Day 35 - Feb. 4 - "Thriften Reborn!"

Animal Crossing: City Folk has a few differences than it's Gamecube adaptation. For one, the graphics make the whole game appear a lot smoother. This was the first thing I noticed when I started the game up, ready to educate myself on the fundamentals of this Wii title.

And nothing big has really changed.

Quite honestly, it almost feels like this game is nothing more than an expansion pack, similar like something you would pick up for The Sims. The town's roles for the various important villagers like Nook, Blathers, and Pelly are more broad and optimized for the expansions. Blathers can now legally identify your fossils so you don't send ten letters a day to get the things stamped with an ID tag. You can take a bus to the city area and shop there. The museum now has a fancy cafe. Tons of other little details that I may get into later.

I'm much more satisfied with the neighbors I got in this town than the last Thriften I started up. I settled between two wonderful animals, Jay (bird) and Melba (kaola). They are both fun and much more easy on the eyes than the other residents. I feel like I got lucky with Melba because the rest of the kaola's are close to nightmare fuel.

I find it difficult to try to surmise where to start this month off other than what I've been focusing on in game. For one, I'm enjoying fishing since the other activities haven't yet hit it off with me (bug catching, watering flowers, etc.). There's an enormous amount of content here that I plan to unlock as time goes on.So, again, nothing of much to mention other than my struggle with trying to figure what next big post will be about.

-Fore

Day 31 - Jan. 31 - "Thriften."

It has been FOREVER since I updated. To cut it short, I haven't been the most motivated to update the Ggamecube version because the new town I got was...derp-alicious.

When playing the first hour or so of a new town, you'll start to understand whether or not you'll like it due to a number of things that are randomly decided. I have mixed issues with my town of Thriften.

Take the map layout for instance. One thing every town has in an Animal Crossing game has a post office, Tom Nook's store, the police station/lost and found, the Museum, and the Able Sisters (a clothing design shop that allows you to design your own clothes and umbrellas). The placement of these varies in each town. Tom Nook's store may be right next to the train station while the Museum may be far to the east of town. In my town everything is crammed into the western corner of the town that leaves The Able Sisters clothing store the only thing of interest to the eastern side.

Every town has a river. The river has bridges that allow easy passage from one side of the town to the other, but the placement of these bridges is often very disheartening. Eventually, the player will be able to plan their routes effectively, but with my town such routes are practically ineffective since I have almost no reason to cross the river unless I want to steal things from the lost and found or visit the Able Sisters. Thriften appears to have congregated at the north west corner of the town, leaving much of it bare and pointless.

The residents are also gross. I have a over flux of frogs, one of whom is called WART JR. and I am outnumbered by personalities and neighbors I find unlikeable both aesthetically and interpersonally. The coolest one is by far a pig named Cobb because I had no idea pigs were available in Animal Crossing. One thing I can give merit to this game is that it will always surprise you.

So yes. I've felt very dissatisfied with the town I recieved. Plus, I'm more excited about what the Wii version will offer since I never truly played through it. So while this blog went through a dark time, I do believe I've touched some issues with my impressions of the Gamecube version and I hope to explore that more thoroughly in March.

-Fore

Day Nine - Jan. 9, 2012 - "Lack Thereof."

I feel like there's something missing.

I've been spending the last few days trying to propose to myself what sort of conclusion I want to make from my old town before starting a new one, hence why I haven't updated. Quite honestly, nothing comes to mind because there's nothing left I truly want to pursue with Vision (the name of my Animal Crossing village). Sure, I never truly grabbed every tiny thing that is to be seen in the game or gotten a perfect score with the Happy Room Academy, but rather I think things began to dwell into an unfruitful state when I finished what I considered to be the final arc with my neighbor Bill.

I've been meaning to talk about this particular animal for awhile now and it's probably the sole reason why I've been unable to push for anything interesting to ponder about in Animal Crossing except this simple fact.

The player decides when the game ends.

