Opinions on comparing ACNH to ACPC?

[Pintuition]

I hope nobody takes offence, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. If I'm honest, I don't think many of the people making these generalizations that PC is better than NH must have played pocket camp from day one. I started PC literally the day it came out and it had almost nothing, it was a lot like NH in many ways, basic stuff with room to grow. It wasn't until like a year or so on where the fortune cookie furniture thing and all the events really took off and started to look really good compared to other games. It took them a really long time to get to that point.

My point being, that just like NH it was kind of basic to start with. There was no campsite helper plan or fortune cookie plan. It took a lot of grinding to get the items you wanted. I don't think many people realize you either have to grind hard or pay RLC on leaf tickets to have loads of these cool items. Pocket camp has these type of paid features of the game that NH doesn't ask for after the initial investment. To me, that's worth something.

At the same time, I do look at some of the items that come out for PC and think why the heck don't we have these, especially since it's just a mobile game and NH cost like $60. But I keep telling myself, think of the first year of PC, and then I feel better knowing that just like all the updates and events over the last year- more content can and will come to NH.

 

[WaileaNoRei]

I hope nobody takes offence, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. If I'm honest, I don't think many of the people making these generalizations that PC is better than NH must have played pocket camp from day one. I started PC literally the day it came out and it had almost nothing, it was a lot like NH in many ways, basic stuff with room to grow. It wasn't until like a year or so on where the fortune cookie furniture thing and all the events really took off and started to look really good compared to other games. It took them a really long time to get to that point.

My point being, that just like NH it was kind of basic to start with. There was no campsite helper plan or fortune cookie plan. It took a lot of grinding to get the items you wanted. I don't think many people realize you either have to grind hard or pay RLC on leaf tickets to have loads of these cool items. Pocket camp has these type of paid features of the game that NH doesn't ask for after the initial investment. To me, that's worth something.

At the same time, I do look at some of the items that come out for PC and think why the heck don't we have these, especially since it's just a mobile game and NH cost like $60. But I keep telling myself, think of the first year of PC, and then I feel better knowing that just like all the updates and events over the last year- more content can and will come to NH.

also keep in mind that to have all the features PC offers - ie both ‘plans’ you would be spending $132/ year (USD). Even if you just buy the cheaper plan and never buy additional leaf tickets or anything else, you will have spent more than on NH after 2 years. (not counting the Switch into the mix, though I know some people bought it just to play acnh, or potential micro transaction in pc which would be necessary to get all the items offered).

 

[Marshmallows]

As a game, there's no question NH is better. It's actually a full game with a lot more freedom and things to do. There's no comparison. PC is focused on collecting and decorating and very simplistic.

But Pocket Camp has a lot of items and more over-the-top decor. If I had to choose between my NH catalogue or my PC catalogue for NH, I'd prefer the PC items. Seeing the animals actually use furniture is fun, too. (And I haven't spent any money on PC, though I'm sure others have paid my share.) I do like the more realistic feel of NH most of the time, the items are really good looking, but they lack fantasy and many sets are missing or incomplete.

I know we'll never get all the items from NL or PC, but I do hope we'll get some of the amenities as public work projects or something like it.

I honestly thought I'd be done with PC for good when NH came out, but here I am playing daily again. Some days more than NH. I understand all the explanations about different dev teams, different platforms, etc... but there's really no reason NH couldn't have more and better items than what it currently has. Where's the food? Where are the houseplants? Where is the sweet set?

Spoiler

Here's a small comparison between the crescent moon in PC to the NH moon... PC is definitely more cartoony, but I like that fantasy element. I like the Celeste items a lot, too, but they are simpler. I do prefer the customization features of NH.

I actually don't have the moon despite spending all my saved tickets... Was hoping NH would fix the whole haves and have-nots thing, but they just don't have a lot of things.

 

[VanitasFan26]

To me I say Pocket Camp is better than New Horizons in terms of content. The reason why is because you have a Goal List that makes you do different tasks everyday and get different rewards. It keeps me invested and gives me more of a reason to earn those rewards. Also there is an actual friendship system when you talk to your villagers you invite to your camp or you need to earn their level by crafting items they want so you can invite them to the campsite. It felt really fast and gives you how much time it takes to craft each item, unlike New Horizons where you have to spam A to craft multiple items and it takes a long while to get materials. When you talk to villagers and when you help do requests you get a lot of materials as rewards the more you complete them.

