops, campsite, and museum in the areas that seemed to suit them with the homes taking up most of the 2nd and 3rd levels, away from the public buildings. I've tried making highly terraformed islands but for me, it's more fun to work with the map than to change it a lot. I mostly just used terraforming to make the bridges and inclines work.
I always think I want to do a major terraform and then, when I've tried, I've ended up resetting since I didn't love the results. Cities are really hard for me, probably because I enjoy the trees and waterways of the game so much. I like to make woodsy islands.
After playing around with terraforming (and all the stress), I've decided to keep one of my islands the default, doing the bare minimum, terrain wise. I'm decorating a tiny bit (a sofa here, a phone booth there), but I like having the "nostalgic" feel of unchangeable islands
I forgot to add that I hate islands that are set up like mazes where you can't figure out how to get around cause there is a specific path and everything else is blocked off. and its even worse when there is a lot of bushes, hedges etc so you cant even see the one path you have. i have gone to dream islands(in nl and nh) and left immediately cause of that crap
i found a nice simple island dream that inspires me for my second island! i have a very overgrown and abandoned island currently, but sometimes i kinda feel "wow its just so much faster if you have a simple island" so, im currently making a simple island on my second island. nothing much, just roads, houses, etc, like old new leaf- esque.
I’ve only terraformed a little and left my island mostly natural. I have strategically placed villager houses, because I did that in new leaf too and enjoyed it. But I still want a bit of the natural element to the game. Leaving it mostly bare besides paths has left it very large and open feeling. It doesn’t feel cramped.
I’m personally not a fan of the towns (usually dream towns I visit) highly crammed with items and areas.
I’ve always liked the more natural islands that are more spread out and built around the natural features. But that’s just personal preference. It’s probably all due to nostalgia.
I like looking at other islands that are very decorated and terraformed, but for mine I try to make it playable too. Too much stuff can make my game lag, and like others have said be hard to navigate. I think its great that we can decide where most buildings go in NH
Mine is pretty basic/simple. I do have a small neighborhood with six of the villager houses, and I did do very little terraforming just to smooth a river path in one section and to make it so I could put a ramp in one spot. But other than that, it's pretty basic and natural looking, and I just decorate the island for the season. So it's changing throughout the year, and I think it looks pretty cute. Flowers are kind of everywhere too, so even in that aspect it's more natural than it is polished and "perfect" looking. That's how I love my island.
I don't use the island design tool a lot, except for pathing, mostly because I liked the map I picked and was able to achieve satisfaction with the natural layout. I was glad I could use that mechanic when I wanted, as it allowed me to tinker around and satiate my creativity.
I think my island is natural, with all the flora and open spaces, but I do enjoy the ability to decorate anywhere. Each of my residents has a yard, all the buildings have decorations outside, etc.
ie done a small amount of terraforming to kinda reshape my rivers/cliffs so they're more practical for bridges and inclines, but besides that yes I love having a more al naturale town