Technically, you could play Animal Crossing until the sun exploded. The only issue is when is the player satisfied with their experience and what has become a fun habit turn into a monotonous drawl? The changing of the seasons and looking out for various events on certain days are there, surely, but the game struggles to continue to enthrall you in it's long term plan.

Perhaps I was missing one vital element that the Gamecube version had that made the game become something more: four players one village. I'm missing the social outlet that the game boasted back when it had first come out. In my perspective it was meant to be a game that could be shared with anyone. My home is the only one currently occupied in my Gamecube memory card. I can grok (love) the game as much as I want for it's single player experience, and I do, but when I began to talk about it with friends who had played it before I felt this wave of excitement and wonder work it's way through my brain.

I shared stories about what I preferred to do in my afternoons there, how I would NEVER set the system clock to a different time just to cheat my way to some free items and events, and about the time Bill decided to move away.

This was something I had never encountered before. I had spent a lot of time talking to Bill and picking up his rulers and gameboys he had left at other animals houses. More specifically he was the one animal I found to be really entertaining in his goofy ways.

Then he told me he wanted to move away.

That he would probably never see me again. He was sorry, he said (with big, wet, SAD eyes), but he needed to do this.

For some reason, I began to think up a reason for why he would suddenly want to make such a drastic move from the village? His bugs were all packed up and ready to go and I implored, vigorously, for him to stay.

His reaction astounded me. He became to wiggle and I believe he was close to bursting out in tears as he rushed in his house to quickly unpack all his things, yelling over his shoulder that he never knew I cared that much about him. He was in high spirits the day after.

To me, that just sounds like something wonderful to end on for an experience like this. In fact, around this point in any other game something might come forward to challenge this new bond the characters have, proving their worth to each other as well as the benefit of FRIENDSHIP.

That would never happen in Animal Crossing. It's simply not that kind of game. Animal Crossing is a place to escape from the everyday occurrences of your average life with one that appears so much more easier to manage. Nothing horrible occurs, nothing negative really catches by surprise (save Mr. Resetti). Animal Crossing lacks an endpoint, where everything you've learned from thereon culminates into one last ditch act that resolves the major issue.

Quite honestly, I don't see that sort of grand scale accomplishment in Animal Crossing save for paying off your debt to Tom Nook or stopping my best friend from leaving. Nothing in the game tells me it's time to move onto other games and perhaps real life. It just keeps going until you eventually let it starve you of interest.

Is this wrong? I can't say just yet. What I will say is that I'm going to move on here and now in Animal Crossing. I am going to start anew with a new town, a new name, and new neighbors. Some ole' Tom Nook though.

-Fore

Day Five - Jan. 5, 2012 - "Four Months Later."

I went back to town. After four months. This'll be short because I have to be honest here.


It was quite lackluster.

This is Bill. My best friend who happen to be a duck. He isn't very distressed as to where I've been.

After that things went back to normal all over town. Except for snow. There was a lot of snow.

Anyways.


This is what happens when you do not play Animal Crossing for a long time. Although I've heard various stories from friends where some animals begin to question whether you're a secret agent or not when you're gone for so long, but that's as entertaining as it gets.


In my short run through in my village I noticed little had changed except for an influx of weeds, seasonal changes, and slightly aggravated neighbors. I was expecting EVERYONE...okay, well a few folks to have moved away. Everyone's still in their houses though.


I admit, I'm a bit dissapointed. It's another aspect of Animal Crossing that lacks considerable depth. Still, it's something I'll cover later on when I hitch a ride with the TARDIS someday and travel to times unknown!


See you guys tomorrow! Hopefully it will hold something more interesting than slightly annoyed best friends.


-Fore

Day Four - Jan. 4, 2012 - "The Capitalist; Part One."

Tom Nook.


There are many who cringe at the sound of that name. Why?

OPPORTUNIST

After a friendly, and possibly annoying, conversation with a cat named Rover he sets you up with a friend of his. A raccoon by the name of Tom Nook greets you as you exit the train station. This is very important because you, being a responsible individual ready take life by the horns, did not first work out where you'll live in this new town. You are essentially homeless until Tom graciously shows you the four shacks that he has available for you!

