Settlement gameplay depth mods are nonexistent.

[Koocai1]

I'm talking about mods that alter the game in such a way that settlements become an intrinsic and important part of the game, rather than just some side thing you can use to decorate and as a place to "live" and store loot.

 

I recently made a comment on the Starfield Reddit which I'll quote:

 

In Fallout 4, besides adding non-functional items to your settlement, there were in comparison very few mods which added something that actually increased the depth of the settlement system. Horizon and Sim Settlements are the only ones that I've ever known of that attempted to do so, and Sim Settlements 1 and 2 are arguably in a mechanical sense more like auto-decoration mods than something that adds depth. This leaves only one mod that adds depth to the settlement system, that being Horizon.

 

However, the lack of mods that do in fact add depth to Fallout 4's settlement system can likely be explained by the fact that the settlement system was never really meant to even be something that was required for use by the player to progress in any way. If you've ever listened to the bits of audio where the developers commented on it before/during/after the release of the game, you'll find out that it wasn't even originally planned to be in the game, and was rushed. Back in the day, this was a really concerning point to me considering that this, one of the game's most valuable features to me wasn't even originally fathomed during the early creation process.

 

 

So the main point here is that Fallout 4's settlement system lacks a certain mechanical depth that makes it important to general gameplay. One might ask, are there any mods besides the mentioned ones that actually increase the depth in this part of the game? The answer is almost definitely a no. Even though I love settlements, it's hard for me to keep returning to Fallout 4 after already playing the game to death due to the lack of depth to the settlements. Building up a settlement and knowing that at the end of the day, it's only really there for decoration is a really disappointing thing to feel every time I play the game. For me, it causes a sense of a lack of progression and purpose to that part of the game, and by extension also to the rest of the game in a way.

 

This problem isn't aided by the fact that your settlers can't even die unless you accidentally hit them. Not only that, but the attacks on your settlement never actually break anything you place, they just change it into a different form that has to be repaired with a negligible amount of materials. In addition, the attacks on settlements aren't simulated unless you're there, and if you are there and have assumedly built your settlement in such a way that it's impervious for the AI to enter, they won't even bother. This is due to the fact that settlement objects are indestructible, and even if they weren't, the AI was never given any way to even understand the concept of breaking through a barrier.

 

The way most turrets and even your settlers themselves don't ever run out of ammo means that once you place down enough of even the weakest turret in the game, you've made a firing force so powerful that it obliterates any enemy that ever dares get near. Immediately once thinking of this problem, I envision the magical possibility of a Fallout 4 with supply chains where your settlers have to mine out of settlement areas around the map to get resources from the ground, which then must be refined and processed by other settlers. All of these settlers have to be guarded, maybe by mercenaries who would therein be paid by the profits of your mercantile-oriented settlements that attract people from all across the commonwealth, maybe even some of which have unique quests to offer that you would only be able to acquire by investing into this incredible settlement system. The end result would be a complex production chain which was precisely engineered by the player that serves to give a sense of satisfaction and importance to the things the player has invested so heavily into. The possibilities are endless.

 

Now, I get it, maybe it might seem like I'm asking too much of the game. But frankly I'm surprised more people haven't ever brought this subject up, or much less asked for someone to address it. This is obvious and apparent, given the lack of mods that do / have ever done so.

 

It's clear to everyone that the modding scenes in Bethesda games last far into the future from the time an individual game is released. People are still modding Skyrim heavily to this day, and I expect that'll continue in its full essence up until Elder Scrolls 6 releases. Anyone who follows the release patterns of Bethesda games knows that Starfield is only maybe half a year away from releasing, and three to five years after will come Elder Scrolls 6. That means Fallout 5 could take anywhere from maybe 7 to 10 years from this day to release, and that's on the optimistic side of reasoning. My point is that there's still enough time to fix this problem with Fallout 4, but given that nobody has ever attempted to before, it might unfortunately be the case that nobody ever will.

 

I'm not the kind of person to ask others to make mods, and even if I were, I wouldn't bother asking them to in this regard. The workload would be enormous, so much so that anyone who even tried to make a mod that addresses this lack of depth in the settlement system would probably be defeated halfway through. So it's unfortunately the case that we may likely never see a Fallout 4 mod that does anything close to addressing what I'm talking about. And I'm an extremely optimistic person, but even this is something that just puts my hopes to shame. Maybe Starfield's outpost system might be the evolution I'm asking for.

 

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share your opinions. Maybe I've just got it all backwards, but I doubt it.

Edited November 11, 2022 by Koocai1

[Guest deleted34304850]

so you don't like fallout 4 then?

[Koocai1]

so you don't like fallout 4 then?

I've got 1500 hours in it so far, and I really want to put more into the game. It's by all means an extremely good game, but it could still be even better. That's what modding is all about.

[HeyYou]

What disturbs me the most, is that the 'settlers' don't seem to be able to do anything at all for themselves..... Can't build houses, can't plant crops, but, they CAN tend crops that YOU plant...... How in the world did the human race survive without you there to hold their hand?? I can see the player wanting to build his OWN house, but, building one for every tom, dick, and larry that comes along??? Nope. You want to sleep indoors, BUILD IT YOURSELF!

Edited November 11, 2022 by HeyYou

[Guest deleted34304850]

 

so you don't like fallout 4 then?

I've got 1500 hours in it so far, and I really want to put more into the game. It's by all means an extremely good game, but it could still be even better. That's what modding is all about.

 

yes indeed and the majority of your whine is solved by .... mods.

so i'm wondering - 1500 hours in a vanilla game with no mods? i mean your post looks like it should have been written 6 years ago when the game came out.

[NeinGaming]

Name the mods that even attempt any of that.

[greekrage]

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/21872

[Guest deleted34304850]

Name the mods that even attempt any of that.

no, YOU go find the mods that do that. Here's a clue to get you started; they're all on Nexusmods.

[Blinxys]

Not exactly what you are asking for, but in a way it is:

 

Crime and Punishment by Joerqc is quite advanced (with a karma system).

 

Or The "light" version:

Immersive Generic Dialogues

 

Starting with those to get some in-game gravitas going, you can then widen your search radius to tackle other buggers listed.

Does sound like it will be a collection by the time you get what you want assembled from mods. :thumbsup:

[CrEaToXx]

I second C&P. It adds karma mechanics, and features to make your settlers start a rebellion. Aside from tons of other game enhancing features that is. Pair that with some of SKK solutions, and LiannKar immersioners, and you'll have a whole new layer of depth.