Beginner Island Building Guide with Zero Experience

Written upfront: this tutorial is for players who "don't know how to start island design from scratch, can't plan out zones, have no idea what goes where, and just can't get started" — which is exactly me. If you're aiming for those super advanced, perfectly coordinated, incredibly beautiful islands, this probably isn't for you~ Step 1: Divide it up — just go for it! First, think about whether your island should have something like a "main road." It's usually two grids wide, connects the whole island, and goes in all directions, right! For example, I wanted asphalt roads running throughout, so I just selected the asphalt road (2-grid mode) and started drawing rectangles. During this process, you don't need to think about how much space each area takes up or whether you've drawn into the ocean (drawing into the ocean actually keeps the island from looking like a rigid rectangle!). Just draw blocks and claim territory however you feel like it! Step 2: Lay down the paths! Once the main road (like my asphalt road) is done, the general zones naturally start to appear, right! Asphalt roads are for cars, after all (even though there are no cars on the island) — so where should your villagers walk? Sidewalks! For example, I chose concrete paths (make sure to pick road-type paths — first because villagers can walk on them, and second because they come with curbs). Start tracing the outlines of the zones you drew in Step 1. Step 3: Place the buildings! By now the zones on your island should be really clear! Open the full map view and take a look — the largest blocks can become big parks, plazas… medium-sized blocks work for residential areas… smaller blocks are good for shops, small parks… Roughly think through what goes where, then just go ahead and drop the corresponding buildings into the grid without overthinking it! ❤️ Once these three steps are done, your island will look something like pic 1 — doesn't it suddenly become really clear what to do with each area next! Now you can search keywords like "Tomodachi Life island design residential area / small garden…" and start building little by little. Pushing forward a bit each day makes it really manageable! For example, I've now finished a construction shop with a garden (pics 2 and 3). Hope everyone ends up with an island they love~