To terraform or not to terraform

[Dewy]

I just started a new island after not playing much over the past few months. I’m taking it day by day in real time and having a good time!

But I’m debating if I want to do any terraforming on this island. Or maybe just very minimal. I always lose interest in a new island once I unlock terraforming, because the task of changing my whole island feels very daunting and I’m always in a chaotic state of half-terraformed, half mess lol.

But at the same time, I think some of the terraforming options in this game are sooo beautiful and inspiring. And I worry that I’d get bored with a “default” layout or feel disappointed in my island.

What are your thoughts on un-terraformed islands? Boring? How much terraforming have you done on your island?

 

[smug villager]

Both are good options. I think it depends on the type of island you're going for! Some people go crazy with terraforming and make the prettiest structures like sunken lakes or waterfalls and tiered villages, but there's certainly some beautiful un-terraformed islands out there, and I'm always especially impressed by them.

 

[Venn]

I knew I wouldn't be able to go as far as some people do to create amazing islands. I kind of went on a "how can I improve" this space/island approached. I moved the rivers a few block over, or expanded a cliff area. Like little things. The only thing I did put effort in was creating a couple waterfall spaces on the island, but other than that, everything has been simple.

 

[BetsySundrop]

I terraformed the heck out of my island. And while I really like some parts of it, I really regret going so far with it. I'm never satisfied.

It's turned into an endless cycle of flatten, terraform/create, love it, still like it, hmmm maybe I could make some changes, flatten it again...

And reading what @smug villager posted (sunken lakes?! tiered villages?!) I'm ready to flatten it and redo it all over again. It kind of changes it into a more design-focus game and can get frustrating if you find yourself stuck in that redesign cycle.

Sometimes I think the really terraformed islands, while really nice to visit, tend to lose that animal crossing "feel" to the game.

 

[azurill]

I think the un- terraformed islands can look great. On my main island I did very little terraforming for about a year . Kept it really simple and only moved the river and a cliff to fit the houses better. Then I started to not feel as attached to it so did a huge terraforming project and absolutely love that Island now .

For my second island I did more terraforming from the start. I did it in sections at a time when I felt inspired. As much as I like my second island I am thinking of starting it over and brining over a character that can terraform from the start. This way I don’t have to worry about a bunch of houses and shops in the way.

 

[Bluebellie]

I think it depends on what you want your island to look like. When I first started the game, I knew I wanted to recreate my leaf town, so I created a town instead of an island. I would say that my island is very terraform, but it follows the islands initial set up. It has one tier at the front and then a second tier towards the back. I don’t like waterfalls much, so there’s not much of those. There’s also no crazy lakes or anything fancy. Just a small town with neighborhoods and a nice symmetrical layout to walk around.

 

[Roaldisthebest]

I just started a new island after not playing much over the past few months. I’m taking it day by day in real time and having a good time!

But I’m debating if I want to do any terraforming on this island. Or maybe just very minimal. I always lose interest in a new island once I unlock terraforming, because the task of changing my whole island feels very daunting and I’m always in a chaotic state of half-terraformed, half mess lol.

But at the same time, I think some of the terraforming options in this game are sooo beautiful and inspiring. And I worry that I’d get bored with a “default” layout or feel disappointed in my island.

What are your thoughts on un-terraformed islands? Boring? How much terraforming have you done on your island?

only terraform if u want. there is no "good" island there might be impressive ones but your island is only good if you're happy living on it

 

[moonshi]

Play how you want your island to look and feel. I love the island more now, after flattening everything and terraforming where I wanted. It definitely works better for me in that aspect, since I can add / remove cliffs where I want and not have to design / decorate around the original layout. I did find starting with a clean slate (everything flattened) much easier to work with than trying to fix what's already there, if that makes sense.

 

[Xara]

terraformed islands are so, so gorgeous and i love everything people have done with the feature, but non-terraformed islands can be just as beautiful imo. i really admire people who are able to work with what they have instead of ‘altering’ (for lack of a better word) anything. aside from a heart-shaped pond and a lack of bottom-level river, my island is completely non-terraformed. once i’m ready to start working on my island again, i’ll probably change where my rivers are and have a few uniquely shaped ponds, but otherwise my island will be mostly non-terraformed as i’m just... not creative enough for that haha.

a non-terraformed island wouldn’t be boring at all. what you do is entirely up to you. if you want to step back from terraforming and give a more ‘natural’ island a spin, go for it. you can always slowly ease into terraforming if you find you miss or want to do it at any point — you don’t have to go crazy with a bunch of cliffs and waterfalls or anything, just a few cool ponds could be neat. there’s also so many tips and tutorials out there that might make terraforming feel a bit less intimidating? practice makes perfect.

but like i said, it’s your call. terraformed or not, your island will be cool. good luck! ♡

 

[nightglow]

Whatever you want.
My current island i plan to have flat for the most part beyond 2-3 Cliff areas that are small. I have the river mouths at the bottom of my map, so I am going to get rid of most of my river by having a cliff near the river mouth. So my terraforming will mostly be tearing stuff down when I get the ability unlocked. It will give me more room and less busy-ness and I'll be able to actually see the distant islands in the horizon at the back of my island.