There is some flaws however. Pocket Camp is a mobile game and it does have microtranscations with the leaf tickets and most items are locked behind it and they can be hard to earn. Also whenever you make friends in this game there is no way to chat with them or interact with them. New Horizons does do that better with its online despite how long it takes to go to your friends island.

Overall Pocket Camp does have a lot of content for you to keep going that New Horizons lacks. Its not the best AC game because its another mobile game with microtranscations but if you can look past that it can still be really addicting when you're doing so much things on your goal list and earning a lot rewards. So I say Pocket Camp in my personal opinion in terms of content is better than New Horizons.

 

[SlEEPYTEARRS]

i love both games and play them often (as well as nl) but i dont like comparing them at all. mainly because its been people who hate mobile games just dragging on pocket camp and saying it isnt a "real" animal crossing game. it was my first experience with animal crossing i could have and people have outright told me that it doesnt matter because "pc sucks"

in the end i know that they were made for different reasons, by different teams, and i dont think its fair to compare a mobile game to a mainline game

 

[Bluebellie]

I think its fair to compare new horizons to all the other games that came before. I do this with all games.

Instead of bringing back furniture from pocket camp though, they chose to bring crafting...out of all things.

I would have liked instead, maybe furniture or other mechanism. I wouldn’t have minded the market boxes they have for selling.

 

[JKDOS]

I understand all the explanations about different dev teams, different platforms, etc... but there's really no reason NH couldn't have more and better items than what it currently has. Where's the food? Where are the houseplants? Where is the sweet set?

While the development team can make all the difference, I don't see a problem with it being on a different planform. The original Animal Crossing was released for Nintendo 64, and yet the Gamecube port, WW on NDS, CF on Wii, NL on the 3DS and Pocket Camp on iOS and Android are all capable of keeping nearly all the furniture. Not saying it can be copied and pasted though

 

[Hsn97]

I feel that it’s a little unfair to compare any mobile game to a console game. They have different play styles, different audiences, different technical capabilities etc.

I do think it’s important to understand that there is a higher incentive for Nintendo to keep making interesting content for PC because it’s a free to play game that relies on micro transactions.

I have a love/hate relationship ship with both games. I feel that there just isn’t enough to do in New Horizons. I play for 10 mins at most before I’m bored.
On the other hand, I feel that Pocket Camp is a little overwhelming with how much stuff there is to do considering it’s a suppose to be a mobile game that you play for 5 or 10 mins at a time. I can easily sink 30 - 40 mins into it.

I enjoy both games. If I had to recommend one I’d say Pocket Camp is better. It has most of the core animal crossing game play as well as regular, decent updates. Plus it’s free to play. Sure there are micro transactions but I wouldn’t say that you have to spend money to enjoy the game.

 

[Etown20]

I understand the desire to compare them and have even done it myself, but I think it's difficult to make a fair comparison for two reasons (which others have mentioned in this thread)

1. Mobile games and console games are usually very different experiences with very different goals/business models. Pocket Camp relies on micro transactions, which is why it is so dependent on constantly adding new content.

2. They are at different points in their lifespan. Pocket Camp is in year 3 presently, and New Horizons hasn't reached year 1.

All that said, I do like Pocket Camp for what it is and it does have some good ideas (furniture, lots of new items each month, easy to swap out and meet all the villagers, etc), but I personally prefer the console experience.

 

[LambdaDelta]

btw, what are people even talking about with furniture being more interactive in pocket camp?

that game has absolutely zero interactivity with its decorations. hell, you can't even turn on or off a lamp, for crying out loud

the best way I can describe the items in pocket camp is 'store window decor'. they look pretty, but all you can do is look at them

Post automatically merged: Feb 25, 2021

that said, one thing I kinda wish new horizons had from pocket camp outside of the decor is the ability to have a default "always held" holdable item, if not holding something else. would be a nice way to make like umbrellas and etc more useful

Post automatically merged: Feb 25, 2021

also, wings. between pocket camp furniture and pocket camp wings, wings are far superior imo

 

[Etown20]

btw, what are people even talking about with furniture being more interactive in pocket camp?

that game has absolutely zero interactivity with its decorations. hell, you can't even turn on or off a lamp, for crying out loud

the best way I can describe the items in pocket camp is 'store window decor'. they look pretty, but all you can do is look at them

I think the point about interactive furniture is in regard to the animations the animals have when interacting with an item. Just one example, but in New Horizons, they will just walk up to an instrument and sort of flick it/tap it to play it, but in Pocket Camp there are special instruments they can hold and play.

