# i wanted terraforming til i realized i am bad at it



## salem_ (Apr 14, 2020)

ok so
i was really looking forward to that terraforming thing (even if i didnt have any idea of which kind of map i wanted) i just thought that id find an idea or smth, i even refused to use things like happy island design, because "nahh things will come alone" but.
but then i got terraforming.
and just when i took away one cube of the island, i thought that one wrong move would **** it all.
so i took my time, went slow, trying to figure something, i am not pleased at all with my map,
but my first attempt was a sort of "ok let's at least make things a bit more decent" since i had houses all around, 
too many trees, couldnt literally see anything, so my purpose was just to fix small things.

just when i was *accepting *my map a tiny tiny tiny bit, i discovered that i used all my ramps.
this game literally told me for *12 goddam days* that we were having a bunny event EVEN DURING THE GODDAM EVENT
and don't even tell me that i have max 8 ramps. Don't even count them. I don't think tom nook ever talked about a max number of ramps.
(Yea, i read this thing about 8 max bridge and stuff but i forgot and i planned my island using a lot of them, 
i literally wasted 4 for a graveyard and 2 for my house).

So right after this discovery I was like oh man, im never gonna do this. 3 options in my mind

im gonna take everything down. cut trees, remove *8 built ramps*, re-do rivers and everything. lets start from ZERO
just reset the game (180hrs)
try with happy home island
thank god i picked up the third option, tried to find something decent and appealing, all good, this map seems good, yea nice, let's terraform.
i literally just did one water circle around my plaza and then thought "oh man im gonna **** this up, im not gonna get the right cube, the right space, everything will be-" *erase*.

So.
Right now im stuck with and incomplete and ugly map.
*What should I do?*

I am not really looking for a mega geometric and perfect city, I wanted to make a witchy village, some nice forests, trees, etc. I wanted to keep the island as natural as possible, because i know im not good at this. But right now i dont know what to do.

Pic of my island vs the island id be happy with:


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## TearsFromEatingFlan (Apr 14, 2020)

I am not much help but the map you want is similar to mine; I thought of having my villagers live on a cliff, with 1 house raised to a 3rd level. I saw a Japanese player on twitter have a villager's house on a cliff and I thought that was cool. I think you will have to connect some of 2nd level cliffs together so that you will need less ramps. Or get rid of the 3rd cliff so that both houses are on the same level. Also, the river mouths in your town do not match your made-up map, so you are going to have to rearrange it so that it matches. Other than that, your ideal map IS doable but you will have to sacrifice some of the ramps (you have 18 from what I counted, so you will have to think more on where they should be placed).


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## Khaelis (Apr 14, 2020)

Your ideal map is definitely doable, if you mesh some of those 'mountains' together.


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## salem_ (Apr 14, 2020)

TearsFromEatingFlan said:


> I am not much help but the map you want is similar to mine; I thought of having my villagers live on a cliff, with 1 house raised to a 3rd level. I saw a Japanese player on twitter have a villager's house on a cliff and I thought that was cool. I think you will have to connect some of 2nd level cliffs together so that you will need less ramps. Or get rid of the 3rd cliff so that both houses are on the same level. Also, the river mouths in your town do not match your made-up map, so you are going to have to rearrange it so that it matches. Other than that, your ideal map IS doable but you will have to sacrifice some of the ramps (you have 18 from what I counted, so you will have to think more on where they should be placed).





Khaelis said:


> Your ideal map is definitely doable, if you mesh some of those 'mountains' together.


but would it be easier to start from zero, or should i adjust my island piece per piece?
but at the same time im kinda scared to demolish everything


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## LuvDolphin (Apr 14, 2020)

I understand your frustration. With my island I didnt have enough room for all the houses so I had to redo a large portion of my land. Which I was really upset with at the time.

I had to demolish bridges and ramps and it took FOREVER to take down the mountain. And i used up so much money. but I can say I am much happier with it now.

My advice is going to be exactly what I did. 