I mean it when I say shacks. All of them are in terrible condition, some having tin wallpaper or wire grating floors. These are easy to beef up and improve after an hour or two in game, but it made me less excited about moving in. These are the only houses Tom Nook has to offer? What a stupid town.

As it should be. I deserve this sort of turnout if I didn't take this new step in life patiently and explore my options more clearly before buying a train ticket and riding off into a weird, crazy village! WITH NO JOB.

There in lies a large issue. The player is forced into this situation that they really didn't have control over. At times, Tom seems to really want to help the player get settled in. I respect that sort of generosity. Then he decides to offer you a job at his shop! GOOD GRACIOUS! That's fantastic! That solves all my life problems right there! There probably aren't any other good paying jobs in this tightly knit little town and Tom's willing to go out on the line for this new face. The player has so far proved that they are impatient, prone to be unprepared, and poor. Lets go over that bit.

Your mortgage for whatever shack you pick is about 19,500 bells (the currency in Animal Crossing). You promptly go into your inventory and give Tom 1,000 bells. This is all that you have other than the clothes on your back. 


Immediately, he laughs at you. I'd laugh to. How utterly unprepared and silly our character is sometimes. Regardless, Tom Nook wants to make this whole deal pass with the player having a roof over their head and decides to give you a job. GIVE YOU A JOB. This is another instance where the player isn't given a choice. Not that there is much of a choice to begin with.

Some stop here and go immediately to one side of the line. Tom Nook is obviously taking advantage of you. Hell, he's taking advantage of every animal in town! He has a monopoly on the place, being the only place where you can purchase anything! Even worse, this is practically slave labor! You want me to plant flowers? WHAT? You want me to go ahead and write up these damn slogans for your shop? ARE YOU A LAZY BASTARD? 

He follows you like a shark throughout your store, making sure to spout nonsensical descriptions about his products whenever you want to purchase something. In other games, the shop is just a pitstop where you buy what you need and move on. Why waste my time with this crap?

Lets assume that Tom Nook is, in fact, wanting a wad of your money. Or what money you can make. Why hire you then? Why give you a job at all and just tell you to go and make some dough however you can. If that was what would have happened the player would have eventually gotten frustrated if the game wasn't able to provide some clarity on HOW you make money or how you interact with the villagers.

Lets imagine for a second how this introduction of Tom Nook is setup. A new villager arrives in town, with no home, little to no money, and no friends. This new resident is alone in the world, practically without any means civilized means of fending for himself in a town that has an established economy. I could see this poor, tragic idiot feeding off the fruits of the trees and sleeping behind peoples houses or down by the beach. Tom could have simply left the player to their own devices and the outcome would have possibly become something along the lines of a completely different simulation game. 

Bum Crossing.

That would have been interesting, I admit, but that's not the vision that the developers had for the game (a game meant to be played by children and adults alike). This game was about a friendly community, teaching the player about the value of neighborly communion and economy. Tom takes a risk, a huge risk, in taking a chance and providing this player with a chance to thrive in the village.

The player is an idiot. They know nothing of how this village operates. Take a close look at the jobs Tom assigns you. 

First, he asks you to plant trees and flower so people will come to his shop. Obviously, this is meant to install an idea that the more attractive the town is the happier the villagers will be and the more new animals will move in. Tom asks you to go take a break and introduce yourself to the villagers, showing the player that everyone in the town is connected, that if you're a lazy grouch you won't get the most out of this game. 

Next comes the most prominent part of the game: DELIVERING STUFF. Go take this thing to this villager. You will be rewarded and they will begin to trust you. See a pattern yet?

Write an ad for the Nook' Cranny. Teaches you how to use the bulletin board. Write a letter to a customer. Teaches you how the letter system works.

