# What is the worst town map?



## Cheren (Dec 3, 2016)

Too many ponds, a river that cuts the town asymmetrically, awkwardly placed buildings, and lumpy cliffs and beaches. I want to know, in your opinion, what makes a town map "bad." It can be anything that even slightly bugs you, like the shape of the town plaza or where the starter bridge is for example.


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## piske (Dec 3, 2016)

I personally detest bumpy rivers, lumpy cliffs and too many ponds (like, 2 is too many for me lol). I think the bumpy river bothers me the most though.


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## Capeet (Dec 3, 2016)

I try to avoid maps that have very bendy rivers or maps where the other one of the islands is very narrow and thin.

I don't mind ponds personally.


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## Amy-chan (Dec 3, 2016)

Town maps don't matter, it depends on how people individually decorate them. I hate pastel and pink towns, they're as cookie-cutter as towns can be.


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## Red Cat (Dec 3, 2016)

Long River
Re-Tail, Town Hall, and Plaza spread out in the corners
Lots of ponds
Split beach
Oranges as native fruit
Yellow train station

If I was aiming for a crappy town, this would be perfect. I'm too lazy to think of the ugliest starter villagers, but those aren't permanent anyway.


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## buzzing (Dec 3, 2016)

i think there are NEVER too many ponds because i'm the kind of person who landscapes around them lololol
BUT, here's my things that make a perfect town and things that would make me reset:

*perfection*:
town hall/retail/plaza all within the same vicinity, circle grass (star snow!), peaches/cherries/apples (i cannot tell you how many times i've been stuck with oranges as a fruit... that perfect orange looks like a mutant), simple rivers or stair-like rivers, at least 1 big beach (i don't like when it's split 50/50 because it makes fishing inconvenient sometimes), brown or gray building roofs, 6-7 rocks at most

*no-nos*:
50/50 beach split, oranges (pears aren't even a deal-breaker because the perfect pear is a nice color, but oranges, man...), square OR triangle grass, 9 million rocks, rivers that have multiple bends AND multiple large pond areas within them, when retail is all the way in the top corner(s) of the map, red and blue roofs on things, plaza either isn't centered or isn't near town hall, starting villagers have houses where i want to put my bridges (bridges are always the first pwps i go for, for whatever reason), and here's a _really_ picky one: if there is no room either in front of the river or on the cliff-area before the southern beach for me to place a cafe l8r on... :^)

i'm needy


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## Cheren (Dec 3, 2016)

Red Cat said:


> Long River
> Re-Tail, Town Hall, and Plaza spread out in the corners
> Lots of ponds
> Split beach
> ...



I'm aiming for the perfect crappy town, so all of these responses are really helpful. I'm planning a themed town and I want to make the best out of the worst the game has to offer.



buzzing said:


> i think there are NEVER too many ponds because i'm the kind of person who landscapes around them lololol
> BUT, here's my things that make a perfect town and things that would make me reset:
> 
> *perfection*:
> ...



Your neediness is greatly appreciated.


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## hamster (Dec 3, 2016)

i've found this layout and i don't like it at all


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## Fruitcup (Dec 3, 2016)

For me it depends on the location of the town hall and retail, also no repeated pond shapes, and the locations of the rocks. Everything else is manageable.


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## Carly Mayor Of Caketon (Dec 3, 2016)

Im the opposite of most people because I like:
Buildings spread out, cuz cluttered stuff is NOT how I roll
Bendy river so I can place my campsite near the river (I did and it looks pretty good)

Heres what I hate:
I still hate ponds. once, I came across a map with like 4-7 ponds. it was nuts.
villagers with bright, ugly houses. You dont feel my pain until you've had shep or static (love them both, but not their house.)
crammed  things. I hate when retail is right next to the town hall.


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## hoodathotit (Dec 3, 2016)

Ekcriptia said:


> i've found this layout and i don't like it at all
> View attachment 189769



Don't blame you a bit.


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## VxnillaCupcakes (Dec 3, 2016)

where a l l the houses are together, the town hall, plaza, and Re-Tail are all so close to eachother, and tons of ponds.


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## buzzing (Dec 3, 2016)

i expect a direct and urgent PM of the DA for this town when it's complete
i also, with all of my little black-hole heart, expect square grass and baskets of perfect oranges to litter the ground. 

if you'd like more crap advice, here are more things i hate:
asymmetry of multiple varieties (house placement, trees and plants, etc), yellow and red flowers (except for roses), tree stumps that don't have patterns, weeds that aren't clovers, when people have QR codes of people or characters placed on the ground (ie: a 6 QR code pattern of a poorly drawn Mario placed in front of the train station), completely pastel towns (i guess that kind of clashes with everything i just said), houses with interiors that are literally just cohesive sets with no sense of personality, the base house exterior, the villager Peck, when the Campsite is in the middle of literally everything and has no landscaping to give it some sort of environment, diagonal bridges that have non-diagonal paths leading up to them in that kind of zig-zag format, and when the town flag is the default pattern (though i'm guilty of that at the moment).

i hope i've been of assistance.


