WiFi Manners Guide
Just because you're a total slob in real life doesn't mean you can't show some manners in ACWW. While you don't have to completely change your personality in order to be courteous, you should still follow some general guidelines to make sure your WiFi'ing adventures go smoothly. Being respectful to others and their property should be of utmost importance while you're out of town, and if you follow these tips you should have a positive WiFi experience with just about everyone.

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Hosting a WiFi Game
Being a guest and being a host are both somewhat similar; both require a great deal of respect, and in some cases- a great deal of patience. If you are new to WiFi, I would suggest hosting a game first. You'll be able to observe how your guests act (hopefully they set a good example ) and you get to experience the new responsibilities brought on by hosting visitors. To that end, here are some suggestions and tips on how you can be a respectful, yet fun and exciting host.

Technicalities:
1) Get to know who's coming over beforehand. You don't want to invite a complete stranger over to play with you. There are users who are just coming to buy from your Nook's, steal your items, or even worse, destroy your town. If they drop a hacked seed and make a run for it, your town may become unplayable if the game saves before you can turn off the power.

2) Let them know your expectations. If you have a pet peeve or something you do not tolerate in your town- let them know beforehand. Each person has a different sense of what should be done in another town, and some people have more or less manners than others.

3) Have good connections. Literally- the host should have a strong WiFi connection, as a weak connection may cause the connection to fall and all visitors will be kicked out. No one likes to visit a town that's always falling offline.


Preparations:
1) Have a plan. Some people don't do well just going with the flow, having a general plan as to what activities you are going to engage in while your guest is over is never a bad idea. While you shouldn't plan out every minute of your meeting, you should at least have a general idea as to what you want to do, as sitting there making faces at each other gets boring pretty quickly. You might try playing some games; some fun ones can be found in the game section of this guide.

2) Make sure everything is set right. Is your town is set up correctly for any games you'll be playing? If your game needs instructions, you may want to post them on the town message board beforehand. If you have any patterns out for decoration, make sure that they are placed correctly and that everything is the way you want it.


Your Town:
1) Your town should feel inviting, and it should look tidy and prepared to accommodate guests. This includes picking weeds and keeping all pathways (if any) clear of items which may make the town look cluttered. (Unless you are having a catalog party or are playing a game involving items, but more on that later.)

2) Make sure your house isn't full of cockroaches! Chances are your guest would like to take a tour of your home, so always be sure to keep it tidy. Try and make all furniture accessible (and perhaps interactive?), and keep open space; your house shouldn't feel like a maze! Some nice music also helps to lighten the mood.

3) Show your creativity. Nothing is more interesting than a town with a theme. By placing patterns all around town you can turn it into any number of places. Even if you aren't the best artist out there, there are plenty of patterns available online that you can use to decorate your town. Even if you don't have the time or patience to design dozens of patterns, a simple pathway through your town is a nice touch and keeps visitors away from the flowerbeds.


Personality:
1) Keep it moderate. When you first meet someone, you don't want to intimidate them or make them feel uncomfortable. If you have a tendency of making jokes, you may want to lay off until you know how they'll
handle them. A simple joke can turn into a great misunderstanding and hurt feelings.

2) Watch your mouth! Many of those who play ACWW are children, and you don't want to offend them or their parents. This includes loudmouthed villagers. If you've taught a villager an insulting catchphrase, you may want to make sure your visitor doesn't chat with them, or warn them about your villager beforehand. The villager could move to your visitor's town, and that could be a problem!

3) Be respectful. Like the old saying goes, treat others how you would like to be treated. If you are kind, people will notice and want to visit more often. If you're rude- you'll be left alone. Visitors are your guests, and they should be treated as guests. This includes being polite and just being you. People will appreciate your personality, so don't be afraid to show it.


Surprise!
1) When hosting, it's always nice to surprise your guest somehow (in a good way!). Presents are always nice, even if it's something simple, your guests will appreciate your generosity.

2) Don't be a cheapskate! Giving a small bell prize to the winners of the games that you play adds an interesting touch. It can turn a simple game into a real competition though, so you may want to give out the money unannounced.

3) Plan some cool activities. Playing games is always cool, especially if you have a full town of visitors- that way everyone can participate. Having a catalog party, where everyone can exchange items and complete their catalog is also fun. You could even hold an auction or have a mini-yard sale!

