Pretty big exaggeration. I don't recall a single update ever being 1 item only. I've had to wait almost a year for DLC on games before and then pay for them. Free content every two months is not drip feeding in my eyes.
[deleted]
- Thread starter VanitasFan26
- Start date
Pretty big exaggeration. I don't recall a single update ever being 1 item only. I've had to wait almost a year for DLC on games before and then pay for them. Free content every two months is not drip feeding in my eyes.
as long as they keep updating the game like they have been i think i'll continue to be pretty happy with it, although i realize that's pretty unlikely what with the team focusing on splatoon 3 right now... and the fact that animal crossing is a real-time based game and we're a year into it (but the fact that they added new bunny day items is making me hopeful).
i'm definitely happy with my purchase of the game but i also 100% agree with the criticism of it, especially the fact that we have to pay for the online service, something that was entirely free in new leaf. there's so many quality of life changes i'd love to see in the future, but i'm not really sure if they'll continue to keep it up
i'm definitely happy with my purchase of the game but i also 100% agree with the criticism of it, especially the fact that we have to pay for the online service, something that was entirely free in new leaf. there's so many quality of life changes i'd love to see in the future, but i'm not really sure if they'll continue to keep it up
WaileaNoRei
Once and forever
I do think people are looking for different things in the game and there being some issues related to how people relate to creativity which cause some of the disconnect in experience.
For me, I am not super into terraforming, though I like decorating a lot (outside more than inside), and I am not particularly interested in playing with other people (aside from occasionally showing off my island to a close friend or doing some trades.) I am also outside the targeted demographic, since I am quite old, and I understand why other people might crave more social activities in the game. when I am not in redecorating mode I really just enjoy the game because I set up my island to be a sort of cozy homey place for me to escape from it all.
the appeal for me is to not have too much to do, and be able to just run around picking up shells and digging up fossils and fishing and catching bugs if I want, but not everyday, and especially taking with my villagers. I am very attached to all my little villagers and they are unique and beloved characters to me. In a way I like that they are not too determined (like I saw an old descriptor saying tabby liked tennis and I would not want her to be that preset with hobbies and interests I might not like). I like being able to fill in who they are in my own imagination. Although I don’t think my island is particularly unique, perhaps this does relate to the point someone made above about creativity effecting how we experience the game. I am a big reader and writer of fiction who likes to make up stories (not necessarily a good writer, or one who finishes their stories but still)
it makes me sad seeing people say the game feels empty, even though I don’t want to stop people from giving their personal experience.
but to me the game feels so rich with character compared to other games I have played, like Pokémon and the sims (where the characters have no definition of course but what you give them in your head). The villager dialogue may be repetitive at times, but the way they interact with the world and emote is so unique and adorable to me that it makes them more fully ‘real’ to me.
I do hope they add more villager interactions and dialogue (since that is the aspect I really see as being what will keep bringing me back each day long term). I feel hopeful at this point just because so much more was added to the game than I expected. and nintendo has said they will support the game for ‘a few years’ so personally I did not expect to have the game be done with new content in a year and still don’t.
got long there (sorry!) - very happy this thread seems to have very thoughtful and interesting opinions from both sides
For me, I am not super into terraforming, though I like decorating a lot (outside more than inside), and I am not particularly interested in playing with other people (aside from occasionally showing off my island to a close friend or doing some trades.) I am also outside the targeted demographic, since I am quite old, and I understand why other people might crave more social activities in the game. when I am not in redecorating mode I really just enjoy the game because I set up my island to be a sort of cozy homey place for me to escape from it all.
the appeal for me is to not have too much to do, and be able to just run around picking up shells and digging up fossils and fishing and catching bugs if I want, but not everyday, and especially taking with my villagers. I am very attached to all my little villagers and they are unique and beloved characters to me. In a way I like that they are not too determined (like I saw an old descriptor saying tabby liked tennis and I would not want her to be that preset with hobbies and interests I might not like). I like being able to fill in who they are in my own imagination. Although I don’t think my island is particularly unique, perhaps this does relate to the point someone made above about creativity effecting how we experience the game. I am a big reader and writer of fiction who likes to make up stories (not necessarily a good writer, or one who finishes their stories but still)
it makes me sad seeing people say the game feels empty, even though I don’t want to stop people from giving their personal experience.
but to me the game feels so rich with character compared to other games I have played, like Pokémon and the sims (where the characters have no definition of course but what you give them in your head). The villager dialogue may be repetitive at times, but the way they interact with the world and emote is so unique and adorable to me that it makes them more fully ‘real’ to me.
