Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

[Stejay]

Anyone else see Animal Crossing being mentioned on Last Week Tonight With John Oliver this week, with John joking that Nintendo created the virus to push AC sales to everyone in lockdown.  It really must be a massive game nowadays.

[Stejay]

On 02/05/2020 at 11:13, Dan said:

Animal Crossing Travel Guide

 

I’m finding this app really useful. (iOS only) It was £2.99 or something, but it’s been well worth it. 

 

Thanks. I've been using it too since your post and I think its great.  The initial set-up as you add your collected items, bugs, fish, fossils, etc is a slight pain, but once done it is so helpful.  Have you seen the update today that adds a daily checklist of things you need to do?  It just needs a turnip forecaster adding now.  Highly recommended.

[Broker]

10 minutes ago, grindmouse said:

 

I was amazed the game has goalposts and a ball, but you can't actually kick / roll the ball. I know the focus isn't about traditional "gameplay" - but it's hardly beyond the wit of Nintendo to facilitate items which can be interacted with in a more free-form fashion.

https://animalcrossing.fandom.com/wiki/Balls

 

There also used to be two snowballs around in winter, and if you pushed one into the other it made a snowman. 

[Bojangle]

1 hour ago, Alex W. said:

Streamlining Animal Crossing goes against the whole ethos of the thing IMO. I've driven myself mad trying to find the quote (from ~2005!) but even the control scheme is purposefully a bit fussy to give the game an actual texture. Maybe that's just me - the whole race to unlock/optimise everything as the dominant way to play the game the first month of its existence makes me uncomfortable. It's not an F2P cookie clicker or Fortnite, you're not meant to hoover up all of the content in the game in anticipation of next month's new Season Pass additions. 

 

Yeah, the whole thing stinks of it being very much by design. When someone screams "HOW DID THEY NOT THINK OF THIS?" they almost certainly did, and decided against implementing it (for better or for worse!) because it wasn't in line with what they were aiming for.

 

It is a good video though, a lot of that stuff would be lovely. I can also see why some of it probably isn't in the game, like the single button press to drop or use an item is great in theory. It'd be absolute dog shit when you accidently eat something because your finger mildly presses the Zr button. Or the ZL button you press in your inventory that does different things depending on if you're outside or in your house, which is extremely not Nintendo design.

 

 

[moosegrinder]

So when the gates were closed I could see what the DIY plans on my stalls were. Now they're open the thought bubble doesn't come up. What?

[Stejay]

3 minutes ago, moosegrinder said:

So when the gates were closed I could see what the DIY plans on my stalls were. Now they're open the thought bubble doesn't come up. What?

 

Yes, it is a pain because I have a swap market with everything on stalls for neatness, but other people can't see what the items are unless the pick them up first.

[moosegrinder]

1 minute ago, Stejay said:

 

Yes, it is a pain because I have a swap market with everything on stalls for neatness, but other people can't see what the items are unless the pick them up first.

 

Precisely that. 

 

I get why Nintendo hasn't implemented a lot of the stuff in the video up the page. The sedate nature of the game is absolutely why some of the things work the way they do, and that's fine. I'd still like to see multiple crafting on the bait and medicine at least, if not furniture and that.

 

And the above with the stalls is absolutely an oversight. Although something deep inside my brain says it might be a side effect of the shit they stop you doing when you're online.

[LaveDisco]

Like sitting at the workstation process resources into objects to sell should be as boring as working in a factory. The game doesn't want you to do that. Make a couple, then wander off and do something else.

 

Potter, don't optimise.

 

If it streamlined doing that, then bizzarely it would be more tedious, as people would be expected to do more crafting, and prices of items would be higher to reflect it.

 

I already worry that prices are too high to take into account the minority than min-max the stalk market. 

[StumpyJohn]

Have opened up for visitors

Free recipes on the beach as usual, few new ones in there too

Blaire is crafting Coconut Juice at the moment which I know is an item that people have been requesting

 

Oh and its Tanks birthday, please say hi to him as his party was looking a bit sad earlier 

[Stejay]

27 minutes ago, moosegrinder said:

And the above with the stalls is absolutely an oversight. Although something deep inside my brain says it might be a side effect of the shit they stop you doing when you're online.

