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Well, I think it’s about time I tell a little about my first experiences with the new New Leaf update that dropped a little over a month ago! I think we can all agree that the scope of the update was more than expected, and impressive with all that was added.
First I’ll link a few helpful resources for the update:
- The Animal Crossing Direct that ushered in the update — this was pretty hilarious
- List of new features with the update
- Amiibo update FAQ
- List of new items at MoriDB
- List of new items by pocky-town
- RV Furniture List
Despite the general excitement and surprise about the amiibo-update, it unfortunately ended up being kind of a mix of emotions for me at first. 
I wondered at first if I even wanted to update Citàlune, since it’s pretty much finished (other than patterns I have to make) with its dream villagers set in stone, so the main component of the update — new villagers and being able to invite via amiibo — wouldn’t be of any use to me in my first, main, mostly completed town. Having a big rustic ramp spawn in an unknown part of town in exchange for new trinkets to scatter in rooms I was already pretty satisfied with didn’t seem like the best trade-off.
But upon learning that all the pre-update dream addresses had been wiped, and that all forms of WiFi & local connection (including visiting and making dream addresses) would be disabled if you didn’t download the amiibo-update, there was no question anymore; I wasn’t going to have Citàlune forever be a lonely island with no way to be visited, and no way to visit others’ towns (or even my own side towns, to help in their development). So my decision was made pretty easily for me, and I downloaded the update from the eShop the night it was released! At this point, though, when seeing the new title screen for the first time, I was feeling more nervous than excited.
The updated game starts with a cutscene on the train in which Isabelle is pulling a Joan. Then she pulls a Rover: spots you, and takes a seat opposite you to chat.
After a little “how funny to run into each other here” small-talk, she gets right to the point!
This scene was cute, and it was fun to see Isabelle on the train, but it started to wear on me a bit with all my side towns and characters, hehe. And I think it might have been a more fitting and poignant scene if I hadn’t played in a while (~riding the train back to my town~), but I’d been playing pretty consistently in the lead-up to the update.
With my stressing about the ramp, I’d forgotten all about this thing. >_> I’m not thrilled about the CAT machine’s addition to the town hall area, being a little modern-looking and throwing off the symmetry, but it didn’t end up being the worst new addition to my town.
Ugh, Estel’s reaction and my own reaction were so different in this moment. >_<
Here is where the ramp spawned, and Citàlune’s new map (*sigh*):
Yep, it is literally steps away from Lyra’s castle… a home that has existed since 2013, is central to my town’s sun/moon theme, is completely paid off, and that I have completed the HHA Theme Challenge with, and earned all the HHA awards with. And now there is no longer a nice neutral cliff-wall lining its elaborate rose garden; instead there is a gigantic dirt-and-bricks ramp designed for RVs to drive up (after bulldozing through the roses, I assume). It’s just such a clash of aesthetics, makes no sense with my layout, and throws a huge curve-ball to the map I reset for years ago. And I can’t turn it into a cozy rustic camp area to match the ramp without sacrificing the work I put into Lyra’s castle and a huge part of what makes my town, my town.
As I drew up here before downloading the update, I was really hoping the ramp would spawn by the town tree, or anywhere on that side of the river, and I started to get hopeful when I saw that some other players had their ramp spawned by their town tree. The rustic look of the ramp wouldn’t have looked so out of place on this more earthy side of town, and while I was a little nervous about the specifics, I think that I could have grown to love the dynamic of having a ramp in the cliff here, making the area seem more open instead of closed off. And I think I could have actually worked it into the landscape possibly, with some moon tiles leading up to the ramp perhaps. So part of my disappointment wasn’t just about where my ramp spawned, but also about where it could have been if not for unlucky chance.
I can take some comfort in the fact that you cannot see the ramp at all while you’re on the paths, but if you wander off the paths, you do start to see it… so I’ve planted a lot more trees to line the cliff in an effort to hide it more (which also hides the flowers more, another bummer). I figure I can either try to hide the ramp or make a path to it, and for now, I’m going for the hide it & ignore it option, since I’m working towards a dream update, and the ramp is blocked by a steel barrier in dreams — making it inaccessible and even more of an eyesore. But I won’t completely rule out trying a path in the future, which might end up looking like sun stepping stones lining the cliff (path patterns shown as black in that gridded map). It might end up looking silly but I won’t know unless I give it a try one day.
