@GameDadGrant
Different user profile, right?

@Zero
Dunno.

Bummer to hear about the clunky online syncing. Why'd they make it 8-player, then?

@Secret_Tunnel

Yeah, nobody be offended if I reject best friend offers, please. Reserving that for IRL family and friends. Lots of them are playing this!

What is the limit on best friends? I've just been best friending literally everyone who visits my island but if I hit a limit I will have to un-best friend some of them.

I'm not even super sure what the day to day advantage of best friends is but the main advantage to me seems to be that you can broadcast to your best friends when you are opening your gate. In fact, a lot of people say "I'm online!" is that some automated system message or something?!

@Secret_Tunnel I don't think it is *quite* 2 minutes, but it's too long regardless! I think maybe for a few days things will be wild but over time visits will be more and more rare, then we will all get nostalgic for that overlong introduction.

@Anand Because 8 players is fun! But I don't quite understand why it is such a long process. Probably to sync all of the data between everyone so there can be no exploits to duplicate items or something? But I almost feel like, who cares? The average player wouldn't figure out how to exploit and the snakes who like cheating will probably figure out how to cheat eventually anyway.

@Zero

True. New Leaf got down to me and one friend who would text "Cross Animals?" every so often.

I hope Nintendo plans on keeping this one updated enough with new features that keep people playing for the rest of the Switch's lifespan though. That would be really nice.

...

Hey so what's the deal with eating fruit? They tell me it's good, but it breaks the damn rocks so you only get one piece of iron out of them instead of multiple. That's not good. That's bad. That's very bad.

@Hinph
I think that they will. It's the perfect franchise for it, and I think that it'll sell bonkers. Like with Smash, any time spent creating extra content/modes won't be wasted, since it can be enjoyed by so many people.

I want Panel de Pon back, but two-player!

....what the hell are you people doing to expand your inventory space and have goddamn cities built already?!

WHO HAS THIS MUCH FREE TIME IN A PANDEMIC WHERE I HAVE TO HOMESCHOOL MY OWN CHILDREN WHILE TEACHING OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN?!?!

@TheOldManFromZelda

You just have to have a job that your governor deems "non-essential" and fail to ever marry or reproduce.

I don't want to think about any of that right now though. I can't get any alcohol delivered. So much sobriety! One of my friends told me I should just start making hooch at home, and I'm strongly considering it.

... wait, cities built already? Those people are cheating for sure.

This game is fun. I like Animal Crossing. Lots to do and buy and it's relaxing (although when the heck do I access the hourly songs??).

"Old man yells at cloud" time though: I hate the Nook Phone! To me, it's as egregious here as it'd be in, like, Zelda (Sheikah Slate notwithstanding). Every time an animal brings out their phone to send a recipe, a kitten dies somewhere. It's completely out of sorts with the charm of the series, IMO. Why am I finding parts to Gulliver's smartphone?? It's such an antithesis to the "deserted island getaway" concept, ugh. Stupid!

@Hinph

NYS is allowing take-out booze and alcohol deliveries! Rochester has one of the highest per capita clusters of microbreweries in the state, so that has been helpful to allow them to continue to make money. I'm making it my mission to get at least a crowler from a different microbrew a week in order to support them.

@Hinph

So is the strip just totally dark or what? I was reading that this might be the first time that the casinos have ever closed.

If someone named Kitty shows up in one of your towns, that’s my daughter Evie. Still trying to teach her some etiquette.

I've been unable to visit anyone's town so far. Bummer.

But I am slowly expanding my inventory and eliminating my first house debt.

@TheOldManFromZelda My town is pretty much ALWAYS open! I just leave my Switch on and town open whenever I'm not actively doing anything on Switch that would make me close it / turn it off!

Also, just have your kids play Animal Crossing, it's totally educational!

Educational! #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/B9PNtuoZHv

— My Game Videos (@MyGameVideos) March 21, 2020

This has been a real enjoyable few days. Getting up in the morning, making some fresh coffee and enjoying a couple hours of Animal Crossing. In no real rush or anything, just having a swell old time picking weeds, fishing, etc.

I'm impressed by how many things they thought of when it comes to doling out Nook Miles. There was something that I did that resulted in something unfavorable happening, and they gave me some miles for it. Love it!

Maybe tomorrow I'll start looking into that going to other islands/building a house thing. Maybe...

@TheOldManFromZelda

Yeah, I'm still enjoying the coziness of my riverside tent!

(The tent is filling up fast, though!)

@Hinph

Same. So far on my Doominal Crossing weekend, AC is the game I've been gravitating more towards as well. I figured I'd be playing 1-2 hours of AC a day and marathoning Doom the rest of the weekend, but I've probably put more or less the same amount of time into both. I think part of it is that subconsciously I want the more comforting experience, with everything going on right now. I've noticed when picking movies out to rent the past few weeks, it's been a lot of comedies.

But also Doom Eternal is unquestionably a much more challenging game than Doom '16. I'm only through three proper missions so far, but that enjoyable combat flow where it's intense but satisfying and I feel totally in control -- not there yet. I don't know that it's going to get there. We'll see if the game ultimately gives you a better way of dealing with them, but at least so far the heavy enemies which will kill you ridiculously fast if you don't neutralize their weak point, right now there's no real way around that being disruptive to the game flow. Just when I'm flying all over a combat arena and using everything at my disposal and having a blast, 2 or 3 arachnotrons show up and, it's like, "fun time's over". That's the one thing right now that I'm not really feeling. I do really like the environment variety and platforming elements (Cultist Base really gave off severe Phendrana Drifts vibes )

And that's been the thing. I finish a mission and I'm like, "yeah, I'm good." I feel so relieved to be done with a mission (and to be fair, they're really substantial in this game) and less amped to go right into the next one. Which is okay, I've got until R3make is out on April 3rd; similar to Animal Crossing I'm not in any real rush.

@Secret_Tunnel
@Hinph

I can't imagine what the strip is like right now. I usually get out there twice a year (usually stay in the Mandalay/Luxor/Excalibur triad) in May and Oct/Nov, but I have no idea when I'm going back next. Even if they re-open the hotels/casino floors, the sports books are going to remain dead for a while since I don't think any of the big time major sports are starting back up anytime soon.

I haven't gone back to Doom yet, but I watched some combat tip videos and I think I'm ready. My friend assured me it gets better and better as you improve and says she likes it more than 2016.

@Secret_Tunnel
@TheBigG753

I actually haven't left my house since the day I got laid off (distancing for 2 weeks to be sure I didn't get infected and then visiting the fam and not a lot else). It was eerie even then, the day before it was shut down. Very few people around, lots of the restaurants and shops closed or operating with a skeleton crew, and no traffic going home. One guy still tried to peddle cellphone cases at me as I walked by him and I was like "Really, man? They're making you work?" and we had a little conversation. The photos people have posted are the best I've seen as well, because the balcony of my apartment doesn't face the strip. I do have to take my trash out and see if my unemployment stuff has come in the mailbox tonight, so I'm going to take a look.

@Zero

My niece just learned how to read, so this game came out at such a perfect time to hone her skills as she's out of school! My sister-in-law has to get her a Switch of her own because she loves it and they want to do local co-op... and not have to fight over the Switch.

@TheOldManFromZelda

I'm fairly certain the alcohol delivery laws in this state are in place solely to benefit the industry out here, so there's really no reason they shouldn't lift the law while everything is shut down. It would prevent people from leaving their houses to get some and help the economy. I mostly jest about how bad I'm fiending for some booze, but... some wine would be nice. We can have weed delivered to our doors right now, but I can't really smoke that while the world is burning. I tried some the other night, and... full blown panic attack. A beer or wine buzz would be very nice, as well as delicious, but I'll live!

Woah, did a bunch of you have a NW met-up in my town while I wasn't paying attention? SWEET.

@Zero

Evie wanted to go to Radtown 4 times today. Ran into a bunch of folks.

Ha! Awesome!

But also oh no! She didn't find the uh... pair of shoes... did she?

I'm trying to build a lot of easter eggs into my island. Slowly but surely.

Hinph said:

some wine would be nice

I have an amazing tawny port sitting in my cupboard that I've been saving to share with a lady one of these nights, but none of the girls I've been talking to have been properly social distancing 😤

@Secret_Tunnel

Yeah, hookups are cancelled until further notice, like everything else fun. Haha.