I do hope they add more villager interactions and dialogue (since that is the aspect I really see as being what will keep bringing me back each day long term). I feel hopeful at this point just because so much more was added to the game than I expected. and nintendo has said they will support the game for ‘a few years’ so personally I did not expect to have the game be done with new content in a year and still don’t.
got long there (sorry!) - very happy this thread seems to have very thoughtful and interesting opinions from both sides
I like the addition of more slots because I was at the point where I had to delete some because I had patterns that I liked more. Now I can bring those patterns back and add more. I got rid of the room I made the bathroom and am turning it into a game room. I have some custom patters on canvas on my second floor wall inspired by posters or items in my real room.
The features I'd like in are all the villagers who didn't come back in New Horizons and I'd like Nintendo to make them, except the Sanrio characters since those are non-Nintendo, available to all players. Next, Tortimer Island. Just do a copy paste and upscale the graphics. Lastly, Brewster and the gyroids.
The features I'd like in are all the villagers who didn't come back in New Horizons and I'd like Nintendo to make them, except the Sanrio characters since those are non-Nintendo, available to all players. Next, Tortimer Island. Just do a copy paste and upscale the graphics. Lastly, Brewster and the gyroids.
I agree with you so much. I don't mind people wanting things from previous games like Brewster. But I think the game is adding stuff slowly, and if you have a life you play animal crossing here and there, and the new updates are like little surprises. I haven't been playing acnh for a while because it's finals week for me in college, and when I heard about the update I was super excited and I will play over spring break. The game is gonna feel lackluster for those who are exhausting it. Minecraft gets boring even though there are endless mods and it's updated decently often. And even though a game like minecraft, with endless things to do, it still gets boring if you play too often. Idk I just feel like the whole point of animal crossing is to be a break.I think y'all are expecting more of an Animal Crossing game than you should. Sure, there's stuff missing that would be nice to see back — mini games, better dialogue, more events that aren't just do three things then you're done, yada yada.
But you guys also need to realize that Animal Crossing isn't an adventure game. It's not a story driven game. Building and taking care of your island / town, paying off your loans, etc. has literally always been the heart of this series.
I'm really not getting what people are going for other than a reboot of the past games, or a game that isn't AC at all.
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Yea! For me personally, the best part of anch is being able to have full control of designing your town. I can spend endless time redesigning my town, trading for items and making layouts. It takes so much time doing that, and that was the overhaul acnh brought to the table, it's what makes acnh new! So I think the updates have been coming out at decent speed!
VanitasFan26
I'm just a ghost.
Not gonna lie I took a step back and I thought of the people asking for Brewster. Everytime I see people always hoping for this and they don't get it, it causes a lot of backlash. I am thinking to myself "Well if Brewster does come will that be enough for people?" Its just something that came to my mind. Even there were some people that were expecting much from this one anniversary update that they wanted more but all they got was a cake and that was enough to make them explode. While I understand the frustrations of people being mad I think the bigger issue is that Nintendo is planning on releasing these updates its just that we don't know when and we should really slow down on expecting so much.
Now let me be clear on this. I think people have been expecting things far too quickly. People have been going on about Brewster for so long and I can see how frustrating it can be when everything single time it’s not meeting there expectations. I think that’s something I learned recently is to basically don’t expect much. Now granted there are a few times I’ve been quite pleased what the new releases like the Mario day update since I'm a Mario fan for example. With that said It just requires a little patience, Nintendo seem to be spreading things out I guess this is something we have to get used to according data mines Brewster is coming but when? Is a good question.