 

I'm frustratingly torn between it looking tidy with a better island rating, and people not having to faff about and being able to fit more in a smaller space.

[g wings]

After a few days of chats my daughter (8 years old) sat me down for an island redesign discussion. She took a photo of the island map and edited it using the very basic tools in Mac Preview and pasted in some inspiration images she’s chosen from the web and wants to replicate.

 
now...

 

next...

 

 

Busy times ahead!

 

 

[mikeyl]

How are 8 year olds so imaginative? Swear when I was 8 I was making green and yellow block men out of Stickle Bricks and pooping in all the wrong places

[Unofficial Who]

 

[Unofficial Who]

And this is super cute. How are they doing this?

 

 

[StumpyJohn]

7 minutes ago, Unofficial Who said:

And this is super cute. How are they doing this?

 

 

In the studio on Harv's Island and then editing it together

[Weavus]

I watched that video and had no idea it wasn't real until the end and now I'm sad.

 

Gates open, 18 DIY recipe cards (inc golden toilet) next to beach & assortment of high value items to catalog (not take ) next to arcade.

[Unofficial Who]

If anyone needs the recipe for Golden Shoes Pietro is crafting them right now at mine.

[ryodi]

They only introduced automatically stacking the fruit in this release, you had to do it manually in the old games and they didn't even tell you that you could do it. Most people just stumble across it. As for the person arriving / leaving the game clearly isn't designed for the level of turnip trading that is going on which is a shame because now everything needs bells it's popularity has gone through the roof, I don't remember it being as popular in the previous games. 

[Bojangle]

I consider the joining and leaving flow as a Turnip Tax. Under normal play (joining a friend's island, pottering about for 30 minutes then going back home) it's a minor irritation at best. But yeah, trying to get in on some SELL SELL SELL action on an open island with no rules with people leaving and joining constantly? Nightmare. But you want them high stonks, you gotta do it.

 

I think if they were going to change one thing, it'd be the join and leave flow for me, and I say that as somebody who stays out of the Turnip game and only occasionally joins a friends island or vice versa.

[Mr Do 71]

12 minutes ago, ryodi said:

They only introduced automatically stacking the fruit in this release, you had to do it manually in the old games and they didn't even tell you that you could do it. Most people just stumble across it. As for the person arriving / leaving the game clearly isn't designed for the level of turnip trading that is going on which is a shame because now everything needs bells it's popularity has gone through the roof, I don't remember it being as popular in the previous games. 

 

When you spoke to the animals in New Leaf, they would mention that you can stack the fruit.

[Weavus]

16 minutes ago, Unofficial Who said:

If anyone needs the recipe for Golden Shoes Pietro is crafting them right now at mine.

 

Are we friends? Don't see you on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KrDETHY2apv5_CTVaMLIAls1JDpgMy4gxw8KBnrssLo/edit#gid=0

[Unofficial Who]

25 minutes ago, Weavus said:

 

Are we friends? Don't see you on https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KrDETHY2apv5_CTVaMLIAls1JDpgMy4gxw8KBnrssLo/edit#gid=0

PM sent!

[Broker]

38 minutes ago, ryodi said:

They only introduced automatically stacking the fruit in this release, you had to do it manually in the old games and they didn't even tell you that you could do it. Most people just stumble across it. As for the person arriving / leaving the game clearly isn't designed for the level of turnip trading that is going on which is a shame because now everything needs bells it's popularity has gone through the roof, I don't remember it being as popular in the previous games. 

It’s been happening a lot since Wild world really, the second they added internet. I remember people on here talking about using the internet connection to visit each other and sell turnips.

 

It was definitely exactly like this in new leaf, trading and sharing our good prices on here. I went to numerous new leaf islands to sell big stacks and make some cash.

[ryodi]

27 minutes ago, Mr Do 71 said:

 

When you spoke to the animals in New Leaf, they would mention that you can stack the fruit.