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## hoodathotit (Dec 3, 2016)

Amahara said:


> Too many ponds, a river that cuts the town asymmetrically, awkwardly placed buildings, and lumpy cliffs and beaches. I want to know, in your opinion, what makes a town map "bad." It can be anything that even slightly bugs you, like the shape of the town plaza or where the starter bridge is for example.



It would appear that you prefer symmetry. IRL, so do I but, in this game, oddities in landscape and villagers make it a bit more interesting as well as challenging.


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## Carly Mayor Of Caketon (Dec 3, 2016)

also, make sure you have red, yellow, purplish ones that say they are white (Im looking at YOU, PANSIES), orange, brown, and black flowers. This color combo is *GOLD*, especially if you have all of those "white" pansies.


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## clueleaf (Dec 3, 2016)

I just hate when rocks are in inconvenient places, especially when they're in a place where you're planning to put a path.


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## Cheren (Dec 3, 2016)

buzzing said:


> i expect a direct and urgent PM of the DA for this town when it's complete
> i also, with all of my little black-hole heart, expect square grass and baskets of perfect oranges to litter the ground.
> 
> if you'd like more crap advice, here are more things i hate:
> ...



I can get it to you as soon as I can. All of this is just so good. Thanks a heap.

So far my vision for the town is this: A long, winding river, tree stumps (without patterns) and dead trees and saplings, rows upon rows of weeds, and about 5 ponds *minimum*. And of course, the native fruit will be oranges.



hoodathotit said:


> It would appear that you prefer symmetry. IRL, so do I but, in this game, oddities in landscape and villagers make it a bit more interesting as well as challenging.



I don't personally prefer symmetry, I was just listing things I've seen people discuss before regarding what they don't like in a layout. The river in my main town Greens cuts the town asymmetrically and I actually prefer it that way. What I didn't like about my river initially was that it was horizontal, but I don't fish in the river often enough for it to be a real problem. The purpose of this thread is to find the "most challenging" layout, i.e. a layout people typically have trouble dealing with.


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## buzzing (Dec 3, 2016)

clueleaf said:


> I just hate when rocks are in inconvenient places, especially when they're in a place where you're planning to put a path.



this is a good one. if you want to make your town TRULY awful, place 1-tile paths in areas where they will inevitably be intersected by rocks.


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## Red Cat (Dec 3, 2016)

buzzing said:


> this is a good one. if you want to make your town TRULY awful, place 1-tile paths in areas where they will inevitably be intersected by rocks.



Yeah, it would be cool to see someone attempt to create the "worst" town and make it an attraction. Like make paths that look like you're walking on cow poop or something like that and litter the town with trash. Make the rooms as messy as possible. Dress the characters horribly. Thing like that.


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## Capeet (Dec 3, 2016)

Amy-chan said:


> Town maps don't matter, it depends on how people individually decorate them. I hate pastel and pink towns, they're as cookie-cutter as towns can be.


I have to agree with you! I mean, I guess maps do matter to some extent but what it's _really_ about is what you make of your map. Even maps that seem bad at first can work and look great with the right landscaping. I wish I would've realized that sooner. I would've wasted much less time trying to find the perfect map™. Now I work with what I have and am much happier with my town.



Amahara said:


> I'm aiming for the perfect crappy town, so all of these responses are really helpful. I'm planning a themed town and I want to make the best out of the worst the game has to offer.


This is such an interesting idea! I love it. Maybe keep us updated on how things progress? Good luck either way! I'd love to see what comes out of this.


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## Licorice (Dec 3, 2016)

A town hall by the beach is the first thing that comes to mind.


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## Amy-chan (Dec 3, 2016)

Licorice said:


> A town hall by the beach is the first thing that comes to mind.


Is that even possible?


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## That Marshal Fangirl (Dec 3, 2016)

One really big and one really small beach drives me insane.  Also rivers that dont cut the town perfectly in half.


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## Licorice (Dec 3, 2016)

Amy-chan said:


> Is that even possible?



I've seen them fairly close.


