Idea Info Name: Animal Crossing Online Index: Primary Category: Sequel Submitted: 1/22/2003 12:15:52 AM Written By: BebopDaBebop

Animal Crossing Online

Overview- The first Animal Crossing was a blessing to my GC.  One of the most innovative games to date, and what a blast it would be to play online!

Starting Off

Character Creation- I loved the idea that depending on how you answered particular questions in the train you would get different eyes.  However, I think that in Animal Crossing Online it would be cool to be able to be any kind of look that you want.  If you want to look like Ed from the first one, or Nibbles, or an Elephant or whatever you can do that.  But just remember that looks are important and they tell a lot about a person… well sometimes J

Choosing a Town- In the first Animal Crossing you were able to have the game create a town from scratch for you.  Although this was a very cool idea, I thought it would be much better if you could actually pick your own town.  So instead of just starting in a town, you can actually visit online towns that have already been started so you have a larger variety to pick where you want to live.  As soon as you have picked your ideal town to live in you can proceed to the next step, which is…

Your House- Just like in the first Animal Crossing you have to pick a location for your house.  But instead of being limited to only the four spots in the first one, this time you can pick any spot on the map, as long it is big enough for a house to fit.  If you want a house by the river then you can do that, the same goes for if you want one by the cliff side, etc.

Find a Job- Just like in the first game you start off with a debt and must pay it back to enlarge your home.  But, instead of doing boring jobs like constantly running between neighbors to return their pocket pikachus, this time you have a bit more of a choice.  If you are quite the fisherman and you love to hook yourself some bass, then you should go to the local Pet Shop and see if you can get a job there.  There they will pay you a certain amount of money each time you catch a fish and they will pay you a little more once the fish is purchased.  Or if a Delivery Man sounds more like your kind of job then you can apply at Tom Nook’s store for a job.  At his place you deliver any items that have been ordered to the people that have ordered them.  And if that has already been done, then he may ask you to order certain products that you think the people of the town might like.  And if they do like it and buy it then you can earn commission for your troubles.  There are many other jobs to choose from and I will get a little more into it later in this game idea.

Interacting with People

NPCs- Just like in the old game there are still NPC characters in a lot of places.  These people are generally the bosses and higherups.  Such as Tom Nook for example, he still runs his store like normal, but now you can get a job at his place and have a little more power over what happens there. 

Real People

Obviously the real fun of Animal Crossing Online would be the interaction between all the real people out there.  Just like with the NPCs, you may talk with them, (write them letters, trade with them, do jobs/chores together, or simply have fun playing a game or watching some TV.

Talking- You can talk to anyone in Animal Crossing Online, and to just add to the QuIrKYneSS, you may choose from a variety of facial expressions and laughs that was in the first game.  Such as the ‘black cloud,’ or the ‘HahahaHAhaHAaha,’ laugh, or anything of that variety.  If possible you may use a headset to speak, but if not possible then you would have to talk using the controller or possibly a keyboard. 

Partying with Friends- At any point in time you can invite your friends over at your house.  There you can chat about whatever you want, whether it is about how much you hate your job (lol), or what has been bothering you in the real world.   You can also do any other types of things like play old-school NES games, watch TV, or just sit and chill to your fancy new KK songs.  It is basically like a live, interactive chat room kinda thing.

Writing Letters- This works basically the same way as in the first game, except that the people might actually UNDERSTAND your letters lol.  But don’t use too much profanity or vulgar language because it is possible to be voted out of the town (explained later).

More Jobs- Here is a little list that I have made up of possible jobs that you could partake in the Animal Crossing Online World, and a brief description of each.

Bug Hunter- Hunts for Bugs at the local Pet Shop.  Same as the Fisherman (explained in a sec) the Bug Hunters look for bugs to catch for the local Pet Shop.  The more rare the bug the more money, and since your character is more skillful, it is easier to catch bugs and more likely you will find rare ones.

