Topic: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Ah that's ok, no worries You can come back anytime you want - I'll be sure to let you all know who is crafting anything and when!

One of my villages is crafting a gold helmet. Is anyone interested in getting it?

@cooldude99 Yes please.

@BenAV ok, gates open to friends.

@Gret8888 I can come pick up the flowers now. What would you like in return? Anything you’re looking for?

Okay, I haven't read the previous... 271 (!) pages of this thread, but am I the only one that's not THAT impressed by the game? With all due respect, it is a very well crafted game, and I've been playing it almost every day since release. It's quite enjoyable.

But I've never played an AC game before, and it was SO hyped before release, that I've really expected something mind-blowing. Yet, I can't but feels that it lacks so many things.

I should probably break it down:

• I really thought the interactions with the villagers would be more like dialogues and building a relationship. Instead all we have are one line quips like "oh isn't the weather nice today". huh? Was it different in the previous games? Today was the first time I witnessed a dialogue between two villagers, and it was really nice. I thought all the dialogue would be that fleshed out. Otherwise, what is the point of inviting these one-dimensional NPSs to your island?
• I really wish we had more intractable objects. I mean, I can buy a scooter, but I can't ride it? That's just lame. I'm an experienced gamer, so I can just (barely) write it off, thinking, like, "that's how that game works". But imagine a person who just bought a Switch (or a kid). They make the scooter, or a rugby ball, or a calligraphy set. And all it can do is just... sit there? That is a bummer if I've ever seen one.
• That's already been said, but multiplayer is really lame. Especially the starting part. I mean, I can't invite my friend or even send them a letter, even though they are on my Switch friends list? Wow.
• The crafting is nice. But I gather that it's the first time it's included in the series? That begs the question: what the hell did you do in the previous games? Was it just fishing and gathering bugs and fruit? Or are there areas that were better in the previous games?
• I really think they dropped the ball on the so-called "emergent gameplay" that BotW did so well. Like, what if your villagers REALLY used the thing you've built and it would lead to some interesting scenarios? Why wouldn't they decorate the island with you or ask for you assistance? Why don't they visit your house and react in some interesting way? Otherwise it seems like decorating a doll house. It may look nice, but... so what? I can build it on my own. In a game, I want to see something that can't be done in real life.

In short, I'm really baffled that people think it's a game that could rival the likes of BotW. One of the things BotW did so well IMO was, you could have an idea, like what if I did THAT. And 99% of the time, it worked. You could really do what you had in mind. You could always say that ACNH is a different kind of game that doesn't need all that stuff. And I would have nothing to counter that argument. But, man, imagine if it did all that. How cool would it be. Am I alone in that thinking?

In the first Animal Crossing game I played, the amazing new game changing additions included being able to remove your hat, and the novel idea of watering your flowers to keep them alive.

I still play it regularly.

Characters would ask you questions and suggestions to change their greetings/catch phrases. I feel like the dialogue was done a lot better in previous games. There is far too much reliance on modern internet lingo which will cause the game to age quite quickly. Interactions between animals only occurs rarely in New Horizons, though it is an improvement over New Leaf where it almost never happened at all! In the DS and Wii games, I would push two characters together, which would usually trigger dialogue between them (and they were often amusing).

But I agree that the dialogue is far too repetitive this time around and the interactions feel a tad more shallow when compared to previous games.

That's been the case with all Animal Crossing games, sadly. I was hoping that characters can board the tea cup ride, but nope, it's all decorative. I'm similarly disappointed that we can't hug other characters.

That was a pretty stupid oversight. I think it ought to be possible to send letters to other players online. There's absolutely no point or incentive to send letters in this game except to unlock the Nook Miles rewards (and there are cheaper, faster, and less tedious ways to obtain them).

Tools were typically purchased (with their silver and gold variants typically obtainable via other methods). They also didn't break in prior games, except for the axe (from memory). The wooden axe (used for obtaining wood, also a first for the series), ladder, and vaulting poles also mark their debut in New Horizons.

The animals would occasionally ask if they could come over to your house (at which point you would arrange a time), but this feature doesn't appear to be present as of yet in New Horizons. Animals will usually become upset or angry if stood up in past games.

There is also a LOT of content and "special" characters missing from past games as it seems that Nintendo are patching everything in incrementally as the game was rushed to shelves in order to start generating sales immediately.

I'm enjoying my time with the game and all, but it does feel like a glorified early access build, and there isn't enough variance in daily events to keep things interesting, so I can certainly see where first-timers may be baffled by the appeal of the series.

