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- Thread starter VanitasFan26
- Start date
TheSillyPuppy
⚔️ Dedicate your heart and set it ablaze 🔥
Yup, terraforming can be a source of fun and creativity or immense frustration, depending on how you go about it.
I completely flattened my island in late February. Since then, I've looked for and visited various dream addresses to get some ideas. Honestly, I got more ideas for things I disliked than things I liked. I found a lot of the islands that look fantastic in photos are a hassle to navigate. I also tried out some planning in Happy Island Designer but kept going back on certain ideas, so my S/O recommended trying stuff out in-game to lock in on ideas. I had already spent under 10 hours over multiple days tearing down all the cliffs, so I didn't find mind potentially spending another hour or two of terraforming, only to undo everything.
During the past weekend, I have started terraforming, rebuilding bridges, and moving buildings. Some tips that help me streamline the process of demolishing cliffs:
1. Demolish cliffs in a checkered pattern (i.e. alternate between every row/columns of cliffs). This will minimize the number of cliffs that end up with the rounded edge, which then needs to be demolished again.
2. If you're demolishing a large block of cliffs and you want to minimize the number of times you need to change the direction of your character, demolish the cliffs (in the checkered pattern) from the longer side. For example, if a block of cliffs is 10 tiles across by 6 tiles down, demolish the rows of 10 tiles so you only have to position your character 6 times, as opposed to 10.
I wish there was a way to build cliffs more quickly (e.g. small blocks of x by y tiles or rows/columns z tiles long) and the ability to turn autosave off, but eh, it is what it is.
I completely flattened my island in late February. Since then, I've looked for and visited various dream addresses to get some ideas. Honestly, I got more ideas for things I disliked than things I liked. I found a lot of the islands that look fantastic in photos are a hassle to navigate. I also tried out some planning in Happy Island Designer but kept going back on certain ideas, so my S/O recommended trying stuff out in-game to lock in on ideas. I had already spent under 10 hours over multiple days tearing down all the cliffs, so I didn't find mind potentially spending another hour or two of terraforming, only to undo everything.
During the past weekend, I have started terraforming, rebuilding bridges, and moving buildings. Some tips that help me streamline the process of demolishing cliffs:
1. Demolish cliffs in a checkered pattern (i.e. alternate between every row/columns of cliffs). This will minimize the number of cliffs that end up with the rounded edge, which then needs to be demolished again.
2. If you're demolishing a large block of cliffs and you want to minimize the number of times you need to change the direction of your character, demolish the cliffs (in the checkered pattern) from the longer side. For example, if a block of cliffs is 10 tiles across by 6 tiles down, demolish the rows of 10 tiles so you only have to position your character 6 times, as opposed to 10.
I wish there was a way to build cliffs more quickly (e.g. small blocks of x by y tiles or rows/columns z tiles long) and the ability to turn autosave off, but eh, it is what it is.
See yeah I also have a love/hate relationship with it, though my love vs hate is a little different.
I love it because I used to get very frustrated about town layouts with previous games, and having this opportunity allows us to create SUPER adorable and gorgeous designs that we couldn't have ever done before. I love the little mini cliffs with the waterfalls and things. It's so pretty and attractive.
However at the beginning I was very skeptical and hesitant to enjoy this aspect of the game as a new feature because I felt like it was a little too "God mode" for my taste. Like, the thing I enjoyed about animal crossing was the immersion aspect and how you couldn't really do anything you wanted, some things were permanent/couldn't be helped and you just had to learn to work with what you had to an extent. When terraforming was first announced it felt like minecraft-y, paired with crafting and everything else (like moving houses). I wasn't too sure how I felt about that because I felt like it gave way too much power, and that it would therefore make the game a little boring since you could control everything. Almost like you're, again, playing mine craft.
But it grew on me a lot and that perspective disappeared. Though I will say that terraforming and the abilities we have now with customization do lead to decision fatigue. Having every option available sometimes feels like it's too much at once. It's a huge task to re-vamp or decorate your island now. I absolutely LOATHE the process of breaking everything down and building it up again, it is the most tedious thing on the planet to create square after square of cliffs lol. But it leads to some very gorgeous results, so it's worth it in the end.
I love it because I used to get very frustrated about town layouts with previous games, and having this opportunity allows us to create SUPER adorable and gorgeous designs that we couldn't have ever done before. I love the little mini cliffs with the waterfalls and things. It's so pretty and attractive.
However at the beginning I was very skeptical and hesitant to enjoy this aspect of the game as a new feature because I felt like it was a little too "God mode" for my taste. Like, the thing I enjoyed about animal crossing was the immersion aspect and how you couldn't really do anything you wanted, some things were permanent/couldn't be helped and you just had to learn to work with what you had to an extent. When terraforming was first announced it felt like minecraft-y, paired with crafting and everything else (like moving houses). I wasn't too sure how I felt about that because I felt like it gave way too much power, and that it would therefore make the game a little boring since you could control everything. Almost like you're, again, playing mine craft.
But it grew on me a lot and that perspective disappeared. Though I will say that terraforming and the abilities we have now with customization do lead to decision fatigue. Having every option available sometimes feels like it's too much at once. It's a huge task to re-vamp or decorate your island now. I absolutely LOATHE the process of breaking everything down and building it up again, it is the most tedious thing on the planet to create square after square of cliffs lol. But it leads to some very gorgeous results, so it's worth it in the end.
