Temari
Senior Member
[size=+2]
Hello everyone!
Last year around this time, my town suddenly had really high prices. I was really happy, and made myself tons of money. Then I thought, why not share this with some other people?
- Introduction -
Hosting your town to sell turnips might be a turn-down (no pun intended) because of all of the responsibility it takes and all of the "what-ifs". There are some good and bad ways to open your town up to hundreds of people (literally). When I did host my town for the first (and only) time, TONS of people came. , and it ended up being a success. I had lots of fun hosting and meeting tons of people. I also made lots of tips. I was also complimented a lot about how organized my system was. Since then, I've seen a lot of "Should I host my town?..." "What if such-and-such happens?..." and "How exactly do I do that?..." I've been wanting to make this guide for awhile, but I've been super busy. Now that I have the time, I'm hoping that people can use some of my tips so you can be a perfect host or hostess when turnip prices are high. It will be pretty long, so be prepared!
- Preparing to Host -
I'm sure all of you have gone to Reese one day to check your turnip prices. I'm sure that a few of you have actually seen that huge spike of 400 to 600 bells per turnip. What do you do in that situation? Should you be generous and let others be apart of the coincidence that has happened? I think that you should. Even though hosting your town is tiring and time consuming, it's actually a lot of fun. I encourage all of you to try it out some time.
So...let's just say you walk into Retail one fine morning, check your turnip prices like you always do, and BOOM! Your turnip prices are 530 bells!...that's what it was for me one day.
You decided that you want to host, but where do you start?
- Helpers: You can do it by yourself, but I had another person helping me when I did it last time. My sister helped me out a lot while we were hosting. You don't have to have someone else help you, but it would take a lot of the work-load off if you do. So if you have a best friend that lives down the street from you, call them up.
- Time: Like I said multiple times before, hosting takes a lot of time! I did it over the summer last year, so I had a whole day to dedicate to this. Give yourself lots of time for not only preparing, but for actual hosting, too. It would be a waste to try to host during your 15 minute lunch break at work, aha;;
- Where should you advertise?: Now that you (hopefully) have some help, where should you advertise your glorious turnip prices? For me, I posted on TBT, tumblr, Twitter, deviantART, Facebook, anywhere that I could think of! Looking back, I wish I were to limit it because it ended up being a lot more than just myself could handle. Assess the situation: how much help do you have, and how much time do you have, then determine how much publicity you should give your event.
- Setting up your Town -
What if people steal my flowers?
What if no one tips me?
What if no one follows the rules I have?
What if they completely destroy my town?!
Woah there...calm down...
Remember, only 3 other people can be in your town at once
So what if some of those things are concerning you? I had a few concerns like that, too. Luckily for me, Retail is right outside the train station, so I didn't have much of a problem that some of you may face.
To keep the traffic organized, I would recommend digging some hole-pathways to Retail. That way, people know exactly how to get to and from Retail, and they won't wander off and destroy your hard work.
Also, I would greet and monitor everyone that comes in. You don't have to stalk them, but just check in on them every once in awhile to make sure that they aren't goofing off. I don't mean that you can just close your 3DS and let them do what they want; you should be available for them if they need any help.
Have some things lined up to keep you occupied. Although hosting is pretty time consuming, you will have some spare time every once in awhile. Standing around or running in circles isn't really the way to use it, so maybe you can try not doing all your daily deeds before you begin hosting.
- The Big Post and The Big System -
Now that you have your helpers with you, your town all set up, and the places where you want to advertise written down, it's time to make the big post and learn the system that I used.
If you are posting up on multiple websites, be sure to make your post "universal". It would be a pain to rewrite the post over and over again, just to fit a certain site.
First, I'll go over the system that I used, then we'll go into writing the post.
The System
The system I did was pretty simple in my mind...
Make a public list that people can see.
Sounds pretty simple, right? It was for me, but for others it might not be. It's not really making the list that's simple, it's managing it.
I had 3 lists posted:
- Currently In-Town
- Standby
- Waiting
Currently In-Town: Pretty self explanatory. Shows the people who are in your town. It also lets the people know that it's their turn to come in. This list will have 3 people.
Standby: This list tells people that they should be prepared to come in at any moment. This list should consist of 3-4 people.
Waiting: This list shows a portion of the people in the order of first come first serve where they stand. It's pretty helpful for others waiting to come into your town. That way, they can do other things and check back on the list for when they are on standby. This list can have from 10 to 15 people shown for public eyes. The rest can be in-order in Notepad or something.