Anyway… that’s enough about the ramp! Despite how this post sounds, I’ve actually mostly gotten over it at this point and accepted its existence as something I can’t control and couldn’t have predicted back when I made plans for my town. I’ve just been explaining what my initial reactions were like, recording what was an important moment in my New Leaf experience on my blog. But now that this initial nervousness and disappointment with the amiibo-update is out of my way, I’ve been enjoying the new features and gameplay ever since, along with steadily collecting the new items and working towards that new dream-update I want to make. 🙂
I forgot to introduce myself to Harvey before heading for the goods. xD Heck, it felt like I already met him with that Animal Crossing Direct… I do really enjoy him as a new NPC; he’s perfect for the campground, has a lot of personality, and I love how you can walk in on him doing lots of different activities: feeding the birds, playing an instrument, reading, or drinking a cup o’joe.
First time gazing upon this pretty new scenery 🙂
Estel trying the fireside dance 😛
In general the new campsite is such a nice area to have in town, especially since I opted out of building the ‘public works’ that are up here in my main town, like the log bench, fire, and water pump. It’s lovely how many birds are around as well!
Zipper and Jingle were my first and second RV campers, respectively! They both seemed happy to be on vacation…must be nice having a job that just has one major work-day a year. At first I planned on taking pictures of all the RV interiors and making lists of what furniture was in what RV, but quickly abandoned that idea when it was clear others were compiling that much faster than me. A guide that you can expect from me in the coming weeks (or more like, an addition to a guide that already exists) is a compilation of pictures of all the new villager house exteriors.
On my second day, Estel found Wisp’s magic lamp! 🙂
I brought the lamp inside to summon Wisp for the first time!
It’s not quite as creepy as it sounds…rather than truly possessing, Wisp just makes himself look like the amiibo you’re summoning, it’s like taking a Polyjuice Potion in Harry Potter. 😛 Then he grants a wish relating to that amiibo, like summoning them to the campsite (not for series 1-400 amiibo cards though), giving a piece of furniture, or even moving them in (if it’s not a main NPC).
My first wish was to invite Celeste to the campsite! :3 This fake-Celeste looks at home in Estel’s starry room~
Wow, I can’t say I ever expected to see dialogue like this in Animal Crossing! ❤ I love the study of Astronomy, and this is an idea I've heard a lot about over the years, helped popularized by Carl Sagan. It's a beautiful concept, but humans alone aren't stardust; pretty much all heavier elements than hydrogen & helium were formed in the cores of stars, from what I understand. But it's still something nice to think about if you ever feel insignificant: stars died in gigantic supernovas to spread the elements that eventually made up our bodies, miracles of life~
I bet that’s not the only reason why Blathers didn’t appreciate it! 😛
I have to say, it’s so nice being able to chit-chat with NPCs like this outside of their work roles, it’s part of what I enjoyed about Happy Home Designer as well. And I think now that I’ve gotten to talk to Celeste more like this, there’s no question that she’s my favorite NPC now. x3
Also: that outfit is super cute! I wish we could order the starry bow in addition to the pink one, Estel would wear the heck out of that. And I was not expecting the observatory floor from Wild World & City Folk to come back as something we could order here! 😮
Talking to Blathers was super adorable too. I really love these two ❤
Also high on my priorities, besides scanning amiibo through Wisp, was getting that secret storeroom (which finally got me to pay off the loans I’d been sitting on with all my characters besides Lyra) and passing Lottie’s seminar so I could arrange furniture using the touchscreen room-designing tool from AC:HHD. It was nice seeing Lottie make an appearance in New Leaf ^^
One of my favorite parts of these additions, other than all the amazing new storage, is the full-view angle you can now see of your rooms when you’re designing through the touch-screen *__*
It comes in handy to have multiple characters when collecting MEOW coupons. All Fern had to do to find Wisp’s lamp was walk outside her door!
Wisp’s lamp now resides in Violet’s house, which I thought would be fitting since she is my magician/witch character. 🙂 This is Violet’s ‘Villa of Dreams,’ which is made from dreams & illusions, so Wisp the wish-granter illusionist fits right at home there (although there’s also another lamp in the magic-workroom downstairs):
I took this video because I love the way Wisp makes town tunes sound! Particularly now that Citàlune has a town tune that fits a little better with its fairytale atmosphere than the cozy & nostalgic ‘Forest Life’ one that it had before. My Wild World town Dafdilly still has Forest Life as its town tune, though 🙂
The initiatives have certainly helped get all my characters more active around town, like fishing and bug-catching again!
