Guide:Animal Crossing

This is a guide to Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube. For general information about this title, click here.''

Basic Controls
Animal Crossing requires players to master three different types of controls in order to play. The first two, Action and Menu controls, are intertwined in game play. With time players learn to switch between them thoughtlessly. Typing controls were very different from the other two modes. However, it is not used nearly as frequently as the others.

Action and Menu Controls
Most actions are performable both indoors and outdoors. However, certain actions can only be performed in certain areas. Please see the typing controls section for information on typing.

Typing Controls
Whenever players are able to insert text, a keyboard appears at the bottom of the screen. Controls then switch to typing mode.

NOTES: Selecting "SP" on the virtual keyboard adds a space. By selecting the return arrow, players can insert carriage returns. Carriage returns skip the rest of the current line and bring the cursor down to the next. On computer keyboards, the enter/return keys serve this function.

Item Screen
The item screen, often referred to as the inventory, is a major aspect of Animal Crossing's game play. Using it, players can perform a variety of tasks. These tasks include checking statistics, placing items, using items, and using designs. The screen is divided up into four major sections

Main Item Screen
Character Information

In the upper left of the menu, the player's character can be seen. The clothes he or she is wearing and the tools he or she is holding are accurately reflected on the image. By selecting the character, players can remove items. The name of the town and the character are displayed to the right.

Bells

Just below the names of the town and character is a display showing how many bells the player has in his or her wallet. The player's wallet can only hold 99,999 Bells. Players can hold more Bells by creating moneybags. To do so, players select the Bells display and choose the amount of Bells they would like in the bag: one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, or thirty thousand. However, moneybags are automatically created for the player if he or she earns enough Bells. Yet, the creation of moneybags allows players to give money as presents, place it in their houses, or bury it in the ground. Obviously, Bells stored at the Post Office cannot be used without first withdrawing them into the Bells display and the inventory.

Items

The player’s items are shown in the lower section of the menu. Up to fifteen items of any type can be held here. Many actions involving items can only be done by selecting the items from this list. Certain items, such as tools or clothes, require players to drag the item's icon onto the character before they can be used.

Letters

Players can hold up to ten letters with them at any given time. Letters can be rearranged to suit the player's preferences. Selecting a received letter brings up a submenu that allows players to move them, read them, move an enclosed present to the inventory, or discard them. If players select a letter they have written themselves, they can move them, rewrite them, change the addressee, remove an enclosed present, or discard them.

Tabs

The tabs on the left and right edges of the menu bring up new menus. The pencil tab on the right brings up the design page. The fish and butterfly tabs on the right bring up the caught fish and insect lists, respectively.

Fish and Insect Lists
These screens record any new fish or insects that have been caught. They prove very useful for players wishing to catch one of every fish or insect. Once at either list, if a player places the cursor over a fish or insect, he or she can see its name. To return to the main item screen, players select the smiley face tab.

Design Page
By selecting the pencil on the main item screen, players will access the design page. This page will automatically open when a player interacts with a signboard. This page has slots for eight patterns designed by the player or taken from the Able Sisters Shop. When first starting the game, this menu contains four sample patterns, the clothes template, umbrella template, door template, and arrow design. Using this screen, players can customize the town with their designs by selecting a pattern and then selecting the action they wish to perform using the sub-menu.

Use on Clothes

While outside or inside, selecting this option uses the pattern as a shirt and hat for the character. The clothes he or she was wearing will be deposited in the items section of the main item screen. This action cannot be performed if the items section is full and the character is not wearing another pattern.

Use on Umbrella

This action appears inside and outside. Any pattern can be used as an umbrella, even if the player does not have an umbrella in his or her inventory. The item the character was holding prior to the selection is moved into the inventory. Like “Use on Clothes,” this action cannot be used to replace an umbrella item if the inventory is full. However, if another pattern is being used as an umbrella, this action still works.

Use on Walls and Use on Floor

While inside their own homes, players can use their patterns as wallpapers or carpets by selection “Use on Walls” and “Use on Floor” respectively. Patterns only cover a small portion of the floor or walls, so they are tiled repeatedly. After selecting where to use the pattern, players are asked to “Paste as is” or “Paste all around.” The first option places the pattern in a very basic matter, with the top of the pattern facing up or north. The second alternates whether the top or bottom is facing up or north. As usual, if a player's inventory is full and he or she is replacing a carpet or wallpaper item, he or she cannot use this selection as the old carpet or wallpaper is placed in the inventory. However, if the old carpet or wallpaper was another pattern, this function works.

Drop as Clothes and Drop as Umbrella

Players wishing to display their patterns in their homes as clothes and umbrellas are able to do so by selecting “Drop as Clothes” and “Drop as Umbrella” respectively. After being dropped, these items are moveable as if they were furniture and can be removed by pressing the B Button while facing them. However, the item disappears rather than going into the inventory.

Trees & Fruit
Each Animal Crossing town has a native fruit that grows on trees. Native fruit sells for 100 bells at Tom Nook's store while non-native fruit sells for 500 bells.

Planting Trees
An easy way to make sure a tree grows (such as a rare fruit that isn't native to the town), is to chop down an existing tree, uproot the stump, then plant the desired fruit. This also works for money trees. As long as no other tree is planted next to the tree, this will eventually grow into a new tree.

Coconut Trees
Coconut trees and fruit cannot be native to any town in the, and they grow differently to other trees. Coconuts must be planted on the coastline, where the sand meets the grass or dirt. No other tree will grow on the coastline.