On the list, you should put their username and everyone's friend-codes next to their name. Unfortunately, you can only add people when your gates are closed, so it's better to know exactly where their friend code is instead of spending time searching for it.
If you have a helper, they can be the one to manage the list while you are greeting people and adding friend codes. Also, try your best to add people before they add you so it's all ready. Managing the list would include regularly updating both the public list and the private list with friend codes, and showing where everyone stands in the list.
Now for the post...
The Post
Your post should include the following:
- A short message
- Rules
- Sign up
- Your Town name
- Your Friend Code
- The 3 lists
For the rules, mention anything that is important to you that you absolutely do not want messed up. Also include whether or not you want tips.
I've seen the question, "Should I tell people to tip me?" a lot so I'm going to briefly touch on that.
Tipping
I say, you should ask for tips. Last time I didn't, but I was tipped by just about everyone anyway. You are putting a lot of time and energy in hosting. You deserve to get something out of it. Don't be afraid to ask. But what if they don't tip? I hope someone isn't like that, even when you clearly stated that you would like a tip. They are receiving a ton of money, probably a locker load of money. It would be extremely rude to not offer you anything. If they don't tip when you asked them to, then I guess that's too bad. I hope that doesn't happen to you, though. "How much should I ask for?" is another thing that I've seen. That is entirely your own decision to make. I made a over 2-3 million bells in tips when I hosted, and I didn't even ask for any. That might seem a little money to you, but it also might seem to be a lot. You have to calculate that probably around 80 to 100 people might be coming into your town, and if all of them give you a 500,000 bell tip, you'll be getting around 50 million.
Tips are all entirely your choice, but I encourage you all to not be afraid to require tips.
Be sure to include a sign up method. It will be easier on your part instead of using multiple posts of mere replies to people about this information. The sign up that people should submit with could look something like this:
Name: (for adding into the friend list)
Friend code:
Villager's name: (so you know who to expect when it's their turn)
Multiple trips?: (if you decide to allow it)
Managing the post would include answering questions that people have. Be prepared!
- Opening your Gates -
You now have everything prepared, and it's time to start hosting! Here are a few extra tips to make your hosting a bit more efficient:
1. Don't be afraid to take some breaks!
When I did it last time, I didn't give myself a break. I really wish I had! People will totally understand if you need a short break. The only "break" I got was when I was eating lunch and dinner. Don't be afraid to take a break! It's a hard thing to handle, allowing so many visitors to your town. You deserve it!
2. Have time limits.
It wasn't until in the middle when I started placing in some time limits. Placing time limits will be good for making sure that many people can get in and out. After allowing a few people in at a time, you'll start to see about how long it takes for everyone to get in and out. I don't remember all the time limits that I had placed, but the strictest one I had in was getting to my town. There were times where I would post the group who was up next, and one person wouldn't come for like 30 minutes, and I would have to wait on them. I eventually put in a 10 minute time limit to get into my town. If they didn't come in, then they would be moved to the bottom of the waiting list.
3. Do it in group-style.
I highly suggest this one! Don't allow another person to come in right after the person leaves. You should wait for everyone to leave before allowing more people in. That way, you can give yourself time to add in more friend codes and answer any questions that people have.
4. Delete friend codes when its all over!
Someone might decide, "Hey, maybe I should go in one more time..." If you still have their friend code, it will save you lots of time because you won't have to add them again. Delete all the friend codes once you decide that you are done for the day.
5. Skype!
This is completely optional, but it is faster than PMing. You don't have to voice or video, but if you are willing to give your Skype out, then go ahead!
- Conclusion -
In conclusion, hosting can be a tiring and time consuming task, but it's really worth it! I had so much fun when I did it for the first time, and it's also a nice way to earn some extra bells. You'll need to know if you can get some helpers (which I highly recommend if you are planning to host for an entire day), how much time you'll be hosting for, and where you'll be advertising your high turnip prices. Also, you'll need to set up your town before opening your gates just to insure that people won't ruin anything. Using a list will help keep things organized and allow people to use their time wisely. Your post should include your town rules, and whether or not you should ask for a tip, which I recommend. Keeping a time limit in place will insure that you aren't wasting your own time, as well as others.
I think that's all for now. If I have anything else to add, I will update it. Please ask some questions, that way, I can make an FAQ. Also, if any of you want to see the post I made when I hosted, here it is: http://www.belltreeforums.com/showthread.php?73257-Turnip-prices-are-high!
I hope you all enjoyed my guide/method for Hosting During High Turnip Prices, and I hope you all have great success when doing so!
Thanks!