Somehow I had never caught a giant snakehead before, and this initiative is what got me hunting for it, and what got this fish in the museum at last. 🙂
Fern got some throwing beans from Harvey. Though I’d already gotten one from a trade earlier, it’s great that this item isn’t a regional exclusive anymore! It looks like New Leaf is heading in that direction slightly, with some of the regional food items now being available through RVs, and some of the sloppy furniture from Wendell’s, etc.
Even in the rain, Harvey still makes sure to feed the birds! 🙂
I have to admit, I derive a wry, reluctant sort of amusement from the fact that I can now sit on the rock that has always bothered me so much. But I still don’t like you, rock.
*whistles innocently* Are you trying to tell me something, Resetti?
It’s kind of a bummer that Wisp can’t summon the default male character that’s become such a meme through Smash Bros. 😛 I guess it would’ve been a little awkward to create dialogue for what’s mostly a silent protagonist though. I love that galaxy floor so much, and it’s a shame, but I don’t really know if I see a good opportunity to use it in any of my rooms.
Here are some other campers who have passed through Harvey’s site. 🙂 I’m sure it slipped my mind to take a picture of some!
And I still feel like I have yet to scratch the surface of this bountiful New Leaf update! There are still a few amiibo figures I haven’t scanned in yet, and I haven’t scanned any of the series 1-400 cards. I just started collecting the new 1-50 RV cards the other day, and my 1-6 Sanrio cards shipped from the UK are hopefully safely on their way. I haven’t played either of the minigames yet, or even booted up the new amiibo camera once (I know, I’m terrible). And I still have a lot of new items to collect and rooms to re-design with the new items! And once I’ve updated my dream address for Citàlune, I’ll be able to use the amiibo-update’s helpful new features regarding moving villagers in, along with easier plot resetting (QR ground-patterns repel house plots now, according to others), to finally help get my side towns off the ground and make some more progress there! For now, I’m very zeroed in on getting Citàlune dream-ready and on updating my villager house exterior guide, but I’m definitely excited about how this update has revitalized the game 🙂
A Forest Life 
I’ve been having fun with the update, too! There’s so many new items that I want to collect for my towns (been chasing after the Sanrio sets haha) but it’s very overwhelming) 0-0 Sorry to hear that the campground ended up in a not very good place, but I’m sure you’ll be able to make it look good somehow!
I’m definitely upset that the update wiped out all pre-existing dream addresses, because it means that I have to clean up Tenshi again for showing (been on hiatus for it actually). But I look forward to seeing your summertime update for Citalune (especially Estel’s castle with all that lovely green :D).
I’m glad to hear that, Tanachan, and it’s nice to talk with you again btw! x3 Yeah, I understand the overwhelming nature of it all! One day you’re fine with your rooms, the next day you got a lot of new items to collect and new features to adjust to and learn about! It is exciting, though, to have new things to chase after & look forward to ^^ Btw, if you still need any Sanrio stuff by the time my cards (hopefully) come in, I’d be happy to help you out.
Heh, I don’t think I can make the ramp look good no matter what I do, but that’s sweet of you to say! 🙂
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Yeah, that is the biggest bummer of the amiibo-update 😦 So many amazing DAs gone… I am more sad for others’ lost DAs than my own, I was kind of tired of my 2014 update being the representation of my town for so long. But there are a lot of great, now lost, dream towns out there that won’t get replaced.
Aw, thank you so much, and I look forward to seeing your new DA for Tenshi eventually too! 😀 Good luck with your preparations and everything! 🙂
This is kind of random, but I was looking at some of your screenshots on your Tumblr and I came across pictures of the shrine room for Estel, and it came to my mind that you mentioned not being able to use the galaxy floor, and so I thought, “hey, maybe that would be a good place to use the floor?” It’s just a tiny suggestion that popped into my mind though ^^” I agree that the galaxy floor is beautiful, but there’s no way that I’d be able to use it either because Starpass’s rooms are a bit too modern/official-ish to use something like that 😦
Wow that’s very observant of you to notice, Tanachan!! 🙂 I thought of that room too, when I was looking for ways to incorporate that lovely galaxy floor. But I tried it, and went back & forth between the flooring and the pattern I made, and ended up coming to the conclusion that I liked the look of the room better with the pattern I made: there’s more of a contrast of the items in the room with the bright blue , whereas they kind of blend in with the darker galaxy floor. Also, my starry blue pattern is designed to be a smooth transition merged with the bottom of the lunar horizon wallpaper, whereas the galaxy floor and the lunar horizon don’t ‘merge’ very well. So that’s why I didn’t end up finding a use for the galaxy floor, the throne room was probably my best shot 😦 Thank you for the suggestion, though, I was thinking along the same lines! 🙂 It’s possible we might be able to fit it into a museum room?