Construction Guy- This particular job is open whenever someone wants an upgrade to their house, a town’s store is upgraded, or a new person moves in and needs a new home.  It costs much less for you to create a house for them, but it takes a lot of work too.  Construction is a job that can pay off big time if the opportunity arises, but you may find yourself jobless while construction is slow (which means its back to cherry pickin LoL)

Delivery Guy- The Delivery Guy works for Tom Nook and delivers any misc items that other characters/people have ordered from their store.  You don’t always have to be playing and deliver every single item that is ordered, but since it is cheaper than mailing it, Tom Nook will be more generous to you if you deliver more stuff than if you don’t deliver much at all (in other words, the job pays off a lot more the more you work at it)

Fashion Designer- This job allows you to create the latest fashions for clothing, umbrellas, carpets, or wallpapers.  After you create a design you can have it created and posted in the local store (probably Nook’s).  The more people that buy the clothing/umbrella/carpet/wallpaper the more you get paid.  And, although this takes a bit of cash, you may also send the clothing styles to other towns and if the style catches on you may find a lot of money under your pillow.

Fisherman- Fishermen catch fish for the local Pet Shop.  Obviously, the more rare the fish the more money you get.  And just by being a fisherman your character is actually a little more skillful with a fishing rod so it is easier to get fish.

Gardener- The Gardener’s job is a basic one, and the employer is none other than the Wishing Well itself!  The idea is to plant flowers, chop down unnecessary trees, and to dig up weeds.  Every day if the Wishing Well says that ‘the town is a perfectly livable place,’ then you get paid for it.  Assuming you can keep the Wishing Well happy, this is a very steady job.

Home Judge- Ever get p***ed at the HRA?  Well here is the time to strike back!  Now you may use your own personal thoughts about peoples’ homes and judge each one accordingly.  If you judge the homes well, then you can get a pretty nice paycheck.  However, if you get many complaints from people about how your judging is terrible, then you will not gain as much money and may loose your job.

Mail Man/Woman- The Mail Person’s job is to basically deliver mail to all of the people in town.  Each time you go to the Post Office, you may ask them (assuming you have the job) if they have any mail to send out to people.  If they do then you simply return the mail to each person’s mailbox.  This is a great job if you can get the mail out before the duck shows up (forget his name…), because there is always mail going around and the pay is pretty good (it is government work after all…).  But be weary, it IS a federal offense to mess with others’ mail, and if that happens you may get voted out of the town (explained later).

I think that is enough to get the general idea.  But basically, the basic idea is to have a job for any possible function in the game.  Having a whole bunch of people work online to create the greatest town would certainly be a blast to watch and interact with.

Controlling the Game

Okay, so in any online game you need limitations, otherwise people like to ‘test’ such things and abuse/annoy other people online.  So these are just a few ideas to possibly reduce that chance.

Moderators/Town Leaders- Either these people must be elected for the job or they are actually the owners of the online servers.  Either way, these people are the ones that you can come to when someone is harassing you.  Just mail them a letter saying that soandso did thisandthat which offended me, and the Moderator/Town Leader will try and see things and react accordingly.  If a Town Leader is actually elected, then choose wisely because the Town Leader receives a lot of power and powerhungary people will certainly not do well for the job.

The Warning System- To start off I must say that you may only give out one warning per day.  If someone is being annoying and just won’t leave you alone then you may give them a ‘warning.’  If the particular person receives three warnings, then they get kicked out for the day and cannot come back until the next day.  And if they receive ten total warnings, then a letter is sent to all of the people in the town talking about the concern for that particular person and a vote that says ‘let him stay,’ and ‘kick him out.’  If they receive more ‘kick outs’ than stays then the person is kicked out entirely and all of his/her stuff is put up to auction.  It is a little tough, I admit, but ten warnings are way more than enough to turn your mistakes around.  Oh, and if you put a warning on someone then you can take it off if you wish (for if they apologize and you accept it).  Also, if you are the Town Leader, this may also happen to you so you do not want to abuse your power.

Visiting Other Towns- Just like in the original one you may visit other towns, but this time there will be virtually limitless amounts with the vastness of the Internet!  At another town you may buy/sell/trade stuff, interact with the people there (possibly find pen pals and write from each others’ towns once in a while), and you may also rate the town.  If you think it is a wonderful town and a blast of a place to visit then you may give the town a high rating along with adding your own opinions.  This will boost that particular town’s rating up and make their town look like a better place to visit (and the more people that visit that town the more interesting it would be and more diverse of course).