How to Host Your Town when you have High Turnip Prices
[/size]Hello everyone!
Last year around this time, my town suddenly had really high prices. I was really happy, and made myself tons of money. Then I thought, why not share this with some other people?
- Introduction -
Hosting your town to sell turnips might be a turn-down (no pun intended) because of all of the responsibility it takes and all of the "what-ifs". There are some good and bad ways to open your town up to hundreds of people (literally). When I did host my town for the first (and only) time, TONS of people came. , and it ended up being a success. I had lots of fun hosting and meeting tons of people. I also made lots of tips. I was also complimented a lot about how organized my system was. Since then, I've seen a lot of "Should I host my town?..." "What if such-and-such happens?..." and "How exactly do I do that?..." I've been wanting to make this guide for awhile, but I've been super busy. Now that I have the time, I'm hoping that people can use some of my tips so you can be a perfect host or hostess when turnip prices are high. It will be pretty long, so be prepared!
- Preparing to Host -
I'm sure all of you have gone to Reese one day to check your turnip prices. I'm sure that a few of you have actually seen that huge spike of 400 to 600 bells per turnip. What do you do in that situation? Should you be generous and let others be apart of the coincidence that has happened? I think that you should. Even though hosting your town is tiring and time consuming, it's actually a lot of fun. I encourage all of you to try it out some time.
So...let's just say you walk into Retail one fine morning, check your turnip prices like you always do, and BOOM! Your turnip prices are 530 bells!...that's what it was for me one day.
You decided that you want to host, but where do you start?
- Helpers: You can do it by yourself, but I had another person helping me when I did it last time. My sister helped me out a lot while we were hosting. You don't have to have someone else help you, but it would take a lot of the work-load off if you do. So if you have a best friend that lives down the street from you, call them up.
- Time: Like I said multiple times before, hosting takes a lot of time! I did it over the summer last year, so I had a whole day to dedicate to this. Give yourself lots of time for not only preparing, but for actual hosting, too. It would be a waste to try to host during your 15 minute lunch break at work, aha;;
- Where should you advertise?: Now that you (hopefully) have some help, where should you advertise your glorious turnip prices? For me, I posted on TBT, tumblr, Twitter, deviantART, Facebook, anywhere that I could think of! Looking back, I wish I were to limit it because it ended up being a lot more than just myself could handle. Assess the situation: how much help do you have, and how much time do you have, then determine how much publicity you should give your event.
- Setting up your Town -
What if people steal my flowers?
What if no one tips me?
What if no one follows the rules I have?
What if they completely destroy my town?!
Woah there...calm down...
Remember, only 3 other people can be in your town at once
So what if some of those things are concerning you? I had a few concerns like that, too. Luckily for me, Retail is right outside the train station, so I didn't have much of a problem that some of you may face.
To keep the traffic organized, I would recommend digging some hole-pathways to Retail. That way, people know exactly how to get to and from Retail, and they won't wander off and destroy your hard work.
Also, I would greet and monitor everyone that comes in. You don't have to stalk them, but just check in on them every once in awhile to make sure that they aren't goofing off. I don't mean that you can just close your 3DS and let them do what they want; you should be available for them if they need any help.
Have some things lined up to keep you occupied. Although hosting is pretty time consuming, you will have some spare time every once in awhile. Standing around or running in circles isn't really the way to use it, so maybe you can try not doing all your daily deeds before you begin hosting.
- The Big Post and The Big System -
Now that you have your helpers with you, your town all set up, and the places where you want to advertise written down, it's time to make the big post and learn the system that I used.
If you are posting up on multiple websites, be sure to make your post "universal". It would be a pain to rewrite the post over and over again, just to fit a certain site.
First, I'll go over the system that I used, then we'll go into writing the post.
The System
The system I did was pretty simple in my mind...
Make a public list that people can see.
Sounds pretty simple, right? It was for me, but for others it might not be. It's not really making the list that's simple, it's managing it.
I had 3 lists posted:
- Currently In-Town
- Standby
- Waiting
Currently In-Town: Pretty self explanatory. Shows the people who are in your town. It also lets the people know that it's their turn to come in. This list will have 3 people.
Standby: This list tells people that they should be prepared to come in at any moment. This list should consist of 3-4 people.
Waiting: This list shows a portion of the people in the order of first come first serve where they stand. It's pretty helpful for others waiting to come into your town. That way, they can do other things and check back on the list for when they are on standby. This list can have from 10 to 15 people shown for public eyes. The rest can be in-order in Notepad or something.