0. Make sure things you cant move are where you want them to be! Before you put a bunch of work in. These things include. Townhall, river openings, private beach, rocks, airport and dock. 

1. Start with your rivers! Make the rivers how you want them to be (if any things in your way move it) 

2. Then place your buildings 

3. Then place your ramps/bridges 

4. Plant trees and plants ect. 

I really hope I helped in some way I understand your frustration completely and from my experience it takes alot of work to get it how you want it to be. I really hope you get your dream map. I know you can do it!  dont give up!

	Post automatically merged: Apr 14, 2020

Dont be scared to demolish stuff because your not truly happy with it! When your happy with it you will not have any doubts 
And it's worth it believe me


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## Feraligator (Apr 14, 2020)

I was kind of in the same position as you, I started terraforming away randomly and thought "this isn't working". So I took to Happy Island Designer and spent a couple hours (not in a row) just designing it and seeing how everything would go and I'm happy with the design, so I applied it to my island one square at a time. I'm now done with what I wanted and now in the process of moving buildings and building bridges and stuff. Some houses are in the way, but I just terraformed around them.

It took me like 4 days after designing (and making constant adjustments) real time to get the cliffs almost exactly how I wanted, and it's going to take me ages (since I don't TT) to move the buildings but, for me it was better just to start working from what I had instead of starting over completely.


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## salem_ (Apr 14, 2020)

LuvDolphin said:


> I understand your frustration. With my island I didnt have enough room for all the houses so I had to redo a large portion of my land. Which I was really upset with at the time.
> 
> I had to demolish bridges and ramps and it took FOREVER to take down the mountain. And i used up so much money. but I can say I am much happier with it now.
> 
> ...


thanks for your cheering, i really need that rn  wish i paid more attention at the beginning of the game, i really don't like where my plaza is, and id change my rivers as well, but i cant really throw away 180hrs of gameplay 



JezDayy said:


> I was kind of in the same position as you, I started terraforming away randomly and thought "this isn't working". So I took to Happy Island Designer and spent a couple hours (not in a row) just designing it and seeing how everything would go and I'm happy with the design, so I applied it to my island one square at a time. I'm now done with what I wanted and now in the process of moving buildings and building bridges and stuff. Some houses are in the way, but I just terraformed around them.
> 
> It took me like 4 days after designing (and making constant adjustments) real time to get the cliffs almost exactly how I wanted, and it's going to take me ages (since I don't TT) to move the buildings but, for me it was better just to start working from what I had instead of starting over completely.



may i ask you guys one more question about the happy island design? is there a perfect corrispondence between 1pixel=1 cube created in game? is it the same equivalent as the shovel hole? because i dont know ho to "measure" things in game. So just to be sure but 1pixel=1shovel hole=1 cube made via terraforming?


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## berry-fanta (Apr 14, 2020)

DUDE YOU FOUND MY MAP i'm glad it could inspire you! but lemme tell you that i'm no closer to completing that than you are, i designed it before i knew about the eight ramp limit and then sulked for awhile when i found out that i couldn't pull it off lol. i only have the moat built around the plaza so far and have no idea how i'm gonna proceed from there. 

good luck! it'll definitely take some effort but it's not impossible (besides there being wayy too many ramps lmao) ^^


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## salem_ (Apr 14, 2020)

berry-fanta said:


> DUDE YOU FOUND MY MAP i'm glad it could inspire you! but lemme tell you that i'm no closer to completing that than you are, i designed it before i knew about the eight ramp limit and then sulked for awhile when i found out that i couldn't pull it off lol. i only have the moat built around the plaza so far and have no idea how i'm gonna proceed from there.
> 
> good luck! it'll definitely take some effort but it's not impossible (besides there being wayy too many ramps lmao) ^^


oh MY I HOPED TO FIND THE CREATOR HERE
i really like it  it's so nature-friendly and with a lot of trees and special places for villagers, you really did a great job, i do like it more than all the excessively elaborated city map out there and i really wish to have something like that
let's hope for the best


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## Larimar (Apr 14, 2020)