Remember that when playing the host you are in control. If someone is behaving rudely, or is making you feel uncomfortable, let them know- and if they don't stop, end the game and then remove them from your friend list. You don't have to tolerate or WiFi with someone who is disrespecting you. Most importantly, if you notice that your guest is vandalizing or abusing your town- just turn the game off right away. Turning off your game during WiFi before saving data will reverse the negative effects, and you won't encounter Resetti. For more information on keeping you and your town safe from predators, check this page.

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-queenzentar (8/1/2007 8:43:30 AM)
sticky-fying

Guest Etiquette
Being a guest is a bit less about planning and more about what you do while you're in your host's town. While you should make preparations before leaving, the host will usually have some plan of what you'll be doing in town. You may want to discuss these plans beforehand- especially if you are going over to trade items.

Preparations:
1) Ask your host what you’ll be doing. Doing so helps you make the right preparations beforehand. Now would also be a good time to ask your host about any rules he or she has regarding their town. If you have a question, ask it.

2) Over prepare. When making preparations, you have to keep in mind the situation waiting for you ahead. Plans change quickly, and a simple visit could turn into an hour long bug-off, it can get that crazy. To make the most of your visits, you want to make sure you’re ready for everything. You want to have at least one of the following items on you at all times: Shovel, Fishing Rod, Net, Timer, Watering Can. The tools are essential- if you want to be classy you can bring your golden tools if you like. Just don’t drop them and leave them on accident.

3) Keep room in those pockets! Chances are you’ll pick *something* up in the town you’re visiting, whether it be fruit, fish, or a piece of furniture. Make sure you have at least 5 spaces or so empty just in case. It’s a real hassle to have to drop a bunch of items during a fishing tourney. Try and keep all your mail slots open so you can clear your inventory quickly.

4) Bring a gift. It doesn’t have to be something big, but it’s nice to have something to bring over to someone who is hosting you in their town. Plus, bringing extra items helps if you decide to play a game of treasure hunt, or see something you like and want to make a trade.

5) Don’t come broke. You might find something you like at the Nook’s in your friend’s town. Plus, you never know when you’ll need some extra money to buy an item off a friend or just to send in the mail as a thank you.


Do’s & Don’ts
It’s better to be overly polite than to risk being rude. Different hosts have different expectations of their guests, but if you follow the do’s and don’ts, you should be fine.

DO ask before you buy items at Nook’s, exchange patterns in Able’s, post messages on the message board, take, pick up, or dig up ANY items from town (including flowers and fruit), before you enter someone’s home, and before you roam around town and talk to the villagers. Most of the time, your host will have no problems with you doing many of the above, but most hosts would prefer if you ask them first.

DO Try and keep close to your host, if you avoid them or run out of their sight often, they might think that you’re up to something- you don’t want to be mistaken for someone you’re not.

DO be friendly and greet your host, don’t just start running around wherever you please.

DO walk slowly when near flowers. Flowers are very delicate, and hybrid flowers are even more so. If your host has put a lot of time and effort into gardening, ruining flowerbeds will probably make him or her very upset.

DO hold the “L” or “R” button to run, rather than pressing “B”. This keeps you from picking up items or patterns. Remember to steer clear of flowers when running. Some hosts may not want you running at all, so be sure to ask first.

DON’T cut down or shake any trees unless you have asked to do so beforehand. Many people have spent a lot of time creating large forests of fruit trees, and for some it’s even a source of income. You need to be respectful of that.

DON’T ask/beg for bells. This is rude and almost insulting. If you need bells, you should make some yourself. Asking for bells is not appropriate at all, unless you know the host and he or she is a good friend of yours.

DON’T say anything offensive. That includes insults, bad language, or anything that could be taken the wrong way unless the host has let you know that he or she is ok with it beforehand.

DON’T change the town tune, dig up any flowers/fossils/gyroids, take bottled mail from the beach, or take anything from the recycling bin without asking first.

DON’T ever randomly drop or bury items in others' towns, unless you are supposed to be doing so for either a trade or a game. Since dropping and burying are both common ways to apply seeds, this could make your host very angry.

These do’s and don’ts may seem a bit strict- but they ensure that you’ll stay on your host’s good side. Once you get to know them better, you’ll know what is and what is not acceptable in your host’s town.

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Now, the most important rule to follow, whether you are a host or a guest:

1) Just have fun!

Manners are desirable, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be a bit informal and have a good time. There is a balance between formality and fun that you have to find in every town that you visit. You’ll get the hang of it in one of the wild worlds out there, trust me on this one.