Also, btw, my Sanrio cards came in, I’m still willing to help in any way that you might need in regards to those items~
I think the new campsite is hard to incorporate in town due to its rustic look (and strangely blocked gate.) Although it relatively fits with my town design, I would like to see Nintendo do something similar to the town hall and allow the player to customize the look of their campsite (Fairy-tale, Zen, etc.) I think you did an amazing job by planting the trees around it. Not only does it look good near Lyra’s house, it matches the forest-y theme of the Campsite, which I think creates a nice blend. Great work!
Yeah, I mean I have seen it look fitting in a few lucky towns that have passed through my Dashboard (ie. the ramp spawning right next to someone’s campsite/woodsy area), but I think that might be in the minority, at least in the communities I frequent. Lots of people have had the ramp pop up inconveniently to change a spot that they loved
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Woww, I’m pretty shocked to hear you had the same idea! I found myself wishing that if the ramp had to spawn where it did in my town, why couldn’t it have looked like a fairytale drawbridge or a ramp with blue and gold tiles to match the fairytale atmosphere! But then I was like…keep dreaming xP
It reminds me of something I’ve thought about the cafe before, about how it would be nice if there were zen/fairytale/modern variants of it. It’s cool to find someone of a like mind in regards to these additions to town being able to match the different themes 🙂
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Thank you, I’m glad you think so, that makes me feel better about it! ^_^ Good luck with integrating the ramp into your town as well, I hope it isn’t too much trouble.
Actually, when I looked at the town map, I noticed we have the same river layout and our campsites had spawned in the same place. However, my Town Tree and Re-Tail are located next to each other where Lyra’s house is in Citàlune, so the road to the campsite is kind of blocked.
I’m slightly disappointed that I couldn’t integrate it, especially since Nintendo worked so hard on it, but I’m hoping to make it work.
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I completely agree about the cafe, though. One of the best things about the Animal Crossing series is that it can be however you want it to be. I’m super happy with the addition of PWP’s in New Leaf, and I hope they make each project more customizable in the next game.
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Besides that, I hope things are going well in Citàlune and I can’t wait to see the final product!
Ahh, that’s a bummer, so it’s not so much the aesthetic of the ramp that’s hard to integrate for your town in particular, it’s more of how it spawned in a busy area that’s hard to create a fitting route for it…
I think for those of us who didn’t get super lucky with our ramp draw, we kinda have to decide how important having a well-integrated ramp is to us compared to having to alter/sacrifice our other town plans, because in some cases, it might not be worth it to make a path to the ramp or try to make the ramp look good, you know? Like if it’s going to throw something else in your town off. But if you do hope to work your ramp into your town more, I hope that you can get something figured out, best of luck! It might just take time, or trial and error, to think of something.
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Thank you very much! Progress is pretty slow for me right now, work is so hectic for me at the moment. But I hope in the new year I will have more time 🙂 I hope things are going well in Sunville and Searoy too! :3
I’m sorry you don’t like the placement of you campsite, I thought everyone got their campsite by their tree, but I guess it doesn’t make that much sense. Your town still looks beautiful and I really like the fact that you’ve sort of hid the ramp: now you have a beautiful fairy-tale landscape but if you adventure into the trees you find a humble ramp that leads to a beautiful campsite haha.
I still have to get my hands on the WiiU to play Island Escape, which I’m soooo excited for. The update definitely made me start playing more often now.
I’m excited to visit your updated dream town, and see how you remodel your houses a bit with the new furniture, I’m sure your town will look gorgeous ❤
That makes sense you would think so, if it spawned by your tree 🙂 It is a nice central important spot in town that would make sense to have another important area branch off from. But not everyone’s town tree is by the cliff & whatnot. On top of everything else I don’t like about my ramp location (clashing aesthetics), mine just feels so…random.
But thank you for what you’ve said, that’s sweet of you to put it that way and that is how I should look at it myself to feel better about it 🙂
Ohh good luck getting ahold of that WiiU item! If you don’t get it soon though I’d be happy to help you out there! I’ve played that survival minigame before through Amiibo Festival, but I’d be interested to see how it’s been adapted to New Leaf. Still haven’t played either of the minigames despite having the required items, I continue to be awful >_>
Aww, thank you Jemma, I appreciate it ❤ I look forward to see how Lilycott continues to grow & change with the update too! Did you have a Dream Address for it before?