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## piske (Dec 3, 2016)

I remembered something else that I hate; when there is a strip of beach you can't get to unless you swim there ;A;


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## Cheren (Dec 3, 2016)

Cosmic Kid said:


> This is such an interesting idea! I love it. Maybe keep us updated on how things progress? Good luck either way! I'd love to see what comes out of this.



Thanks! I really wasn't expecting people to be interested in something like this. It's going to be so bad you'll love it.

I've considered starting a Tumblr for my ACNL towns, I guess it wouldn't be a problem to post updates as I develop both of them. I just want people to consider that, while they can prefer their town to be a certain way, they can appreciate a well-made town with a layout they would never pick for themself. Like Amy-chan said, layouts don't matter much, it's how you decorate them.


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## Zireael (Dec 3, 2016)

clueleaf said:


> I just hate when rocks are in inconvenient places, especially when they're in a place where you're planning to put a path.



Yeah, this is really the only thing that irritates me. When I joined the AC community last year, I was surprised to see how selective people could be about town maps. It really opened my eyes to how many variants there are, rather surprising. I can't say I'd really be irritated by something like  "lumpy cliffs" but I can see why some perfectionists would regard it as undesirable. I've never reset my town so I've always just accepted it for what it is, but looking at the criteria mentioned here in this thread, I can see specifics that would make a town a little more convenient. I have a split beach but it's never bothered me, I just use the longer stretch for fishing.

I can see why people would prefer things like Retail closer to the dock and their house nearby, but I'd personally favour aesthetic over convenience in that instance. I guess the biggest no-no for me would be the campgrounds being placed right next to a permanent PWP like the police station or campsite, that is unforgivable but also sad because we couldn't adjust that ourselves without restarting.


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## clueleaf (Dec 3, 2016)

Red Cat said:


> Yeah, it would be cool to see someone attempt to create the "worst" town and make it an attraction. Like make paths that look like you're walking on cow poop or something like that and litter the town with trash. Make the rooms as messy as possible. Dress the characters horribly. Thing like that.



This needs to happen ahahahaha
Someone can make a terrible town and share it with the world


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## Butterstroke (Dec 3, 2016)

Ekcriptia said:


> i've found this layout and i don't like it at all
> *snip*



Geez, how does that guy even live?


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## Cheren (Dec 3, 2016)

clueleaf said:


> This needs to happen ahahahaha
> Someone can make a terrible town and share it with the world



That's the plan.


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## smolfriskeh (Dec 3, 2016)

When people have green grass patterns in the middle of their snow patterns/grass/cement/stone/beach... like why is there a perfectly shaped square of grass in that pile of snow/dirt?
When people download cool looking QR codes paths but they don't get the corners! I mean it's okay if the corner paths are on your other character and you haven't placed them yet, I completely understand! but if you aren't ever gonna put the corners there it just looks weird :c


Also when a bridge or rock is completely hidden behind a building


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## Capeet (Dec 3, 2016)

Amahara said:


> Thanks! I really wasn't expecting people to be interested in something like this. It's going to be so bad you'll love it.
> 
> I've considered starting a Tumblr for my ACNL towns, I guess it wouldn't be a problem to post updates as I develop both of them. I just want people to consider that, while they can prefer their town to be a certain way, they can appreciate a well-made town with a layout they would never pick for themself. Like Amy-chan said, layouts don't matter much, it's how you decorate them.


Aw yeah, I really like that idea. I haven't seen anything similar being done before. It should be a lot of fun making that town! I'd love to try something like that too if I could consider resetting. If you end up making a tumblr, I'd love it if you could link it to me. I don't have one myself but I'd still love to pop by to see what's going on. Or if you ever make a dream address for your town!


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## Corrie (Dec 3, 2016)

Amy-chan said:


> Town maps don't matter, it depends on how people individually decorate them. I hate pastel and pink towns, they're as cookie-cutter as towns can be.



Yeah I agree. Like, who DOESNT have a pink town nowadays? Doesnt even matter about maps cause with the same themes, they look the same.


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## Spooky. (Dec 3, 2016)

Rivers that cramp the map, awful rock placement, bad town hall placement. I don't mind where re-tail and the plaza are so much, but for some reason, town hall -needs- to be in a decent spot for me.


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## TheMisaMisa (Dec 3, 2016)

Super long and windy river that leaves a really thin and unusable stretch of land, more than 1 pond, too many rocks, ugly and unrealistic looking paths, pattern-less tree stumps, diagonal bridges (they make the path look super weird imo).