 

[skarmoury]

It's really up to you, but if you think terraforming is a daunting task then suggest going the more natural route :]

I terraformed a LOT with my first island (the DA is still in my sig hehe), but with my second island I'm keeping it mostly unterraformed. The only major thing I might do is make a path going to Redd's boat, since it's currently blocked by cliffs.

I'm a firm believer that you can make any island interesting whether you terraform or not! On my second island I'm going for an abandoned overgrown town, and I didn't want to make it too complicated hence my decision on minimal terraforming. I always look at pinterest for inspiration and if you're stuck in a rut then you can do the same too. Just have fun with your game and go with what you vibe the most!

 

[Lullaboid]

I've played for 1,600 hours and completely finished my island twice. The first time I did everything, I only terraformed a few areas. I then razed everything and started over, re-forming the rivers and cliffs. I gotta say it wasn't really worth it. I'm just about done now, and it's kind of neat that I decided where everything went, but it was pretty overwhelming to make that many decisions. It's a lot easier to mostly use the starting map and add cool things when you feel inspired, and it looks just as nice- sometimes better, because it's harder to make intentional terraforming look natural. Just my opinion, though.

 

[xxcodexx]

im with Lullaboid on this one. i tried terraforming one of my islands and it looked so awful that i started a new island completely and ive only terraformed a tiny bit of it *i had to take one block out of a cliff lol* and i totally agree that just work on it whenever you feel inspired. it Is hard to make the terraforming look natural sooo yep...Lullaboid nailed it.

 

[Croconaw]

You can always do minimal terraforming. I’ve always liked natural islands with little to no terraforming. I’ve seen some amazing work done in New Leaf or even Wild World, and those games didn’t have terraforming.

 

[Romaki]

It's really hard to terraform naturally, in my opinion. I can't do it. But maybe just do paths first?

I also always had a half-terraformed mess because I never commited to anything.

 

[daisyflowers]

i like both! i'm currently terraforming to make two 3rd level cliffs for some of my villager's houses + eventually may end up building a bridge that connects across two parts of land to fit with the vibes??. also a river/waterfall that just connects to the main river area. (previously was going to go down the route of having my villagers in rows on a 2nd level but i changed my mind about the vibes/didn't like how it looked).

also done lil' bits of terraforming in the river vicinity for smol islands with trees and stepping things where bridges couldn't be placed unless i terraformed a bit. and some squares of various paths here and there - taking it a day at a time aussi !

 

[moonshi]

I can't do crazy levels of terraforming because I'm just not creative but I have to have some cliffs and waterfalls. I love the look of them and love the sounds of the waterfalls.

Whichever you choose, you will have a ton of fun (hopefully!) decorating.

 

[-Mars-]

My island is being terraforming right now and I only have a simple cliff and a waterfall/river and it will stay flat just with the minimal terraforming it has though I might add more teeny tiny cliffs to put buildings on...
I have been known to do virtually completely flat islands with virtually no terraforming because a) I have no clue how to do "aesthetic" terraforming things everyone does on social media and b) it's just so much easier for me to navigate my own island if it's flat
I think excessively terraformed islands are very pretty BUT exploring dream addresses of those types of islands always leave me getting lost
I think you don't need to go crazy to make a good island and this game is suppose to be fun and relaxing anyways, whatever you choose your island will still be perfect just the way it is because everyone's island is their own paradise and it's decorated to their owners desire and therefore it is the perfect island because it is just the way that is best for you!

 

[KittenNoir]

Yes terraform!!!!!! Go for it haha as soon as I unlocked the option I found it a lot more fun decorating my island and I felt like I could personalise it a lot more from me changing it to how I wanted it.

 

[Corrie]

I've terraformed a bit to add waterfalls and rivers but honestly haven't changed much of the 'layers' of my island. I like keeping the original shape of my island and just adding things here and there rather than flattening it and doing it all from scratch.