Some new Animal Crossing: Wild World gameplay details, specifically having to do with the multiplayer gameplay options, have come to light this morning, courtesy Nintendo of America:

DS Local Area Network

When players are within wireless range of other people who have Animal Crossing: Wild World, they can travel to one other's towns. One person will be the host and open up his or her town gate to visitors. Up to three others within range can exit their town gates to travel to the host's town, where they can do all sorts of things: fish, write letters to townsfolk, shop at the store, cut down trees, anything. Up to four players can interact in real time, communicating with text messages and emoticons. (All players must have game cards for multiplayer mode.)

After players visit another town, the following events may take place.

  • One of the characters in the town they visited might move to their town, and a character from their town might move to the town they visited.
  • "Bottle mail," a bottle containing a letter written by someone in another town, might wash ashore in their town.
  • Constellations created by someone visiting their town might appear in the night sky.
  • This mode is open to anyone in Local Wireless range there is no need for people to pre-register on friend rosters.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Wireless multiplayer mode plays the same as the DS Local Area Network multiplayer, except that players connect using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players must know one another and register one another to their friend roster before they can connect. For example, if player A plans to visit player B's town, both player A and B need to register each other's names. The friend roster window is accessible anytime during the game. There are two ways to register names to the friend roster:

  • Register using DS Local Area Network mode. When players visit another town, they can register the host and other visitors to their friend roster, and others in the town can register them to their lists as well. Players also can register anyone who visits their town, and visitors also can register players in the towns they visit. It's very easy to register friends. Players simply tap the friend roster icon, then tap the names of the people they want to register they'll instantly be added to the friend roster.
  • Players can register the Friend Registration Key, or password, of a person they want to play with. Players receive Friend Registration Keys when they register their games with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. They can then exchange friend codes with others by phone/e-mail/online bulletin boards and use them to add their friends to their lists.