Villagers leaving Pelican Town (temporarily)

[Lappy]

I've thought about how Kent is introduced in year 2. If he comes back from deployment, surely he had to have been sent away in the first place, right?

What if characters periodically left town for a while? This could be for a few days, a couple weeks, a whole season, or even a full year.

For example:

• Maru studies "abroad" for a semester
• Elliott does a book tour
• Shane goes to rehab
• Pam goes to trade school and comes back with a new job
• Robin and Demetrius go on a couples retreat
• Caroline and Pierre could go on a retreat and leave Abigail to tend the store (which she DETESTS!)
• Jas and/or Vincent go to summer camp
• Leah has an art exhibit in Zuzu city
• Haley goes to culinary school to perfect pink cakes
• Willy goes on a fishing trip
• Abigail goes to some kind of -Con (a la Comic-Con)

This would mix up the routine a bit and allow for more character development. If more locations are added (Zuzu city, offshore island), you could visit them there.

Expanding the idea further... if anyone were to move away permanently, someone else could move in. When I was married to Leah, I thought it strange that her cottage sat empty. Why not let someone else move in?

 

[Boo1972]

I have often thought that having the characters leave for a period of time and a new NPC rent their house/room would be fun. If you marry Elliot he does leave for a week on a book tour but no one moves into his empty house. I would like to see new characters come to our lovely valley.

 

[liquidcat]

I really love this suggestion! It will definitely spice up things

 

[Xyrella]

When I was married to Leah, I thought it strange that her cottage sat empty. Why not let someone else move in?

Finally, the governor could have his vacation home with his missus!
I like the idea, especially in connection with Zuzu. There are so many innuendos and also a few cutscenes that it would be good to meet the villagers there at times. But as you said, we first need Zuzu in game in order to visit them there. :)

 

[Magically Clueless]

I love this suggestion!

I like the idea of some characters' schedules changing slightly more, or 'temporarily leaving' events happening with high affection. Like, maybe after experiencing a heart event with Demetrius and Robin, they're closer together, so then they'll go on the couple's retreat you mentioned once a year or something similar.

I could see Shane and Alex disappear on some days to attend some gridball games (though probably separately) and there could be some times that Sebastian spends a whole day on his motorcycle or in Zuzu City.

A-la Harvest Moon, I think the ability to get some people to move away would be interesting too. Some characters do talk about moving away, or missing where they used to go. I don't think there should be a time limit on this (even though that would be interesting) but it'd be cool if like, for example, an option for Sebastian to move away unlocks if you don't date him for 3 years or something. Maybe he'd be gone after that save for the odd visit to Robin's shop once in a while, and you get to see how he's doing!

 

[Odin]

This would mix up the routine a bit and allow for more character development. If more locations are added (Zuzu city, offshore island), you could visit them there.

This is a really great idea for keeping the game interesting as you get further along in years!

 

[Quillmagic]

Yes I want to see Alex achieve his gridball dreams, have Penny explore the world, and have Sebastian go to the city once in a while! Abby should go on lil’ adventures, Shane should go to that therapist, and Sam, Abby and Seb should occasionally do tours!

 

[Konitama]

I think the idea has potential but it could also be very frustrating if you are needing to talk to someone and they've left for a week/month/whatever. Maybe if it was set up like Animal Crossing where when you talk to a villager they will ask about leaving and you can choose whether you're okay with it or not. I know that makes it not as realistic since you're kind of controlling who can leave and when, but at the same time I think taking control away from the player is usually not a great idea.

So maybe instead of Alex just up and leaving to play gridball, when you talk to him he will tell you he has the opportunity to leave to go chase his dreams, and you can either say "Go for it!" and he leaves, or you can say "But I'll really miss you, don't go" or something and he changes his mind and stays. But maybe that could also require you to be at a certain level of friendship with him. If your level is too low he won't listen to you and he'll do what he wants. Just a thought. It would give more motivation to raise heart levels so you can keep people around that you're interested in and lose people if you don't pay attention to them enough.

 

[Person090]

I've thought about how Kent is introduced in year 2. If he comes back from deployment, surely he had to have been sent away in the first place, right?

What if characters periodically left town for a while? This could be for a few days, a couple weeks, a whole season, or even a full year.

For example:

• Maru studies "abroad" for a semester
• Elliott does a book tour
• Shane goes to rehab
• Pam goes to trade school and comes back with a new job
• Robin and Demetrius go on a couples retreat
• Caroline and Pierre could go on a retreat and leave Abigail to tend the store (which she DETESTS!)
• Jas and/or Vincent go to summer camp
• Leah has an art exhibit in Zuzu city
• Haley goes to culinary school to perfect pink cakes
• Willy goes on a fishing trip
• Abigail goes to some kind of -Con (a la Comic-Con)

This would mix up the routine a bit and allow for more character development. If more locations are added (Zuzu city, offshore island), you could visit them there.

Expanding the idea further... if anyone were to move away permanently, someone else could move in. When I was married to Leah, I thought it strange that her cottage sat empty. Why not let someone else move in?

I like this idea for every NPC, except marnie, with all the times she's not at her shop, it already seems like she's on vacation.