Of course they'll improve and change stuff. The focus on this installment has been mainly "creativity" so who knows what they will do next.
I don't think we have to worry about this for a long time. Franchises continue to have longer waits between games, and Animal Crossing has become the same way, especially if we have DLC. At the earliest, we'll be getting another game in the mid-late 2020s and on a new console.
there’s always room for improvement - there’s always room for more features and more things to do and discover. i mean, new leaf introduced a bunch of new features and now new horizons is doing the same so it’s thrilling to think about what the future could hold. they can introduce new terrains, new villagers/animal species, new furniture and clothing, new npcs, etc. the possibilities are endless in animal crossing
They always find a way to make games better or atleast make them different and still of high quality. I didn't think the mario franchise could ever top Super Mario World and similarly thought the Zelda franchise was peeking with A Link To The Past. Both still delivered a lot of good games. Thanks to better hardware and the possibilities it also provided for new ideas. I don't think Animal Crossing will be very different, since this game is proof they know very well what they are doing.
Definitely -- there is always room for improvement.
I would like exploration to be a big part of the next Animal Crossing game for sure. You can see ACNH is already touching upon the exploration element with those randomly generated islands, but I think it would be amazing if the world felt as large as it does in the anime. A fully 3D world in the third-person perspective, everything upscaled, lots of different places to see and grab resources from (caves, mountains, beaches, etc.), and a much bigger town with much more varied landscapes.
All of that said though, I'm very happy with the direction they've taken Animal Crossing in for now, and I'm very excited to start playing!!
I think cooking with the fruit and other items would be a fantastic idea! Perhaps the food you make could also give you bonuses like better chance to catch bugs or fish, villagers like you more or you can run faster.
45 degree furniture placement would also be soooo desirable!