Villagers and International Museum Day

[jumpluff]

Hi!

So, a lot of discussion has been had about the stamp rally event and its quality. I'm not really here to rehash that discourse, but more to bring up something that recontextualises it for me, and find out if others are having this experience too.

So back when that discussion was being had, I said that one of the things that made this event disappointing for me was the lack of villager participation. When villagers acknowledge, discuss, and participate in events, that's immersive. My biggest hope was to see villagers in the museum more, interacting with exhibits. I have no Education-hobby villagers (yet) and have rarely seen any in my museum, but it's so beautiful in this game and I admire it semi-frequently.

Well, I've been in there more this week since I got some art, and I'm seeing villagers in there constantly. So that could be all kinds of bias (confirmation etc.) on my part, or maybe the event really does prompt them to go to the museum more! The reason I'm not sure is they don't have any dialogue about the event. They could express appreciation for museums, talk about the stamp rally and Blathers, etc. They do already talk about the musuem when they're nearby but I'm not sure there's any IMD-specific behaviour.

Still, I've seen them in there CONSTANTLY in the last 48 hours and I was curious if anyone else had that experience! Because it's been amazing and made me like the event a lot more (I liked the stamp rally, but was down on the event as a whole). The way the villagers behave in museums is really excellent:

• The specific dialogue they have about each room is REALLY well-written and brings out the funny aspects of their personalities a lot
• They seem to only show interest in certain exhibits that were chosen to match their personality, and their dialogue about them is amazing.
  • I feel very rewarded for my efforts in filling out the museum, and further encouraged to keep working on it because I want to see what exhibits each villager will be attracted to!
• They acknowledge who donated the exhibit :> Which also makes me feel good.
• You can see them peering around the exhibit (butterfly, art, etc.) in awe, trying to get a better look, exclaiming in speech bubbles, etc.
  • And strutting around the museum, having a look at each thing! It's really cute.
• They don't get mad at you for talking to them too much in the museum - which is REALLY thoughtful behaviour on the part of the devs - I don't know if this is true in other places? But they have a lot to say and check out a lot of things, so it's good the devs thought to make sure they'd keep talking to you about everything

I don't know if this is just a coincidence or what, but it's been a blast. Maybe keep checking your museum if you're having trouble finding your villagers!

 

[Epod]

This isn't something I've noticed but I'll keep an eye out! I definitely agree though that the dialogue they have when they're in the museum is great and I love finding one of the villagers wandering around wide eyed looking at stuff in there

On a side note I've actually quite enjoyed the stamp rally as a small distraction from the rest of the game. It's given me a good excuse to go in there for a bit every few days and just try to slow down and appreciate the museum. It's one of the most beautiful areas in the game in my opinion so that's been pretty cool!

 

[Sefyre]

I haven't seen anyone in my museum yet (but I play the most at night, so...) but I've seen my villagers walk around with books and magazines in hand and all the while examining my gardens.

Merengue, especially, loves to do this and I get warm fuzzies that she enjoys the work I've put in.

Recently, I've done more island decorating and they've positively commented on the changes during conversation.

 

[Imbri]

Once I got a fair number of donations to the museum, I started seeing villagers in there. I haven't found anyone in the art exhibit yet, but I only have 3 pieces, so it might take a certain threshold to get them into an area.

The most fun for me is once you talk to them, they'll get engrossed in an exhibit, and have little thought bubbles when you go up to them, similar to what they do in the shops.

 

[Hydrangea028]

I am not sure is this a coincidence or not, usually there is only one villager go visit the museum at one time, but for this two weeks, I meet two villagers visit at the same time in the museum for a few times and usually both of them do not have education as hobby.

 

[jumpluff]

This isn't something I've noticed but I'll keep an eye out! I definitely agree though that the dialogue they have when they're in the museum is great and I love finding one of the villagers wandering around wide eyed looking at stuff in there

On a side note I've actually quite enjoyed the stamp rally as a small distraction from the rest of the game. It's given me a good excuse to go in there for a bit every few days and just try to slow down and appreciate the museum. It's one of the most beautiful areas in the game in my opinion so that's been pretty cool!