Yea I totally get where you're coming from. I think at this point, Nintendo probably did release acnh too early (maybe? and that's why a lot was missing in the beginning), but they are probably doing projects and figuring out a new and improved system for brewster. They probably don't want to release some characters back into the game and people be let down. Like heck, they introduced terraforming, so I am gonna give nintendo the benefit of the doubt and say they're trying really hard to find cool and new ways to reintroduce brewster, gracie, and some other familar characters.
Or... when they realized if they do introduce characters (like cyrus etc)in a poor way they saw how disappointed people were because the wedding event was kinda dumb, so they're really taking their time to not F it up.
No one really knows at this point. It’s all just speculation. I think any references to him where removed from the game since that update. But, since he’s a staple of the series and probably the most requested out of all the missing NPC, I think there’s a good chance he’ll be back.
I agree with this completely. The old games weren’t super content heavy. Do I miss some stuff like the island tour mini games in NL? Sure. But I don’t think NH is as empty as people say. Plus at least with this game there’s regular updates so you can anticipate new content. It wasn’t really like that before,
MidnightAura
Senior Member
One of the problems I have is that the free updates quite often are things that should have been in the game since launch. Swimming for example, Redd is another example, Brewster when/if he ever appears. They are treating the game like an early access game. Except people paid £60 for this game. So in fact the updates aren’t actually free.
It is not entitled to expect more from this game. It’s not about being New Leaf 2.0. It’s basic things like villagers not asking to come over/ you to visit. Favours been reduced, no request for games like and seek. It’s about the fact that if you have multiple of the personalities, you get identical dialogue. My Rosie is the exact same as Winnie. The only difference is the skin. Personally for me I love interacting with my villagers. I play all the AC games daily and NH is the first where my villagers are dull as dish water. Also I noticed that once when I was decorating for five hours in one session, my villagers never once interacted with me. They never pinged me or approached. That doesn’t happen in previous games. In the older games the villagers were vehicles for game play, in NH they are empty shells who are vehicles for cute pictures on social media. They are trophies that can be bought so a person can say they have the prestige of having a certain villager on their island.
It is not entitled to expect more from this game. It’s not about being New Leaf 2.0. It’s basic things like villagers not asking to come over/ you to visit. Favours been reduced, no request for games like and seek. It’s about the fact that if you have multiple of the personalities, you get identical dialogue. My Rosie is the exact same as Winnie. The only difference is the skin. Personally for me I love interacting with my villagers. I play all the AC games daily and NH is the first where my villagers are dull as dish water. Also I noticed that once when I was decorating for five hours in one session, my villagers never once interacted with me. They never pinged me or approached. That doesn’t happen in previous games. In the older games the villagers were vehicles for game play, in NH they are empty shells who are vehicles for cute pictures on social media. They are trophies that can be bought so a person can say they have the prestige of having a certain villager on their island.
People expect a lot from this game. It’s not a subscription game - for example like World of Warcraft. It’s a one off cost game.
Look at your hours spent playing in your Nintendo profile and work out the cost per hour played; then compare it to other Switch games.
I’ve played more hours on ACNH than any other game on my Switch. Over 100 hours of content to get to a 5 star island and I’ve not finished the museum or working on my island (I only got the game at Christmas). A lot of people have 1000 plus hours played on this game.
I finished Pikmin 3 this week... just under 7 hours.
Unless a game is subscription based then you will finish it and have done all the content. I’m in awe of the value and content of this game; it has amazing longevity. It’s not never ending, but I don’t pay anyone to make it never ending!
Look at your hours spent playing in your Nintendo profile and work out the cost per hour played; then compare it to other Switch games.
I’ve played more hours on ACNH than any other game on my Switch. Over 100 hours of content to get to a 5 star island and I’ve not finished the museum or working on my island (I only got the game at Christmas). A lot of people have 1000 plus hours played on this game.
I finished Pikmin 3 this week... just under 7 hours.
Unless a game is subscription based then you will finish it and have done all the content. I’m in awe of the value and content of this game; it has amazing longevity. It’s not never ending, but I don’t pay anyone to make it never ending!
I think your other points are valid but what you said here is true for the other games as well. I still play New Leaf daily and I have Ribbot and Snake who might as well be the same villager since they pretty much say the same stuff sometimes right after each other. However, in NH while the dialogue can also be repetitive, villagers of the same personality can actually have more distinction because of a fleshed out hobby and subtype system. I have Whitney and Judy and they feel different from each other because Judy would most often be singing somewhere in my island while Whitney usually walks around wearing different accessories each time like some fashion icon.