 

Did they, it must never have registered with me when I played it. I did it accidentally the first time when sorting out my inventory.

 

It might be my memory failing but I don't remember as many problems getting into other peoples towns to sell turnips. But then I didn't do it that much because I was at work and by the time I got home there was a very small window to sell them before the store closed. 

[hushnecampus]

May the 6th be with you!

 

[Captain Kelsten]

I need a beard. Where'd y'all get beards? Able's has only stocked novelty glasses with nose and mustache at mine so far! 

[R0b]

4 hours ago, Alex W. said:

Streamlining Animal Crossing goes against the whole ethos of the thing IMO. I've driven myself mad trying to find the quote (from ~2005!) but even the control scheme is purposefully a bit fussy to give the game an actual texture. Maybe that's just me - the whole race to unlock/optimise everything as the dominant way to play the game the first month of its existence makes me uncomfortable. It's not an F2P cookie clicker or Fortnite, you're not meant to hoover up all of the content in the game in anticipation of next month's new Season Pass additions. 

 

I worry people are going to burn it out and start complaining in about 3 weeks when they realise there's not a steady stream of new fossils...

 

Parts of Nintendo are good at UI. They're too often weirdly bad at them compared to the quality of their actual games, though, and just crazy inconsistent. Have you tried navigating a Sakurai game? BotW is one of the most accomplished games ever but Nintendo have said they looked to Skyrim for inspiration for its menu system. Skyrim! Let's pop those iron boots on again in OoT. Would you like to play the deluxe version of Mario Kart 8 without the game deciding you want to be auto-steered by default? Please don't miss those tiny icons! No we won't remember your preference if you close the game or go back to the main menu. What's in Games And More in Smash 4? Purgatory. 

 

I'm completely on board with the concern about people ruining a year of A.C. for themselves by grinding like crazy and then burning out; I've said as much in the thread. I consider the pacing of 1 square at a time (like the meditative quality of lots of chores games, see Harvest Moon's watering of plants) peaceful repetition and people going mad with min maxing a game not intended for it is a completely separate issue from the terrible dialogue UI of the airport. Like not strafing in Resi 4, slow terraforming is a design decision with a purpose, but the crap menus are just a low key failure.  

 

Lastly, players are hardly to blame; the A.C. team completely undermines its slow unravelling pace by slapping on a way to become a millionaire in the first week of play, with all their planned pricing, pacing and gradual build-up out the window. It's a game that you're meant to play how you want so put a feature in and people will use it. 

 

But yeah I don't think conflating their 'bit rubbish' UI being slow with the sedentary pace of game tasks is necessarily right.

[probotector]

1 hour ago, ryodi said:

They only introduced automatically stacking the fruit in this release, you had to do it manually in the old games and they didn't even tell you that you could do it. Most people just stumble across it. As for the person arriving / leaving the game clearly isn't designed for the level of turnip trading that is going on which is a shame because now everything needs bells it's popularity has gone through the roof, I don't remember it being as popular in the previous games. 

I think the whole internet thing has blown up massively since even new leaf.

 

Also, it seems like every girl I know or on various fb groups is playing Animal Crossing.

 

Truely the game of the year. This must have caught Nintendo off guard? I know the previous ones had cross over appeal from the wii days but new horizons has everyone playing in every demographic!

 

A friend posted a rant on fb last night after a friend sent her a message AC-shaming her for playing! She got 150 replies, majority female either saying they were playing too or wish they could afford a switch for it!

[thesnwmn]

23 hours ago, thesnwmn said:

Created a storage area for turnips so they don't feel so out of place each week.

 

 

There was a break in...

 

[mikeyl]

Can’t stop thinking of that video with the game shortcuts and how annoying it is. Press A to Craft All and Hold L to pave everything is the equivalent of wrapping an elastic band around your DualShock and going AFK.

And no thanks, don’t want everyone running around with a stack of 200 bait rinsing the hell out of everything. If bait was so easy then why not just dig it straight out of the ground? Think of the wildlife!