Money Tree
The Money Tree is a special tree that can be grown in Animal Crossing. A money tree can be planted using any shovel, such as the regular and the golden shovel. A useful tip is to plant the tree in the ground in the daily shiny spot in the town. If the tree grows (due to a limited chance of growth), it will produce three times the amount of Bells buried e.g. 3,000 Bells will produce 9,000 Bells. The money tree only blooms once. After this, it will remain a non-fruit bearing tree.

Money Rock
Every day there will be one rock in the player's town that, once hit with a shovel or axe, will turn red and release a bag of bells. Continue hitting the rock before it fades back to grey until it stops releasing Bells. The amount of bells increases with every hit. When the money rock is hit the first three times, it gives 100 bells each time. After that, it gives 1,000 Bells for each successive hit.

If the player digs a hole in the ground behind them, they will not be recoiled back so they can hit the rock more times. After three more sucessive hits of 1,000 Bell Bags, the player will get 10,000 Bells a bags until it stops releasing Bells.

Fishing, Bug Catching and Fossil Hunting
Make sure to buy one of each tool at Tom Nook's Store when it is possible to do so. A fishing pole can be used to catch fish, a net can be used to catch bugs and a shovel can be used to find fossils, which are marked on the ground. These three hobbies are the best way to gain Bells (by selling them to Tom Nook) and can be used to enlarge the collection at Farway Museum. Fish arguably make the most income, due to there being a wider variety during each season, but insects can make a good income during the Summer months and Fossil Hunting can be done daily and usually bring in over a thousand Bells per fossil.

Tools
There are two types of tools; regular and golden. Golden tools work the same way as their regular counterparts, but make an easier job of what they do. However, Golden Tools need to be earned and are not always easy to obtain.

Golden Shovel
To obtain a Golden Shovel, plant a regular shovel in a daily light spot. A tree will grow and upon shaking it, a Golden Shovel will fall out. A Golden Shovel can ocasionally dig up bells from the earth.

Golden Fishing Rod
To obtain a Golden Fishing Rod, a player must catch one of each fish available in the game. Once they've achieved this, a Golden Fishing Rod will be given to them in the mail. The Golden Fishing Rod makes it easier to catch fish, reducing the likelihood of a fish getting away.

Golden Net
To obtain a Golden Net, once of each bug in the game must be caught. Once this has been achieved, a Golden Net will be sent to the player in the mail. The Golden Net makes it easier to catch insects, by having a larger catchment area therefore insects can be caught from more of a distance.

Events
Events are a useful way to gain furniture, either to sell or make up collections. The majority of special events allow the player to collect special event related furniture which cannot be obtained anywhere else.

Furniture From Jingle
On Christmas Eve, when Jingle visits, there is a way to get as many presents from him as possible. Below is a step by step guides:


 * 1) Get quite a few shirts and accessories, and have letters ready to put items in.
 * 2) Find Jingle 5 times so he gives out an item, then change your shirt and search town for him again.
 * 3) When you find Jingle talk to him, and then push him as close to the edge of the acre as he will go.
 * 4) Walk into the acre he was just pushed close to, but stay right on the edge of the acre.
 * Now, walk back into the acre with Jingle and if the player was quick enough, he will still be right making sure they won't have to go through the trouble of finding him again!
 * Now, push Jingle back towards the edge of the acre if needed and run back out to the adjacent acre.
 * 1) While in the adjacent acre, stay close to the edge again.
 * Now, quickly pause the game and change your shirt to something totally different.
 * Now, run back to the acre with Jingle and talk again.
 * 1) Repeat steps 3 through 9 until you receive the desired item(s).

Bells

 * 1) In order to do this you must first have 2 Memory cards with the available space for travel data.
 * 2) Put ALL your money into the bank and go on a trip at the Train Station.
 * 3) Put the travel data on the memory card without your game on it!
 * 4) Take it out and start the game with the memory card that has your town on it.
 * 5) It will start as normal but when it gets to the menu where you chose your name you choose yours and then s/he will ask you about using a default character.
 * 6) Say yes and then go to the bank.
 * 7) Take out all of your money and drop it infront of your house.
 * 8) Save and exit.
 * 9) Put the memory card with the travel data and s/he will welcome you back from your trip.
 * 10) Then they will ask you a question like, Do you want to use data from your visitor you say NO.
 * 11) When you get into the game all your money should be in the bank and the money that your double dropped on the floor will still be there!

Furniture
To do this you need 2 Gameboy Advances and a GC to GBA link cable.


 * 1) First, connect the first Gameboy to the link than the link to the Gamecube.
 * 2) Next, turn on the Gameboy and go to the Island.
 * 3) When you get there, drop off the money and items that you want to duplicate.
 * 4) Leave the island.
 * 5) When Kapp'n asks if you want to save the island to the Gameboy say yes.
 * 6) After it saves just put the Gameboy off to the side in sleep mode.
 * 7) When you get to the town go up one acre and plug the other Gameboy in to the link and turn it on.
 * 8) Next go back down an acre. Go back to the island and pick up the stuff you dropped off.
 * 9) Get back into the boat and tell Kapp'n that you don't want to save the island on your gameboy.
 * 10) Next unplug the Gameboy from the link. Then take the Gameboy one out of sleep mode.
 * 11) Plug it back in to the link. Go up an acre then down again.
 * 12) Talk to Kapp'n again and go back to the island.
 * 13) You should see the money and items.