I only skimmed this thread, but as someone who has played animal crossing obsessively their whole life I’m not really happy with NH or this update. My complaints don’t lie with the the availability of items though, they lie with the overall lack of personality this game has.
I don’t care about how many hours I can spend in this game if they feel empty. I don’t have an issue with how much content is available. I have an issue with how that content was handled. I want villagers to have more personality and variety, I want the world to feel more alive. I’m not saying previous games did it perfectly, but it was such a breath of fresh air when I started a new WW town and I actually wanted to talk to my villagers, I actually wanted to take the game slow and enjoy the little things.
I like the NH additions (maybe not diys but whatever), but what they gave up for this additions is what is concerning to me. This game feels so surface level, sure I can make my island pretty... but that’s it. Animal crossing used to feel like more than that.
Edit: I also just want to add that it’s not simply nostalgia, either. While I’m highly nostalgic for WW, I played GC after NL. I still ended up loving GC more than NL. It’s hard to describe, but the older games have a cozy feeling, a feeling really unique to animal crossing that I think NL and NH lost.
I don’t care about how many hours I can spend in this game if they feel empty. I don’t have an issue with how much content is available. I have an issue with how that content was handled. I want villagers to have more personality and variety, I want the world to feel more alive. I’m not saying previous games did it perfectly, but it was such a breath of fresh air when I started a new WW town and I actually wanted to talk to my villagers, I actually wanted to take the game slow and enjoy the little things.
I like the NH additions (maybe not diys but whatever), but what they gave up for this additions is what is concerning to me. This game feels so surface level, sure I can make my island pretty... but that’s it. Animal crossing used to feel like more than that.
Edit: I also just want to add that it’s not simply nostalgia, either. While I’m highly nostalgic for WW, I played GC after NL. I still ended up loving GC more than NL. It’s hard to describe, but the older games have a cozy feeling, a feeling really unique to animal crossing that I think NL and NH lost.
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This is an excellent idea btw! It would be cool to hang out with people like that @.@
peachycrossing9
Taking a break :3
This. I am so completely agreeing with you here. I hate the way people try to compare the two as well. Acnh is a brand new game with plenty of exciting new features. It's not supposed to be another version of Acnl, it's supposed to be completely new and different. If people want the features from New Leaf so badly, then just play stupid New Leaf?
People are starting to become spoiled as well, which I hate to say but it's true. The expectations are set way too high.
MidnightAura
Senior Member
Nintendo is a company, they want your money. They don’t care about our individual wants and desires for this game. The game is selling well clearly without the need to give us back community requests.They are a business and we are customers and if you have paid for this game you are absolutely entitled to your opinion.
In any long running franchise there will always be comparisons drawn between the games. That’s natural. It’s what also happens when say Nintendo remove say the April Fools day event and replace it with an item you get out a machine, that’s not a direct comparison to new leaf, it’s a comparison to every Animal crossing game that has the holiday.
When Nintendo add back in Blathers (if it happens) there will be a lot of fans who he is not new for, because they are familiar with him. Nintendo clearly don’t mind comparisons to the older games because they are pulling from them heavily and calling it ”new” when for many it’s not the case.
In any long running franchise there will always be comparisons drawn between the games. That’s natural. It’s what also happens when say Nintendo remove say the April Fools day event and replace it with an item you get out a machine, that’s not a direct comparison to new leaf, it’s a comparison to every Animal crossing game that has the holiday.
When Nintendo add back in Blathers (if it happens) there will be a lot of fans who he is not new for, because they are familiar with him. Nintendo clearly don’t mind comparisons to the older games because they are pulling from them heavily and calling it ”new” when for many it’s not the case.
The only reason I'm not concerned is because this is the first game they have really done content updates like this. We knew that they would be focusing on holidays during the first year. I feel like year two is really going to be the make or break year for the game and until time passes and it happens, we won't have a good judgement on how it is going. For all we know, the pandemic could have drastically altered the timeline for the game.
