Settlement defense vs. Settler survival, etc.

[Chemist18]

My goal in beginning this thread is to start a discussion/brain-storming session...

 

I've been puzzling through a way to balance the defense of settlements

Points of interest:

 

Settlers

• Settlers are generally unkillable, they take frequent naps but get up and rejoin the fight
• Settlers of all occupations, vendors, farmers, and guards immediately make a Banzai charge when any enemy shows up
• Making Settlers mortal since they are all level 2 would result in depopulating a settlement from any serious attack

Turrets

• Turrets are the mainstay of a settlement's defenses, they were initially limited by the settlement build budget, most people wanting to build larger settlements expand the build budget which also allows building additional turrets
• Missile turrets are the ultimate defense, particularly if well placed (up high, well separated, away from walls to avoid splash damage)

Attackers

• The Vanilla game attacks are as a rule quite weak, (e.g. One raider with a bladed tire iron, I'm not kidding)

 

An example based on my play:

 

​I've just finished building up The Castle preparing it for the inevitable attack from which ever faction I piss off. I have the Settlement Raiding Mod by Faceless Wastelander (http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2995/?) installed to create more challenging attacks.

 

​My defenses are set along the two main approaches, 6 Heavy Machinegun turrets, 6 Missile Turrets on each side, with 12 laser turrets set up as a crossfire in the courtyard of The Castle. I have 16 settlers outfitted with full combat armor (12 Light with Combat Rifles, 4 Heavy with Flamers and Miniguns).

 

​Round One:

Using the Raiding mod I set up an attack by Synths at the Insane level. This brings a fairly large number of synths, some quite powerful, some with grenades that allow them to summon additional forces. The attack begins, ALL of the settlers (including the 4 farmers) charge out the gates to meet the enemy headon. My missile turrets begin cutting down synths in impressive numbers, as the synths close in, the Heavy MG turrets open up but don't seem to have much effect. Once the synths begin entering the Castle courtyard they are almost instantly vaporized by the crossfire from my laser turrets. End result, parts of synths scattered all over, most of my settlers crawling on the ground, a few are dead. All turrets are still functional. I went around to all the officer synths and collected their summoning grenades for future fun :smile:.

 

I wait for my still living settlers to get up and wander back to their stations.

 

Round Two:

I started a Gunner attack at the Insane Level. The gunners have missile launchers and seem better coordinated. The attack begins, ALL the settlers charge out the gates to meet the enemy headon. My missile turrets begin cutting down Gunners in multiples, this time however, I'm facing incoming missiles. Everything goes pretty much the same as before. After the battle I have to repair 3 of my Missile turrets and 11 of the Laser turrets (was my fault, had them too close together).

 

I make the repairs, the wait for my settlers to wander back to their stations.

 

Round Three:

This time I take all the Fragmentation, Cryo, Plasma, and Bottle cap Mines I can find and use them to create minefields on both approaches to The Castle.

 

I started a Brotherhood of Steel attack at the Insane Level. The attack begins, you guessed it, ALL the settlers charge out the gates. My missile turrets open up giving the BOS some trouble. One of the BOS guys sets off a mine near a truck, shortly thereafter the truck explodes taking out an appalling number of BOS guys :smile:. I don't recall seeing any vertibirds. None of the BOS make it inside the Castle.

 

 

Now my character Has Sneak 4, Shadowed Armor with Chameleon, and silenced weapons. If I stuck my head up, I instantly became the target of every enemy NPC that had a line of sight on me.

 

 

Thoughts on how to make this situation better, more immersive, whatever term you like:

 

• Update AI packages so that Farmers and Merchants take cover, perhaps you designate where with the siren
• Update AI packages so that Guards use cover, both inanimate (Rocks, walls, trees) and animate (Turrets and each other)
• Update Guards so their level increases based on some criteria (Player level probably)
• Add an additional role for Settlers, Turret Maintenance, (e.g. say one setter for every 8 or 10 points of turret defense strength)
• This one is a stretch... Create Combat Medics

What these things can produce are

• Settlers can be mortal and still have a chance to survive
• These additions will prevent me from being able to put a dozen missile launchers, a dozen lasers, and a dozen heavy machineguns up (total turret ratings of 324)
• Last but not least these changes would give me an incentive to plan my defenses rather than just looking at the "Defense Number" at the top of the screen

 

I realize that many or all of these changes or adjustments will have to wait for the GECK...

 

Comments?

Edited March 14, 2016 by Chemist18

[vTemporalZEROv]

Sounds like "Creation Kit" to me.. FO4Edit and primitive scripts only can do so much at this time :l