Highlights

  • Animal Crossing fans eagerly await news on a new installment, but developers remain silent on any upcoming releases.
  • Players desire more control over their island layouts in Animal Crossing, akin to the customization options in Minecraft.
  • Implementing world generation seeds in the next Animal Crossing game could cater to player preferences and enhance the gameplay experience.

As a beloved staple of the cozy life simulation genre, the Animal Crossing franchise has seen its popularity soar since its 2001 debut. The runaway success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020 further solidified its place in gamers' hearts, and it seems like only a matter of time before Nintendo decides to release a new installment. Unfortunately, while rumors of a new Animal Crossing game have been abundant, the developers have yet to make any statements.

Even without official news, a future Animal Crossing installment could benefit from borrowing concepts from successful titles like Minecraft. Though vastly different in gameplay, Minecraft offers features that could enhance the quality of life in Animal Crossing. For instance, one such feature, world generation seeds, has the potential to be game-changing.

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Animal Crossing Should Give Players More Control At The Start of Their Journey

Animal Crossing Could Be Limiting Its Players' Potential

Though Animal Crossing boasts a rich customization experience and a creative player base, there are still plenty of features Nintendo could give users more control over. For instance, when players first start their journey in New Horizons, they can select a few options for their island. This includes but isn't necessarily limited to:

  • Naming the island
  • Choosing between the Northern or Southern Hemisphere
  • Four randomized island layouts

Interestingly, while every island, according to Timmy and Tommy, is "approximately the same size," there's actually a surprising amount of variation. When New Horizons first came out, one Reddit user by the name of u/gamingchibix publicized findings that, as far as they could tell, there are 95 possibilities for towns with a river layout. In addition to this, each map must include features like large rocks or Redd's pier on the secret beach though they won't always be in the same place.

This variation even extends beyond layout. Players will find their island starts with one of five native island fruits (peaches, apples, cherries, pears, or oranges), chosen at random. This even affects the Dodo Airlines plane and airport, which come in one of four different colors. Unfortunately, unlike the initial island layout, these features aren't easily changeable.

In New Horizons, players have the option to alter their island's fruit and airport color. However, this can only be done at the start of the game if a player exits out of Animal Crossing before finalizing their choices. Even in this scenario, the fruits and colors will remain randomly generated.

Minecraft Seeds Could Drastically Change How Players Start Their Animal Crossing Towns

Starting a new village in Animal Crossing can be exciting, but the lack of control over the initial layout can be frustrating. World generation seeds, like those found in Minecraft, could be a perfect solution for the next Animal Crossing game. These seeds, often strings of numbers or letters, would allow players to input a code and generate a predetermined town layout that suits their desires.

If players were able to input a seed in the next Animal Crossing game, it could be an ideal way to address player frustrations with their initial layouts. Sharing these seeds online could also foster a fun community aspect, allowing players to explore unique layouts created by others. Even more intriguingly, seeds could eliminate the need to restart an island. For instance, if players could input a seed to get a specific starting point and then work from there, it could save them a lot of time and frustration. This could even allow veterans to jump straight into the creative aspects they love, while still offering newcomers the thrill of discovery.