I'm Jared, 19, and I never learned how to read, so i apologize if someone else already brought it up in this thread or if you already know xD but just a heads up that you cant change the river/ocean mouth locations, otherwise I think it's a wonderful map design you made!! I don't wanna convince you either way to either restart or not, because on one hand it would be easier to build from if you started with a better map, but on the other hand you'd lose all of your items and progress you've made unless you have a friend hold the stuff you wanna keep in their town while you reset and work back up :'O I wish you the best with figuring things out and may you make the most out of your game!!

edit: ah just realized the map you posted was someone else's, regardless I hope you figure out a layout youre happy with!! excuse my inability to read x'D there's so much text in posts lately i can hardly read


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## berry-fanta (Apr 14, 2020)

salem_ said:


> oh MY I HOPED TO FIND THE CREATOR HERE
> i really like it  it's so nature-friendly and with a lot of trees and special places for villagers, you really did a great job, i do like it more than all the excessively elaborated city map out there and i really wish to have something like that
> let's hope for the best


thank you! and yeah, as much as I enjoy all of the very city-like maps theyre just not for me :'D I just have to trade an excessive amount of path building for an excessive amount of terraforming i suppose hehe

also here’s my current map! added some cool waterfalls around the museum but otherwise i haven’t gotten much done. it’s a bit of a mess right now lol


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## salem_ (Apr 14, 2020)

Larimar said:


> I'm Jared, 19, and I never learned how to read, so i apologize if someone else already brought it up in this thread or if you already know xD but just a heads up that you cant change the river/ocean mouth locations, otherwise I think it's a wonderful map design you made!! I don't wanna convince you either way to either restart or not, because on one hand it would be easier to build from if you started with a better map, but on the other hand you'd lose all of your items and progress you've made unless you have a friend hold the stuff you wanna keep in their town while you reset and work back up :'O I wish you the best with figuring things out and may you make the most out of your game!!
> 
> edit: ah just realized the map you posted was someone else's, regardless I hope you figure out a layout youre happy with!! excuse my inability to read x'D there's so much text in posts lately i can hardly read



dont worry! its all good!



berry-fanta said:


> thank you! and yeah, as much as I enjoy all of the very city-like maps theyre just not for me :'D I just have to trade an excessive amount of path building for an excessive amount of terraforming i suppose hehe
> 
> also here’s my current map! added some cool waterfalls around the museum but otherwise i haven’t gotten much done. it’s a bit of a mess right now lol
> View attachment 242222



how is that you're struggling to complete it? is it because there are too many ramps or is it because is it hard to adapt that map to ac?
did you start from zero or are u just adjusting your current island?
man how i can hope to do something like that if even the creator is having troubles
NNNNNNNNNNGHHHHHH


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## Pimmy (Apr 14, 2020)

im not sure what you're worried about "cube"-wise? unless thers like, not room for something, every single cube doesn't have to be placed "perfectly" (whatever that means) and if something doesnt fit you can literally change small features in just a minute or two before you even lay down a construction pack. my bridge wasnt fitting where i wanted so i turned on construction, moved things slighty, then tried to place it again. painless. the only thing i recommend is just making sure you know where ramps should be before you commit to your cliff layouts


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## berry-fanta (Apr 14, 2020)

haha i just haven't had time to go through and move all my buildings, terraform, and then move them back. i'm just changing my current island around as i go! although now that you mention it, it would be pretty convenient to just, get rid of everything and then build from the ground up lol


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## Mello (Apr 14, 2020)

This is less to do with your dilemma, and more to do with how everytime I get a "great idea" and terraform/move something I immediately go "Wow, I hate it"


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## TheKryptoKnight (Apr 14, 2020)

Mello said:


> This is less to do with your dilemma, and more to do with how everytime I get a "great idea" and terraform/move something I immediately go "Wow, I hate it"



Saaaame. There's exactly one tiny corner of my island that I'm happy with currently. EVERYTHING else I've done, I've either undone, or plan to undo.