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## Ninie (Dec 3, 2016)

Reading those posts, I think you all would hate my town. I have 6 ponds and love it. :X 

I don't really like those symmetrical towns where it's only straight lines and closed paths all around the town. Sure it looks great on map but wandering there usually end up in a linear/guided visit. I like to explore a town and find unexpected features. Other stuff I dislike : perfect oranges. If only they changed the color scheme or just add gloss like the other perfect fruits. Naaah they had to shape it so it looks like an orange pear or sick butternut. (T_T And of course it's my town fruit...)


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## Cheren (Dec 3, 2016)

Cosmic Kid said:


> Aw yeah, I really like that idea. I haven't seen anything similar being done before. It should be a lot of fun making that town! I'd love to try something like that too if I could consider resetting. If you end up making a tumblr, I'd love it if you could link it to me. I don't have one myself but I'd still love to pop by to see what's going on. Or if you ever make a dream address for your town!



I have two copies of the game. I bought the second one about a year ago because it was on sale for like $15, I've been thinking about what to do with it ever since lol. I can add you as a friend, and when I make the blog I'll post the link on your profile. :^)


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## dizzy bone (Dec 3, 2016)

I actually love this idea! I sort of experienced this with my 2nd town tinytree - loved the fact that it was apples / red station / brown town hall so much that I overlooked the fact that my map felt sooo cramped because of the town plaza placement which was smack in the middle, so close to a small but bendy river that had awkward slivers of land on both sides. It limited my use of the larger pwps. A month into the game I felt like I was already out of pwp placement options, since I secured my 10 villagers early on and had to work around them. However, I landscaped the crap out of it and I love my map now because I tried my best to work with the awkward spaces. I also realized a small map fits my town name perfectly.

So to sum it up, in my next town the thing I'd definitely AVOID is a plaza smack in the middle of the map and close to a river. If im being picky i'd avoid a town with a lot of rocks. Id rather have 3 ponds than 20 rocks scattered everywhere.


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## Tobiume (Dec 3, 2016)

the only thing I wish was different about my town was that the river wasn't so windy - 2 bridges feels like too little and 3 feels like too many.

otherwise I don't think anything makes a town all that bad.


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## macaire (Dec 4, 2016)

I love your idea.  Rocks are terrible.  I hate them near paths and other attractions.  And I hate the maps where the river goes too far up or too far down and leaves a little line of useless land there.  Sadly I have that kind of map.


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## Flutter (Dec 4, 2016)

My only peeve is ponds directly in front of the train station....I mean...who needs that?


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## Amy-chan (Dec 4, 2016)

Flutter said:


> My only peeve is ponds directly in front of the train station....I mean...who needs that?


For some reason, all of my past towns + current ones had/have that annoying pond in front of the train station. But what really bothers me about it is the rock that comes with it. Bye beautiful train station entrance, you'll be missed.


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## Hopeless Opus (Dec 4, 2016)

too many ponds. get them out of here. get them OUT


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## nammie (Dec 4, 2016)

A lot of rocks is the only thing I'd hate, I think I'd be able to work with anything else lol


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## Sloom Lagoon (Dec 4, 2016)

I HATE it when the river leave a like 2 space wide path at any point of the the map. A complete deal breaker! I also don't like oranges cause of their ugliness when they're perfect, I dislike having everything all bunched up and I don't like not having a U in the river to place my house in! I also don't like the river ending on the left, but that's just me
I don't particularly like my river at the minute, as I don't like the beach being split, and not having a small island to bury my pitfall in, but I can live with it since the rest is like perfect.


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## Cai-crossing (Dec 4, 2016)

Rocks.  Rocks everywhere.  I have a no-hack and no-cheat game right now as a digital copy (I have four physical copies because I have a problem, lol)-- I wanted to be super natural with stuff and have a forest town-- so I went with a map that looked pretty natural with lots of ponds.  Once I accepted the map, I found that on top of four ponds, I also had EIGHT really, really badly placed rocks.  I figured "eh, it's fine.  It's a forest after all!  I'll find a way to design around it!"  Yeah, nah, it's still just a big cluster of nope.  If I want the rock to be usable it has to have a 4x3 space around it with no qr codes, meaning these things also massively disrupt my paths.  I would honestly re-start, but I've already put 7 months into this town (especially my badges) and I love my villies.  It probably won't be so bad once I have my semi-permanent villagers and can pick up my qr codes for a more natural forest village, but right now it's a headache @_@


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## eurydice (Dec 4, 2016)

I don't mind ponds in theory but in my town there is one SMACK dab in the middle between Re-Tail and the Town Hall, which just seems to always mess up my runnings-around.  Even when I try to go low or high to avoid it I always run into it and have to go around, because it's a tall and skinny pond.  So annoying.


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