I agree that Nintendo should be more transparent about things, but that isn't going to happen. So I'm taking the wait and see approach for this year.
I agree that Nintendo should be more transparent about things, but that isn't going to happen. So I'm taking the wait and see approach for this year.
To be real with you, this is not a "games as a service" game. Yes updates breathe life into the game and ots great that we are getting things to look forward to; but this is the game. Its not going to turn into something completely different over a year. Its a one time price and this is the game you bought. Ive put more than 1000 hours into it, and I have had my value for the money (although its far from perfect and I feel like the time spent is worth less here than in acnl) and everything from now is a bonus for me. The only thing I really hope will have a proper overhaul is dialouge so that villagers get a bit more deep and fun. Other than that (and Brewster ofc) I am ok with the game as is and I feel like its a bit weird to ask for much more than this really.
While mostly true, I want to mention that in Wild World at least, villagers of the same personality did not always have identical dialogue due to its hobby system, which worked differently from NH, since villagers not only had a hobby like fishing or collecting fossils, but they would talk about these hobbies and the requests they gave you would often be based on these hobbies. I could have multiple snooties in my town, but one could be interested in collecting furniture while the other liked catching bugs, and so they'd be distinguishable that way. NH villagers don't talk about their hobbies at all, so there's nothing that distinguishes one of my normals from another when I talk to them (except for subtype stuff I guess, but I really don't notice much of a difference between subtypes).
Here's my view on NH:
The customization in this game is amazing, and although I'm not very creative, I really enjoy trying to arrange various areas on my island; I never got into decorating my town in NL because PWPs were costly and time-consuming, and I was never really sure of where I wanted anything. NH hands you ultimate power and freedom and you can design to your heart's content, and it's great at doing that!
That being said, I fell in love with the series in Wild World because of the characters, immersion, and being able to make friends out of my villagers; I loved talking to my villagers all the time and got excited whenever I got a special visitor, like Gracie or Saharah. The special character episodes were great, and it even had that cool red turnip trade sequence with the special characters! Back then, the cast of characters were what made the game. Now, the special characters have no story and only exist to be helpful, and the villagers are decorations (although I won't ignore the fact that they have improved how villagers interact with their surroundings and how they do more idle activities).
That's where I have issues with NH. I think it's improved over NL; I have no real attachment to NL (apart from the furniture selection), as WW beats it in terms of characters and charm and NH beats it in customization and freedom. I won't talk more about NH's dialogue here as I know that topic's brought up all the time. But the special characters have always been a pretty important part of the series, and they help to create that quirky, charming atmosphere. Did I use Katrina in NL? Practically never. I didn't use her much in WW or CF, either. She's pretty pointless, but she's been in every single game since the beginning, and having a game without Katrina just seems wrong, and for that reason I'd be thrilled to see her come back. NH could easily expand on her role, too; they could have her operate a small shop in her tent, offering various mystical items, for example. Or since Nintendo likes pushing online subscriptions so much, what about the charm system from CF? (I wouldn't want it, but maybe if there was a way to do it individually :P)
Even Harriet is someone I'd want back. Yes, we can change our appearance with a mirror and it's a lot more convenient, but for me AC has never been about convenience. Maybe I'm one of the few that thinks this way, but I'd rather be forced to go to Harriet to change my appearance than be able to change it on a whim and have Harriet nowhere in the game. But even the way it is now, Nintendo could have Harriet sell special hair colours/styles, differently coloured contacts, or even highlights or something!
Another thing I want to bring up is the missing furniture series. The previous entries all built up a huge selection of furniture series that expanded on the previous game, and NH replaced it all with new stuff. That's not to say I don't like any of the new stuff, because there are a lot of NH items I love, but for long time players of the series, I think many of us would have gotten attached to certain items that we're disappointed to see cut from the game. For example, I miss the blue series, which has been in every AC game until now - yes, it's sort of been replaced by the wooden series customized to be blue in NH, but it's not the same; what about the diamond motif it had in its items? Yes, it's a minor thing, and the wooden series is more flexible, but for me, those little quirks were what made it unique and special. I don't think it's much to expect something that has been in every prior game to return in NH; yes, it's not the same game, but when you take out so many of the things that were a part of the series for so long, it starts to feel like a different series.