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## meggiewes (Apr 14, 2020)

I think you can do it! I had to take a picture of my map and then use the picture tool to put a very light overlay on top if the designer so I could get the river mouths and town hall exactly where they were on my map. Then I planned it out from there. I reccomend you do the same thing using your ideal map as inspiration. Then you can take it to the game.

It just happens day by day. Remember to take breaks and that you can always change something if you don't like it. And enjoy the process. You might end up changing your map slightly from the plan, but it will be unique to you and how you play.


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## Imaginetheday (Apr 15, 2020)

That is a beautiful map, but all the details kind of overwhelm me. When I design, I just put in the river, cliffs, buildings, and main paths. I can figure out the trees and such later. You may not be the same, so ignore this if you want.  

If you merge some of the cliff areas on the right hand side, you won't need nearly that many ramps. You can visually separate them with trees and the higher cliff if you want. Or, if you have a narrow space between them, you can just jump over from one to the other. For rivers, don't forget that you can make land squares in the middle of them so you can just hop over and not need a bridge.

The island blocks are 16x16, as are the ones in the designer, so I'd say it's pretty accurate. Don't worry about being that precise, however. Things look different on the island than they do on a flat map, so you will probably find you want to make small changes anyway. That said, there have definitely been times I've closely compared those squares between my design and my island map.  

Hang in there! I was overwhelmed for quite awhile, but I now have a clearer vision and am making progress.


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## Feraligator (Apr 15, 2020)

salem_ said:


> thanks for your cheering, i really need that rn  wish i paid more attention at the beginning of the game, i really don't like where my plaza is, and id change my rivers as well, but i cant really throw away 180hrs of gameplay
> 
> 
> 
> may i ask you guys one more question about the happy island design? is there a perfect corrispondence between 1pixel=1 cube created in game? is it the same equivalent as the shovel hole? because i dont know ho to "measure" things in game. So just to be sure but 1pixel=1shovel hole=1 cube made via terraforming?


Yep one hole = 1 pixel. 1 tree, 1 flower, 1 design block or 1 path = 1 pixel. 
I usually dig holes to count how many squares of space I need between a cliff and a river, for example.

My town is an absolute disgrace right now but since I finally got the layout sorted I feel a lot better. I think if you mess around with the layout on Happy Island Designer for a few days, get something you're totally happy with, you could start following that plan! It'll cost a lot but it's better than resetting, because you'll basically get a different layout that you'll have to terraform again anyway. If you time travel you can make the moving buildings processes quicker, and if you don't that means you're getting your money's worth out of the game because you're spending a lot of time on it.


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## JKDOS (Apr 15, 2020)

One main problem is the map you designed in HID (Happy Island Designer) doesn't have the same river mouths, or secret beach, so you won't be able to execute it exactly. You'll have to load your map in through image, or recreate some of it by hand.

I am a full advocate for HID (I'm not a developer for it or being sponsored). Having the ability to quickly and easily plan out your map lets you play around with ideas, and visualize what you can do. Once you create a map you're happy with, you'll have a game plan.

If you use a map you created in HID, you'll want to remove all rivers in the game, and all cliffs so you have a canvas to work with. Though keep in mind not everything needs to be removed. Cliffs for example can stay if they're in a place you want cliffs in the end.

EDIT: Just realized someone else designed that map.


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## Fuzzysaurus Rex (Apr 15, 2020)

I was in the same spot. I did as little as possible until I got terraforming, but I only had one idea for what to do first: I wanted my house on a cliff/mountainside up in the corner. I had fun doing that but for now, it's mostly done (until the rest of the island takes shape). I meandered around for a good while because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do exactly. I had a vague idea, but nothing concrete. I ended up designing a spot for my (current) favorite villager, made some pathways around it and started making a little shopping area where all my shops and museum could sit. I'm liking it so far and I plan to expand outward from here. My advice would be to just pick a spot or two for the most immediate needs to build first, like your home/shops and expand outward slowly in chunks, one at a time instead of trying to pre-design the whole island.


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