@pinta_vodki You aren't the only one. I'm loving the game, but I already know which areas of the game were lacking when I got it since I saw many videos. Here are some things I would like:

1. In terms of dialogue and relationships I think that games like Rune Factory 4 are superior to this one and that they definitely need to put more interactions and overall dialogue by a considerable amount.

2.I also agree about the lack of use of items besides using them as decoration and yeah, things like bicycles or scooters should work similar to the bycicles in Pokemon games. I can also see them including some classic Nintendo games (even if it's one level or for a brief time) in the arcades that you collect like other games do, which have even managed to put complete games in theirs like the Yakuza Series with classic Sega games.
If they don't want to use their classics at least they should invent some simple, brief ones or even generic ones.

3. I would also love if they put some mini games handled as " optional jobs" like for example, being a seller in the shop and attending 10 villagers with the objective of convincing them to buy a product, similar to a mini game that was in Digimon World on PS1. You could also deliver mail or help villagers to decorate a bit like in Home Designer.

4. One island per game or per memory card is tolerable, not per Switch. Classic or not (it isn't, most games were per memory card or per game) it's a thing that should change and that any other company would have been heavily criticized for doing it. Sharing an island per console should be an option not something forced if two or more players want to play.

5. An expanded multiplayer experience. Maybe having something like the mini games I mentioned but focused in this feature. At least stuff like who catches more fish or bugs or even using the arcade items to play the co-op in the included games I mentioned.

That's pretty much all I want for future entries. If they do that, I'll keep getting these games without question. As for now, I'm pretty happy with the game and I'm really enjoying it. I really appreciate that you can do really great stuff with your island and creating unique designs, so I'm satisfied with this entry. It isn't one of the best games ever as many claim though, at least not for me.

@cooldude99
Sorry I wasn’t playing when you asked a couple hours ago. I normally play the most anywhere from 9pm-9am EST USA. Hopefully we can connect soon. No worries, I have plenty, they aren’t going anywhere.
Gretchen

@Lard_Bucket Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5kWchpwknY

@FattyWhale_42 I don't like that guy. Shortly after launch he was bragging about using the item duplication glitch to get 2.6+ billion bells so I unsubscribed.
At least the find looks credible.
@Gret8888 I still cannot get that mystery island with orange roses even though I got the gold rock island that is suppose to be even less common x_x

@Lard_Bucket Yeah, he's no Austin John, that's for sure. But like you said, the info looked credible, that's why I mentioned it. (>^_^)>

@Lard_Bucket
Gold rock island?

@Gret8888 https://animalcrossing.fandom.com/wiki/Mystery_tour

@pinta_vodki I mean, I can't say I don't understand where you're coming from. A degree of the appeal of Animal Crossing has always been built around your imagination and that's just not for everyone. The degree to which you can totally recreate your island in this game is the big selling point and I'd encourage you to watch some videos if you need to see the level of creativity that's possible in this game. It's easy, in a vacuum to think "whelp, I've done everything and there's nothing left but hunting RNG spawned bugs and fish" and yet, then I see someone else's island and am totally blown away at the possibilities. Sometimes I get one new item and it inspires me to redo a room or even a whole chunk of my island.

Every game has its limitations. BOTW included. You say 99% of the time you think of something and can do that but really not even close. You can't build any buildings in BOTW, you don't get a home to expand. You can't grow crops or develop a town. Why? Because that's not the kind of game it is. AC is not an action game, its a game about creativity and imagination in a different way than BOTW. But I would argue that easily just as much love and care went into ACNH as BOTW. It simply sounds to me that you prefer the latter in terms of genre and gameplay. And there's nothing wrong with that.

@Gret8888 I’ll be on in approximately 2 hours. Can you do that? What would you like in return?
I’m not really sure what gold rock island is, cause I’ve never been there, but I’m pretty sure it is an island with one rock that dispenses gold for all 8 hits. You have a 1% chance of getting there, so it’s very rare.

so, i tried TT...once...just once...and honestly other than speeding up my moving of a building....what's the point?

@AndyD TT used to be useful for getting loads of bells via the interest in ABD, but Nintendo significantly decreased the interest rate after update 2.0, so no one bothers doing that anymore. TT can be useful to travel to different seasons, catch new fish/bugs, and simply speed up time to gather more materials/items. But I agree, what’s the point? AC is supposed to be played in real time! I often am tempted to TT, just to move a building quicker, but I never do. I play AC like Nintendo intended.

@Gret8888 I’m ready if you are!