I know NH is meant to be a completely new game and not just New Leaf 2.0. New Leaf was a completely new game at the time too and was definitely not City Folk 2.0 - it was totally different from CF as it handed you so much control and customization and new locations. It added these things without cutting so much of the stuff that fans who have played previous games have gotten attached to. Not everything needs to be cut or replaced to have a totally new game.
Also, despite NH having a lot of furniture items, how much is actually accessible? Considering how we're locked to one variation per item per island, we have very little chance to get items we can't get on our own without paying extra for a subscription (I realize $20/year is not a lot, but it's the principle of having to pay for furniture when we could get it all on our own without trading in prior games). I don't know if CF or NL used a furniture group system, although I think WW did, but in a way that you got one group more often, but you always had a chance of getting items from the other two groups. I'd be fine if NH at least gave me a chance to have the sky blue cute series show up at Nook's Cranny instead of knowing I'll never see anything outside the white one.
The probability of AC going back to being more of a life simulation again is practically zero considering its popularity as an island designer, but why not have a balance of both? I think it's great that people love and enjoy NH, and I enjoy it too despite the issues I have with it; I just find it sad that they've dropped so much of the content that's been in the series for so long. By getting feedback from those who preferred the older games and those who prefer the newer ones, hopefully one day Nintendo will release a game that appeals to both. Obviously no game will make everyone happy, but I think AC has the potential to release a game that's strong in both life simulation and designing aspects - I just don't think NH is that game. Not now, at least.
While I found the first year of updates to be mostly disappointing, I'm hoping that it's due to what others are saying in that the first year was focusing on holidays, and now we'll start to see bigger stuff. I think Bunny Day is actually encouraging for this; it seems like instead of creating a new Bunny Day event this year, they're copying over the old one and adding a few new pieces of furniture in Nook's Cranny. I can't imagine them doing holiday updates which consist of only putting in some extra furniture in the shop, so I'm thinking they'll have additional stuff to release alongside them. My hope is that in some future update, we can access a city-like area where we'll be able to find Katrina, Harriet, Gracie, and others, and I think that's possible; after all, we still don't know what purpose the dock will have - maybe none, but I don't think it's a stretch to think that the 2.0 update (whenever it happens) could bring Kapp'n docking his boat there to take us to some of the long-lost special characters. For now, I'm going to remain optimistic about the return of some of the old characters, at least, but I won't count on anything beyond that.
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You hit the nail on the head, at least for me.Unlike others, I’ve loved NH events like Toy Day or Festivale because they gave me memories of my town and villagers. Right now I feel more like a god constructing a living diorama than an active participant in a town. I can change the landscape at will, force my neighbors to move, and personally fund every new project. It’s not that it isn’t fun to do so (I’ve played a lot of this game like everyone else), but it’s hard for me to connect with the world I’m creating. I want more buildings not because I ever really played the coffee mini game (I didn’t) but because I miss when my town felt like a town. This island is twice the size of my NL town but has the same number of villagers and even fewer buildings. Everything is desolate. I built a gorgeous waterfall area in the center of town about 11 months ago and to this day have seen a villager inside......three times. If I’m building a town, I want it to be used by its residents. I want to share it with them through events and unique interactions like the old WW holidays. When the aesthetics are an end goal and the only form of gameplay, it just doesn’t feel as powerful. I loved designing my NL town because running through it each day as I played was rewarding. But now designing is really the only thing I have to do. I adore the new graphics and options, but I miss when the game wasn’t mostly designed to be a series of screenshots on somebody’s Tumblr. It feels like the creators recognized the immense power of social media marketing for their past game and heavily catered this installment to those who wanted perfect control over the look of their town, their villagers and their villagers’ homes and clothes, and their pathing. Which is why nearly all the items are now catered to either a cottagecore style or a cutesy pastel style. In New Leaf, I spent literal months running from place to place every day to slowly develop dirt paths for my forest town. I loved those paths—not just because I had to work for them, but because they reflected the small daily buildup of so much joyful gameplay. The design is no longer integrated with the daily experience; it’s literally an app you switch on and off.