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Thanks go out to Explopyro and rogue_psyche for their suggestions, they were incorporated into the guide. Another thanks to everyone who offered positive feedback, it was much appreciated.

Bravo it's really good!
Some one should stickifie this. Not just bacause you are a scout, but because its great!

Looks very good to me, Sunmarsh. I just skimmed it really, but it looks relatively complete and it's well organized.

I'm going to post a copy of the section on online etiquette that I wrote in my own guide, in case you care to use some of it (just give me credit if you feel it necessary; if you don't, I don't mind).

"It has recently come to my attention that many players are unaware of certain expected behaviors when visiting another's town, specifically new players. I am therefore writing this section to offer a few general pointers to those newer people who may not yet have observed them, so that they do not receive reputations as thieves, scammers, et cetera.

1. Stay in sight of the host unless given permission otherwise. If you mysteriously run off, the host may suspect that you are going to seed, steal, or do otherwise undesirable things. If the host has placed a boundary, such as a line of patterns, and asked you not to cross it, it goes without saying that you should not do so.

2. Walk, don't run, unless given permission. Many players grow flowers, either for perfect town status or to produce hybrids, and will not appreciate your running as it can cause them to be destroyed, and hybrid flowers can be valuable. Also, if you walk, it's easier for the host to keep you in sight, and that's a good thing.

3. Never take items from the ground without asking permission. Many players use the ground to store items if their dresser is full or for various other reasons, and it is considered thievery to take them. Items on the ground never disappear, so there is no reason to assume that they are unwanted. Also, don't take the money from money trees - they don't grow back.

4. When in doubt, ask permission. Most players will not mind you buying items at Nook, harvesting fruit, digging up buried items, et cetera, as long as you ask. Some people, however, may not want you to do these things, so always ask first to avoid the possibility of causing trouble.

5. Never display your own patterns in somebody else's Ables' shop unless they have explicitly asked you to.

6. Ask before writing letters to neighbors or posting on the message board.

That's all I can think of. Really, all it comes down to is this: ask permissionbefore doing anything you think might anger the person you're visiting. Itseems like common sense, and it might seem a little excessive at first, butmany players do not think to do this."

Thanks for the response.

I might add a few pointers from your guide Explopyro, I hadn't thought about buried items.

No problem. I'm glad I was able to help, if only a little.

This is a great guide. I think that every wifi-er should read it!

It's true, this is awesome. And I hope it gets stickified.

Wow, glad everyone likes it, thanks for the positive comments.

This is great. Everyone needs to read this.

Just looked through it again, and I think you need more DONT'S under the section regarding visiting others. That's mainly what people need to keep in mind when visiting others...

The biggest one I can think of right now is "DON'T ever randomly drop or bury items in others' towns, unless you are supposed to be doing so for either a trade or a game. Since dropping and burying are both common ways to apply seeds, this could make your host very angry."

Very nice! This is definetly worth stickyfication!

its good...but it seems ou have too much time and too much love for ac which is not bad...but i dont agree with it all

What would you recommend I change, tokatu?

That's definitely a good "Don't" to add, Explopyro, thanks for the suggestion.

That's a great guide! It definitely should be stickied!

People ask me for bells lots... it's really annoying.

By the way, maybe you could add "Don't pick up patterns" to the list, and also "run with the L or R buttons so you don't accidentaly pick patterns up".

"By the way, maybe you could add "Don't pick up patterns" to the list, and also "run with the L or R buttons so you don't accidentaly pick patterns up"."

Ooh man, I didn't know you could do that. I accidentally picked up a pattern recently when I was trying to run along it. It's so embarrassing to have to tell your host, and I bet it's a pain for the host as well.

Bravo, Bravo!!! I'm glad somebody put this up ! Manners and etiquette make all the difference! I also like the advise on being prepared and on surprises! When I get my Wi-Fi up I'll have to utilize them! Thank You so much!

Me Likey!

if me a mod....stikified...me no mod...so no stickiefied

Great guide. It obviously took a lot of time and effort. Bravo!

I read the whole thing and it should be stickified. Some people should act like this a little mroe.

Nice job, sunmarsh!

Thanks, glad you liked it. I'm hoping for stickyfication, but so far no luck.

Congratulations on getting a sticky! This is a well-written guide, and I hope that people will take time to learn from it

Good job, nicely done.