Thank you, Amy!! I never had a Dream Address before because there were just too many things I wasn’t completely satisfied with, and it’s kinda scary to think of people judging my town haha. I’m working on it, though!
Oh ok, was just curious if you had a DA that was wiped before I could visit!
You totally don’t have to publish a DA if you don’t want to ^^, but if you do hope to, don’t worry at all about that! Any town that clearly has love & care put into it is such a treat to visit — and there’s a lot to admire & appreciate about Lilycott! It’s a pretty town with lots of your own unique touches and ideas, like that seashell path, and hand-made patterns 🙂
Hope you’re having fun playing the updated game still! x3
Aww, Amy you’re too sweet, thank you so much! I’m still playing the game quite a lot, and hopefully I’ll get to posting a DA soon 😀 I’ll let you know if I do!
Have you reuploaded a DA of your town? I visited your old one quite regularly haha, your town looked so dreamy and beautiful ❤
Ooh, I look forward to seeing Lilycott again! ❤
And aww, thank you, hearing that makes me happy! I did get a new DA for Citalune, although for now, it's still unfinished because I have some patterns to make! But I thought it was still visit-able enough despite the missing patterns: 4F00-001F-F5E6 🙂
I just visited Citalune and it looks absolutely fabulous! Although I thought it looked great in the 2014 update with all the Cherry Blossoms (that’s what they are, right? I barely play in the Spring for some reason) the green adds a nice pop of color. As for the Campsite, I couldn’t notice it at all from the paths and I had to venture pretty far off to see it. Overall, great job, and congrats on the nice work!
Thank you so much for visiting and for the kind words!! ❤ I'm glad you liked it! I'm a little afraid people won't like it as much with plain greenery instead of the cherry blossoms, but as for me, I thought the cherry blossoms overwhelmed my town a bit and took away from my theme. But it is a lovely time of year! I'm glad you didn't notice the campsite too much hehe, I did my best to hide it 😉
Thank you so much! I look forward to seeing your dream address as well!
hi how did you get the lights in your room because i want one 🙂
Hey! I’m sorry, I’m not sure which one you mean, I have lots of lights in my rooms. Maybe you can describe it a bit more, and what picture it’s in? 🙂
Randomly getting off my lazy butt and visiting WordPress xD
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I love Wisp’s jingle! Every time I visit him I turn the volume right up first. His lamp goes really nicely in Estel’s bedroom (as does Celeste!). I visited your dream address recently and noticed the new town tune! It was nice ^^ I didn’t recognise it though; was it your own creation? Haha, it’s funny how Wisp is unable to bring in the Villager xD But it’s cool that you can get those special items, including a lifesize gold statue! :O
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Wow it was really nice reading and imagining the bit you said about stardust and elements in my head. Usually when I think too hard about space stuff, I start getting this weird out-of-touch feeling (don’t really know how to describe it), and I think it just comes from the realisation of the sheer enormity of the universe and how insignificant we our existence is by comparison. Reading what you wrote was the first time I felt the opposite 😮
The way he sings town tunes is so pretty, I would love to hear him sing other tunes! Forget granting wishes, just sing for me Wisp xP (Kidding though, I need those meow coupons too :P)
I’m glad you liked it! 🙂 It’s not my own creation, but it wasn’t a town tune I got from another site that posts town tunes, like ACC, as I did for the Forest Life tune. I got some help from my mom to translate a piece of music to the AC town tune format, which was kinda confusing. It’s this motif-theme for Rivendell (at 0:21 & 2:27), from Howard Shore’s score that I love for the Lord of the Rings! It may be hard to catch the similarities between the melody played on orchestra and the transcribed, simplistic town tune though 😛 But it makes me happy to have part of such a gorgeous piece as my town tune, and I think it matches the fairytale-city atmosphere.
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Ahh that’s cool you felt the opposite this time 🙂 I do feel that since our planet has the only life that we know of in the universe so far, we should feel pretty significant despite the enormity of space: “We are a way for the universe to know itself” 🙂 But I understand feeling the other way you described too, learning about what’s in space feels just so out-of-this-world compared to our daily lives!
Ooh, that’s such a nice inspiration for your town theme, and it does suit the feel of your town. And I’m not particularly well-versed in the world of Lord of the Rings, but I can never get over how beautiful Rivendell is. It’s the part of the movies that stood out to me most when I first saw them and sometimes just look up pictures of it to gawk at.
Amy, your town tune is so beautiful! Could you maybe write down the tunes in letters? I would looove to play it in my town too if that’s okay for you! 🙂