Bluebellie
Senior Member
I hate terraforming. It was not fun for me at all. Now that it’s done, I’m much more happier. I’m glad it’s over. My whole island is terraformed the way I like. Now I just have to decorate.
honestly same, and I'm even too lazy to terraform again because I have lost the idea on what I want to do with my island, now the left side is still mostly untouched as I'm too lazy to finish it plus I just am having a hard time to terraform as well as I'm not that great at it
I love it in theory, but I think it needs some QOL updates. I understand the logic behind making it a slow process, but I can't help but wish that it was at least faster to tear things down.
I also like the suggestion to unlock abilities to make it faster/smoother over time.
I also like the suggestion to unlock abilities to make it faster/smoother over time.
Imbri
Resident Night Mare
Terraforming can definitely be overwhelming, at least to me. I ended up sticking with small changes - added to the waterfall that was near my house to make a series of them, evened the face of the cliffs so villager houses nested up against them (sorry gang, but you don't have windows there, anyway), and chipped some cliff faces to make nesting stairs easier. I tip my hat to those who flattened everything and started over, but that would have me curled up in a ball somewhere. 
There was a definite learning curve, but it still is fun to put the hat on and ease a bend in the river or cliff, now that I'm in the "tweaking" stage of my island.
There was a definite learning curve, but it still is fun to put the hat on and ease a bend in the river or cliff, now that I'm in the "tweaking" stage of my island.
This is, if anything, why I don't have strong feelings with the terraforming aspect.
The final outcome is great, but I have no idea why the same button is used for both making and breaking. It doesn't work that way in other games I have - one button builds, another destroys. That way, there's no way for you to accidentally tear something down that you wanted to keep. The animation for building/destroying in this game is also kinda slow - I could make an entire house in other games in the same time it takes me just to create a medium pond in this one.
Like I said, I love the final outcome. But I hope that in future AC games they vastly improve the mechanisms.
tybalt_cake
heavymetallover
This game has a lot of moments where it innovates and improves something from past games and makes a step forward and somehow, at the same time, makes a step backwards.
Terraforming is one of those things, the whole process of terraforming really feels tedious, I swear to god there have been times where I do nothing but yawn when terraforming and one time I even fell asleep. It's just so slow the whole process of making a cliff that in the end you won't even like.
But at least you can get creative with that tool so.
Terraforming is one of those things, the whole process of terraforming really feels tedious, I swear to god there have been times where I do nothing but yawn when terraforming and one time I even fell asleep. It's just so slow the whole process of making a cliff that in the end you won't even like.
But at least you can get creative with that tool so.
I love the look of those mapcore maps, however it’s going to take me years to achieve that. I have decision paralysis about things with a finite number of options (like choosing from four starter maps for example), so you can only imagine how overwhelming the concept of terraforming is for me. I’ve started to work in small sections and I’m making good progress though!
I only ever did small changes and additions regarding terraforming, like creating a valley or adding a waterfall, but only small areas and maybe once every 2 months i did a project like that. So it's not really that tedious that way.
Now I'm pretty happy with my island so I'm not gonna terraform anymore anyway.
Now I'm pretty happy with my island so I'm not gonna terraform anymore anyway.
bestfriendsally
Senior Member (my name's charlotte)
i'm kinda nervy about actually making more cliffs on my island... i mean, i'm kinda okay with destroying little bits of cliff & a little bit of water if i want to put fence down or make a little bit of a area a bit bigger.. & i have a plan for part of marina's yard... but that's about it....
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I think flattening everything is just too much unless you are doing something elaborate. You can only actually see a small portion of landscape from a single vantage point...so it makes sense to set up an island as a variety of "scenes." Then you can update each portion whenever you feel like it and it's not too overwhelming. Well, this is the way I went about it, anyway.
TheRevienne
Photogenic Lawn Clippings
I absolutely adored designing and building up my first island, so I got a 2nd switch and copy of the game to do it again. I like a few others who've commented, flattened everything, and the built-up. I do like the process of terraforming, but I also have a love-hate relationship with it. When I was doing my 2nd remodel for my main island, I was partway through and was hating myself for giving myself all this work to do, but I was partway through, so I couldn't give up. At the end, though I was super happy with what I'd done, but I find myself wanting to change it all around again and remodel for the 3rd time, but it's the feeling of 'can I be bothered with it all again?'. My second island, the large majority of it is 2nd layer cliffs, and I did in small chunks so I didn't feel overwhelmed, my controllers, do an annoying thing though which doesn't help, and my character will spin the other way, so I'll move myself back to build the next section, but it'll build to the other side of me which gets annoying :'D
VanitasFan26
I'm just a ghost.
The most annoying about terraforming is that sometimes when you think you made the proper river and cliff it doesn't look right and then you have to tear it down one by one and start over again.
Maymeows16
Senior Member
I actually love terraforming since you can use your imagination and creativity to create so many things and I think it's really fun too~ It can take long to remodel an area and make it what you want, but it feels nice to end up with what you intended to make and it feels satisfying. I think getting all the items for different areas is a pain instead lmao.
Millysaurusrexjr
mrmpht
I'm weird so I kinda actually enjoy terraforming all around. There's just something really satisfying about it. Too bad my island is fully terraformed.