I agree! Museums and galleries are some of my favourite outings in real life along with botanical gardens (I may have the personality of a little old lady) - it feels like all of those are represented in some way now in the museum very realistically, and it has such a wonderful atmosphere. The descriptions are very cute and quirky, and it reminds me a lot of how real museums and gardens are with their activities and signs. I hope you find your villagers enjoying it too!

I haven't seen anyone in my museum yet (but I play the most at night, so...) but I've seen my villagers walk around with books and magazines in hand and all the while examining my gardens.

Merengue, especially, loves to do this and I get warm fuzzies that she enjoys the work I've put in.

Recently, I've done more island decorating and they've positively commented on the changes during conversation.

Yes! Merengue has the nature hobby and she loves to identify wild things. ;-; I have her too and it's SO CUTE. Actually, like 3/10 of my villagers have this hobby.. it's very relaxing to just sit down and watch them peek at flowers or try to identify the snapping turtle hanging out by the pond (it looks like they're reading to it!).

edit: I forgot to type this! But, I also noticed that too with the furniture I put down. They seem to have a decent amount of dialogue for the different furniture types and customisations you can make. It blew my mind when Sprinkle commented on the age of my ironwood table (which I customised to the 'old' grain), and how you could see it in the rings!

Once I got a fair number of donations to the museum, I started seeing villagers in there. I haven't found anyone in the art exhibit yet, but I only have 3 pieces, so it might take a certain threshold to get them into an area.

The most fun for me is once you talk to them, they'll get engrossed in an exhibit, and have little thought bubbles when you go up to them, similar to what they do in the shops.

Thank you for pointing this out! I had a completeish museum in the other exhibits (without TT - like, only missing the scorpion and one fossil), but I did donate a significant amount of art this week, so I'm wondering if that's propelled them to check out my other exhibits too. I think it makes sense they might not hang around an empty room. xD

Yes, I love that too! I love the different exclamations they make. I've seen Genji cry out that an Atlas moth is ripped (and say the funniest stuff about the art, including an outright 'I don't get it.' lol), or Kabuki admire the beauty in a butterfly, etc. etc. And they truly look awestruck, the way they're peering around. I like that you can't talk to them in that mode tbh, it's endearing how they're so lost in everything.

I am not sure is this a coincidence or not, usually there is only one villager go visit the museum at one time, but for this two weeks, I meet two villagers visit at the same time in the museum for a few times and usually both of them do not have education as hobby.

Yes, that's what's happening to me! I'm hoping it's intentional, because I would definitely look forward to this event again just for that lol. Or maybe it's just because we added more stuff to our museum, who knows. But I love seeing my non-education villagers in the museum and I hope to see it more. Thank you for sharing!

 

[mayortiffany]

Recently, I've been trying to gift wrapped gifts to all my villagers to increase our friendship level. I've usually been finding two of them in the museum lately, though sometimes there is only one or none at all.

I saw Rocket in the butterfly room examining all the flowers, and she had a speech bubble preventing me from talking to her at one point. I think she was admiring the beauty of one of the butterflies? I also saw Greta by the fossils, and her voice echoed just as it would in a real museum!

The museum is gorgeous in this game. I like that Stamp Rally encourages us to see that for ourselves.

 

[DJStarstryker]

I haven't actually noticed my villagers in my museum for a while (a few weeks at least), and that includes my education hobby villagers. My museum is in a heavy foot traffic area, so that's not the problem. All I can think of is I've been terraforming and decorating a lot, so there's many more things for them to interact with. They're using sitting on chairs or messing with other things I have sitting around when they're outside.

 

[Rize]

I honestly don't mind it cause I think they're kind of building up to the summer/wedding events. But I think it's really cute to find my villagers there as well ^^