Although custom design codes have been used by many Animal Crossing: New Horizons island-dwellers to create unique pathways, or beach furniture resembling a cute turtle, it seems that the custom path feature also has the ability to function as a gardening assistant. Reddit user u/cityliqhts was one of the earlier fans to point out that players could actually stop their flowers from growing in unwanted spots through creative use of custom designs.
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The technique is fairly straightforward: just place a completely transparent custom design on any tile one wants to flower-proof. Custom designs have become quite popular, especially with designers releasing official AC: New Horizons custom design codes, but players unfamiliar with the game’s design feature can simply follow these steps:
Press ZL to access the Nook Phone menu Select the “Island Designer” app Press + to open the design palette Select “Custom Design” at the bottom right Select an entirely transparent custom design Apply the custom design to tile(s) of choice
The stealthily modified tiles will continue to appear as unmarked grass, but flowers will be unable to grow there - this may come as a breath of fresh air to the residents of rainy islands, as thunderstorms and their subsequent flower-growth can easily overwhelm an aspiring 5-star island. Flower paths that would normally grow out of shape after being watered will now retain their neat shapes, at no actual cost to the player.
It should be noted that custom designs need not be fully transparent for this to work. Players who would rather opt for an actual design on their custom pathways can of course do so while controlling their wild flowers.
This quirky use of custom designs is testament to the versatility of Animal Crossing’s world-building features, but players shouldn’t forget the plethora of other island amenities. If custom pathways and officially sponsored designer design codes are old news, players can take a swing at collecting fine art, or at last-minute fishing before New Horizon’s June fish are replaced by July newcomers.
MORE: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Adding Wet Suits to Nook’s Cranny
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Switch.
Source: cityliqhts/Reddit