On the list, you should put their username and everyone's friend-codes next to their name. Unfortunately, you can only add people when your gates are closed, so it's better to know exactly where their friend code is instead of spending time searching for it.
If you have a helper, they can be the one to manage the list while you are greeting people and adding friend codes. Also, try your best to add people before they add you so it's all ready. Managing the list would include regularly updating both the public list and the private list with friend codes, and showing where everyone stands in the list.
Now for the post...
The Post
Your post should include the following:
- A short message
- Rules
- Sign up
- Your Town name
- Your Friend Code
- The 3 lists
For the rules, mention anything that is important to you that you absolutely do not want messed up. Also include whether or not you want tips.
I've seen the question, "Should I tell people to tip me?" a lot so I'm going to briefly touch on that.
Tipping
I say, you should ask for tips. Last time I didn't, but I was tipped by just about everyone anyway. You are putting a lot of time and energy in hosting. You deserve to get something out of it. Don't be afraid to ask. But what if they don't tip? I hope someone isn't like that, even when you clearly stated that you would like a tip. They are receiving a ton of money, probably a locker load of money. It would be extremely rude to not offer you anything. If they don't tip when you asked them to, then I guess that's too bad. I hope that doesn't happen to you, though. "How much should I ask for?" is another thing that I've seen. That is entirely your own decision to make. I made a over 2-3 million bells in tips when I hosted, and I didn't even ask for any. That might seem a little money to you, but it also might seem to be a lot. You have to calculate that probably around 80 to 100 people might be coming into your town, and if all of them give you a 500,000 bell tip, you'll be getting around 50 million.
Tips are all entirely your choice, but I encourage you all to not be afraid to require tips.
Be sure to include a sign up method. It will be easier on your part instead of using multiple posts of mere replies to people about this information. The sign up that people should submit with could look something like this:
Name: (for adding into the friend list)
Friend code:
Villager's name: (so you know who to expect when it's their turn)
Multiple trips?: (if you decide to allow it)
Managing the post would include answering questions that people have. Be prepared!
- Opening your Gates -
You now have everything prepared, and it's time to start hosting! Here are a few extra tips to make your hosting a bit more efficient:
1. Don't be afraid to take some breaks!
When I did it last time, I didn't give myself a break. I really wish I had! People will totally understand if you need a short break. The only "break" I got was when I was eating lunch and dinner. Don't be afraid to take a break! It's a hard thing to handle, allowing so many visitors to your town. You deserve it!
2. Have time limits.
It wasn't until in the middle when I started placing in some time limits. Placing time limits will be good for making sure that many people can get in and out. After allowing a few people in at a time, you'll start to see about how long it takes for everyone to get in and out. I don't remember all the time limits that I had placed, but the strictest one I had in was getting to my town. There were times where I would post the group who was up next, and one person wouldn't come for like 30 minutes, and I would have to wait on them. I eventually put in a 10 minute time limit to get into my town. If they didn't come in, then they would be moved to the bottom of the waiting list.
3. Do it in group-style.
I highly suggest this one! Don't allow another person to come in right after the person leaves. You should wait for everyone to leave before allowing more people in. That way, you can give yourself time to add in more friend codes and answer any questions that people have.
4. Delete friend codes when its all over!
Someone might decide, "Hey, maybe I should go in one more time..." If you still have their friend code, it will save you lots of time because you won't have to add them again. Delete all the friend codes once you decide that you are done for the day.
5. Skype!
This is completely optional, but it is faster than PMing. You don't have to voice or video, but if you are willing to give your Skype out, then go ahead!
- Conclusion -
In conclusion, hosting can be a tiring and time consuming task, but it's really worth it! I had so much fun when I did it for the first time, and it's also a nice way to earn some extra bells. You'll need to know if you can get some helpers (which I highly recommend if you are planning to host for an entire day), how much time you'll be hosting for, and where you'll be advertising your high turnip prices. Also, you'll need to set up your town before opening your gates just to insure that people won't ruin anything. Using a list will help keep things organized and allow people to use their time wisely. Your post should include your town rules, and whether or not you should ask for a tip, which I recommend. Keeping a time limit in place will insure that you aren't wasting your own time, as well as others.
I think that's all for now. If I have anything else to add, I will update it. Please ask some questions, that way, I can make an FAQ. Also, if any of you want to see the post I made when I hosted, here it is: http://www.belltreeforums.com/showthread.php?73257-Turnip-prices-are-high!
I hope you all enjoyed my guide/method for Hosting During High Turnip Prices, and I hope you all have great success when doing so!
Thanks!
Last edited:
