F.A.Q.

Have a question? Check out the F.A.Q below! To jump to a question, use command (or ctrl) + F and type in the number (ex. type [5]).

Feel free to post your questions in the comments if you still need help!

ABOUT THE GAME:
[1] Do I need Amiibo cards to play the game?
[2] How many houses can I design?
[3] Do I get to name my town? How many villagers can my town hold?
[4] Do I get my own home?
[5] How do I unlock more furniture?
[6] How do I unlock more features? I want to use ceiling items but I can’t find it!
[7] How much content is there compared to a traditional AC game?
[8] Are there any online components to AC:HHD?
[9] How do I get the car?
[10] Do I have to stick to the specific theme the villager wants? Is there a grading system?
[11] How do I unlock (villager name here)?
[12] Can I redesign a villager’s home? How about facilities?
[13] Can I make my own designs or import patterns?
[14] How do I design larger or bigger houses for villagers?
[15] How do I unlock a specific item?
[16] What does cancelling during a renovation do?
[17] My villager unlocked different items than yours. What’s happening?!

ABOUT THIS BLOG:
[A] How often will you be updating this blog?
[B] Which game version will you be playing?
[C] WIll you be reviewing the game?
[D] I have a question! Can I contact you?
[E] Where can I find all of the posts for villager designs?

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ABout the game

[1] Do i need amiibo cards to play the game?

Absolutely not! You can play through the game without purchasing any cards. The cards are used to call on villagers directly, rather than wait for them to randomly appear in your game. In addition, some characters can only be found using the cards. These are generally special characters, like DJ KK, Isabelle, and Tom Nook, not the villagers.

[2] How many houses can I design?

You can design one house per in-game “day.” After finishing a house, it’s nighttime, which means the end of your business day. However, you can still walk around the main plaza, and visit previously designed homes and facilities.

[3] Do I get to name my town? How many villagers can my town hold?

No. This game is much different than previous AC entries since you don’t have one town. Instead, think of it as a hub: you have your main town plaza where the public facilities are located, then you can travel to villager’s homes. Each “map” holds one villager.

[4] Do I have my own home?

Unfortunately, players will not have their own home. The only houses you can decorate are the ones belonging to villagers.

[5] How do I unlock more furniture?

Furniture and other items are unlocked when you accept a new design request. The list of unlocked items corresponds to the character’s theme (for example, Lottie wants a “cute” design, so she unlocked a bunch of Lovely furniture items). I’m trying to keep track of who unlocks what on this page. Caution: Some items may be time-dependant. Special DLC characters, like Louie, should be unlocked as soon as they’re available.

[6] How do I unlock more features? I want to use ceiling items but I can’t find it!

Some features, such as window and door designs, furniture refurbishing, and ceiling items are initially locked. As you progress through the game, Tom Nook will give you the Happy Home Handbook. It’s essentially a list of “lessons” that can be purchased using play coins. Once per business day, players can choose which lesson they want to learn. For example, doing the Refurbishing lesson unlocks the feature that allows players to edit the colours and/or material of certain furniture items. The handbook is also where you can unlock fish, fossils, paintings, and Gyroids.

[7] How much content is there compared to a traditional AC game?

It’s generally hard to say since every player is different, but I wouldn’t worry about there not being a lot of content. Like any other AC game, you’re definitely going to get your money’s worth because AC: HHD is very open ended. Usually, I spend anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour designing one location. The replay value is quite high because players will unlock new features over time and there’s a lot of incentive to go back to old designs and spruce things up.

[8] Are there any online components to AC: HHD?

Yes. As you progress through the game, players will unlock the Happy Home Network, which is the online component. It’s where you can post your own designs for homes and facilities. Additionally, you can look through designs other players have posted, visit that place, and give them a rating, such as “cool,” or “I’d live there.” There will be challenges as well that usually focus on creating a specific theme.

[9] How do I get the car?

As you play through the game, you’ll be asked if you want to share your gameplay information with Nintendo. Selecting “yes” will reward you with the car.

[10] Do I have to stick to the specific theme the villager wants? is there a grading system?

No and no. While a villager might want a “futuristic home,” they would be perfectly happy if you decorated their place using Ranch or Classic items. Or if you want to put a bunch of gold toilets everywhere. Because there isn’t a grading system, you’re only limited by what you want to do. This is both a pro and con, depending on how you look at it. You don’t receive any additional rewards or bonuses for following a theme.

[11] How do I unlock (villager name here)?

The villagers that come to you with design requests are completely random so there isn’t a way to get a specific character by normal means. However, if you have their Amiibo card, you can call them directly using the Amiibo phone at Nook’s Home (first floor). This will ensure that they visit Nook’s Homes and you’ll be able to accept their request. To use an Amiibo card, use the Amiibo phone and it’ll guide you through the steps. If you have a new Nintendo 3DS (XL or regular), then you can tap the card directly on the touch screen. However, if you have an older version of the 3DS that can’t read Amiibos, you’ll have to purchase an NFC Reader.

[12] Can I redesign a villager’s home? How about facilities?

Yes, and yes! To redesign a villager’s home, simply visit them at the beginning of the business day and talk to them (you may need to do this multiple times). You’ll be given two options: new house (you’ll go through the process of choosing the house location, editing the outside, etc) or deluxe remodel (this is just a regular renovation of the inside of the home).

With facilities, this option is unlocked as you progress through the game. When you change a facility, you go through the same process of choosing an exterior style. You’ll also be given the chance to choose a layout. Your original interior design stays as is, as long as you are upgrading to a larger size. If you “downsize” or choose a layout smaller than the original, the game tries to keep your furniture items as is, but you may lose some along the edges of your original design. If you move to a new house location, you will lose the furniture but your house roof/wall/door will stay the same.

[13] Can I make my own designs or import patterns?

Yes, you can! As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock the sewing machine on the second floor (you’ll see it on the top left just as you enter the room). Like in New Leaf, players can design patterns for clothing, paths, etc. QR codes can also be used to download other player’s designs. I’ve found a lot of great ones at Animal Crossing Paths and Animal Crossing New Leaf & HHD Paths.

[14] How do I design larger or bigger houses for villagers?

You’ll have to redesign a villager’s house multiple times in order to get progressively larger layouts. When you ask a villager if you can redesign their house, choose “new house.” The first time you redesign their house, you can choose between one room and two rooms. The second time you redesign their house (don’t forget to choose “new house” again), you can choose between two rooms and three room layouts, provided you tell Lottie you want a bigger house than the current one. The first three-room layout has a second floor, whereas the second three-room layout has a basement.

[15] How do I unlock a specific item? 

To unlock items, players must accept and finish a villager’s request. During the house design, tap on the magnifying glass on the touch screen to see a list of the new items that the villager gives you. I will be keeping track of unlockable items here as well as who unlocks them. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know for sure what villager unlocks what until you accept, though you can guess based on their theme request. In general, I’ve found that villagers that want more unique/interesting themes tend to unlock fewer items (like Molly’s publishing house), than those who have a broader theme, like Caroline or Kid Kat.

[16] What does cancelling during a renovation do?

It means that nothing you did during the design process is applied, and your original house/facility stays the same. You do not lose a business day, which is a plus! I sometimes use this when I accidentally chose to redesign the wrong facility or if I chose the wrong exterior (*grumble* why did the developers add a “back” option when choosing things *grumble*).

[17] My villager unlocked different items than yours. What’s happening?!

If you check the Item Unlock page, you might see different items under a villager’s name than what you got in your own game. This is because one item can be unlocked by various characters (or even facilities). To make sure that page is as accurate as possible, please send in your own list and I’ll combine it with the current one. Thanks!

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About the blog

[A] How often will you be updating this blog?

As often as I can! Unfortunately, I can’t give any specific (like, “I’ll update one every 3 days at noon!”) but I hope to be active. Of course, if you guys leave a comment, I’ll get back to you ASAP.

[B] Which game version will you be playing?

The North American version. However, I’ll still be keeping an eye on AC updates once the Japan version comes out. I’m also playing on the new Nintendo 3DS XL.

[c] WIll you be reviewing the game?

Yes, and I’ll be posting my finished review here.

[D] I have a question! Can I contact you? 

If you have a question and it’s not addressed above, feel free to post in the comments below. If you’d rather contact me directly, you can use the contact form on the right. Be sure to include your email if you expect a reply!

[E] Where can I find all of the posts for villager/facility designs?

Check the Interior Design tag. You can also take a look at the list of blog categories at the very bottom of the page.