Aw heck, I'll go ahead and say it. Tom Nook is teaching the player everything they'll need in order to prosper in the village. He calls it work, but it's simple things that the player will do every day in their new life in the village. He becomes your first boss and your mentor in this small instant. There are issues ahead that conflict with this, but this is the impression I got when I was quite literally taken of by this raccoon.

Also, a thousand bells a week? That's a pretty cheap rent. Later on he doesn't even ask you for due dates, but lets you go wild about the town and pay when you can.

I can see why some people utterly despise Tom Nook, but I don't like to hate things mindlessly if they happen to inconvenience me.  The character inconveniences themselves, unfairly so before the game even starts, but it's this simple fact that allows the character to grow a relationship with Nook, hateful or otherwise, that allows him to teach the player how Animal Crossing is meant to be played.

And after that the player is free to play as they see fit. I went crazy, spending my down doing one specific chore like digging for fossils or helping out my animal friends. Sometimes I went overboard on paying Tom because I had the drive to make some bells to fix up my place.

So there. My impression of Tom at the beginning of Animal Crossing is unpopular, but I find that it's coinciding with the developer's intentions as well as the design of the game. What happens later makes this vision of Tom Nook as a rude, yet generous, opportunist who cleverly instructs the player by having them work for him so that they can survive on their own shatter.

That's for another day. First I have to go back to town and see what has become of the village I abandoned months ago.

-Fore

Day Three - Jan. 3, 2012 - "The First Act of Procrastination."

Today has been busy. Much too busy for me to write a long, expert opinion on Tom Nook.

Instead, have this lovely little article I found prior to starting this whole silliness.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-14-animal-crossing-article

-Fore

Day Two - Jan. 1, 2012 - "Moving Out, Moving In."

Some people have lived in the same town for years. Others have experienced the harsh transition from state to state, or even country to country. Many emotions flood such an event. I've certainly felt it throughout my life and I found it frustrating getting used to a new life with new people that I did not trust. School was especially terrifying. To a child, moving can be one of the most traumatizing things to happen in their short childhood.


If only the real world was as kind as Animal Crossing.


Your character is a independent, self-insured person excited about moving to a new town, ready to take life by the horns and force feed it oranges until it pukes out pears. You've apparently been planning the move for awhile now. Leaving behind what you used to know for a new life, you board a train and discover that Animal Crossing has very friendly, if not odd, inhabitants.

CRAZY IS A LIGHT DESCRIPTION FOR SOME OF THESE ANIMALS.

Okay, maybe not all of them are friendly and nice. I exaggerated. Some are downright jerks. Still, when you make your first friend in the new town, it brings an amazing sense of security knowing you can always come over and say hello to your friend and they'll always have something nice to say to you. That or they left their calculator over at Monique's place. Again.

Point is, I find that meeting your neighbors in your new home in your Animal Crossing is a very interesting if not fulfilling experience. Everyone has a distinct personality and every time you take that train ride you'll end up at a new village, with new animals, and a new face. Some villagers downright hate each other and you'll see them argue at various times during the day and leave the conversation with a storm cloud dampening their mood (I'm not joking, they literally have a storm cloud hanging over them. They're so upset that it manifests itself above them). Other times you can see them playing with each other, gossiping over whatever it is they gossip about. Some even trade with each other.

That said, I'm not ashamed to admit that last I played I got rather invested in my town. I knew who I wanted to visit every day as I went out to complete whatever chore I had set for myself that day and gladly helped out who I could if they asked nicely. 

Bill was one of these. We'll talk about Bill another day.

AHAHA. BILL. HE'S A DUCK. HEE HEE! OH HO!

Puns aside, Animal Crossing is about neighbors. It's about how they interact with each other and how you interact with them. You can make friends with just about every animal if you are persistent, but it is by no means required. Instead, you're allowed to take your own pace with developing a friendship in this game, gather your resources and buy them something nice for their birthday or for a holiday. Or just because you love the darn duck. We'll continue down the friend topic later on, but I have bigger plans for tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll be talking about that raccoon. That Tom Nook fellow. Happy second of January!

-Fore