That said, I understand this would be harder to do in New Horizons where the animations aren't fixed in place and the animals are constantly roaming around.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1331577761874522112

(not my tweet)

 

[LambdaDelta]

I think the point about interactive furniture is in regard to the animations the animals have when interacting with an item. Just one example, but in New Horizons, they will just walk up to an instrument and sort of flick it/tap it to play it, but in Pocket Camp there are special instruments they can hold and play.

that's not interactivity though. it's just a looping script of predefined actions

 

[tajikey]

There is more to a video game than aesthetics. I played Pocket Camp at launch, and quickly became disinterested due to microtransactions, mindless villagers, and a monotonous routine of clicking buttons. The batteries in my fingers died quicker than the battery in my phone.

 

[Etown20]

that's not interactivity though. it's just a looping script of predefined actions

I agree that's an important distinction to make. As someone who doesn't make/code video games, I don't know how hard it would be to execute something like that in New Horizons. It just stood out to me as something that *looks* better in Pocket Camp than it does in New Horizons (I say this as someone who prefers New Horizons).

 

[Felix Felicis]

I've played PC for a few weeks and appreciate the game, it was cool but you seriously cannot spend there too much time because at the end there is nothing to do.
However, the series they created are... oh my god, there is no word to describe them. So beautiful! So I was expecting a kind of crossover between the two, or at least items for PC added to NH, but infortunately it's not the case. Some says it's normal as people pays for this game a lot sometimes, which is understandable, but... these items, please! Last time I counted they were 70 new series of furniture very nice, various and unique! Some of them make me dream, honestly!
We have cool items too in NH, but not that marvelous, wonderful, I don't know how to express that. They are more simple, and that's a shame when you are thinking about all the series deleted from for example NL.

So I can perfectly understand why these items are not for us too but I feel very disappointed as the same time...

 

[heaven.]

considering the games have different developers (kind of), directors, producers, etc. no i absolutely don't think it's fair to compare the two. they're both animal crossing games sure, but they're different kinds of games on different platforms by different teams for different audiences. /shrug

 

[-Blue-]

I hope nobody takes offence, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. If I'm honest, I don't think many of the people making these generalizations that PC is better than NH must have played pocket camp from day one. I started PC literally the day it came out and it had almost nothing, it was a lot like NH in many ways, basic stuff with room to grow. It wasn't until like a year or so on where the fortune cookie furniture thing and all the events really took off and started to look really good compared to other games. It took them a really long time to get to that point.

My point being, that just like NH it was kind of basic to start with. There was no campsite helper plan or fortune cookie plan. It took a lot of grinding to get the items you wanted. I don't think many people realize you either have to grind hard or pay RLC on leaf tickets to have loads of these cool items. Pocket camp has these type of paid features of the game that NH doesn't ask for after the initial investment. To me, that's worth something.

At the same time, I do look at some of the items that come out for PC and think why the heck don't we have these, especially since it's just a mobile game and NH cost like $60. But I keep telling myself, think of the first year of PC, and then I feel better knowing that just like all the updates and events over the last year- more content can and will come to NH.

I always asked this question and no one could ever give me a concrete answer. About how full or bare PC was in its first years. I always wanted to know how the two compared with content wise in the beginning. Because yeah, PC now has so much furniture variety. I've never played the game, but I do like some of the stuff people share from the game and wish they'd be possible on NH.

Thanks for being the first to answer that question of mine.

As things are now, NH is more of a designing simulator game. So it makes sense why people would look at the PC furniture and content and be wishful that it'd come over to NH. I see how people comment about PC being just fancy and flashy furniture, but that's pretty much what would go well with a game like NH that looks like it borrows more from HHD but having the features expand to the outside.

People will also compare and judge all the time. We're humans. That's what we do. Even more so if the thing in question is a series of game sequels/prequels. I also see people always comment about 'How you can't judge/compare' and that is why I tacked this on.

 

[BluebearL]

I think that it is a fair comparison in terms of items, which Nintendo demonstrated a great deal of potential to develop and potential features that would/could have made New Horizons that much more of an enriching experience. Imagine if we could actually design a campsite, possibly separate from the island (to make up for the absence of a Tortimer type island) and we could put in all of these amenities and convince certain villagers to visit by enticing them with our setup etc. The items are for sure the number one thing that I was looking forward to seeing in New Horizons. After having seen the Pocket Camp items, I was expecting a very innovative and exciting game with incredible items. I can understand why so many have made this comparison with a degree of disappointment, I think that it is a fair and justified way to feel.