Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection[nb 1] (commonly abbrieviated Nintendo WFC) was an online play system incorporated into the Nintendo DS and Wii. It allows online play on games such as Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk. Wild World was the second DS game released that used the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the first being Mario Kart DS. Animal Crossing: New Leaf, like all 3DS games, does not utilize the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Instead, New Leaf has online services that are powered by its successor, the Nintendo Network.
The system allowed a maximum of four players to be in a town at any one time. Players could either visit other people's towns, or invite guests to come to their town. Before a player could visit other towns or have visitors in their town, it was necessary to exchange Friend Codes with the other players they want to play online with. A town couldn't be visited unless both players entered each other's Friend Codes. It was also possible to register other players while in a friend's town, without needing Friend Codes.
To activate the Wi-Fi Connection, a player had to enter the checkpoint and talk to Copper. The first time this happened, a player would be given their own Friend Code to share with other people. Once some friends had been registered, Copper would give the option of either going to a friend's town, or opening the gate and allowing friends to visit. When a player visits a town, gameplay will stop briefly and all other player's screens will show the character entering the town. The same thing also happens if a player leaves a town. Players cannot enter or leave if one player is having a conversation with an animal or other non-player character. While in the same town, players can chat with each other by entering text, or using Wii Speak (City Folk only).
The game is automatically saved when the gate opens or when a player enters or leaves. The town owner can also choose to save at any time, or can select 'Party Over' to make all visitors return home. If one player reset their system, or disconnected from Wi-Fi for any reason, all other players would be presented with a blue screen saying the connection was lost, and the game would then reset. Mr. Resetti did not normally appear if the player disconnected from Wi-Fi.
The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service was discontinued on May 20, 2014,[1] which means that Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk can no longer be officially played online, as well as other Nintendo DS and Wii games.[2] However, third-party alternatives such as Kaeru WFC and Wiimmfi were created to keep the service running.
