Contraptions is Out - First Impressions

[RaffTheSweetling]

 

Thanks again.

 

I take it that Shotgun Shells is off the bottom of the list? In any case, the video I saw doesn't list 2mm EC, so something you did/have gave you access to it that they don't have. So it is possible that you could make the other ammo under the right circumstance.

If not, I guess that means someone will need to mod in the missing ammo is that isn't the case.

 

 

According to Reddit articles, the answer is negative to energy ammo production, mate. And yup, shottie ammo is there, it's just cut off by the listing on-screen. :smile:

Honestly, with the Ammo workbench mod, this is purely a redundant feature for PC players anyway, and the way these machines need to be stocked manually with ingredients, or rigged to draw from a container that similarly needs to be stocked manually, instead of from the Workbench, as well as how you have to have the produced items be fed into a another container to collect, or pick them up off the ground I guess, makes it a real lot of effort for a simple action such as ammo-construction. Plus you can't assign settlers to do this for you, which kinda blows. I like the idea, but I'll stick with my ammo workbench.

The other machines make a lot more sense across the board. The food-production machine is a good one, and one I can see being used. But if It makes irradiated food versions, instead of pre-war type snacks, (Have not tested this out), I may change my mind on that. I pretty much never eat anything I didn't kill/cook myself in this game.

Edited June 21, 2016 by RaffTheSweetling

[Loxly]

Well, dang on the Energy Ammo, and probably other things.

 

I took out Crafting Workbenches because I read Contraptions had manufacturing and I needed the extra 7 .esp slots in my load order.

[jet4571]

Worth less than Horse Armor was for Oblivion. Complete waste of a $5 bill when it is worth 2 quarters. The only thing substantially new and not already done with mods is the conveyors/factory machines, fireworks, ball track, and... umm a few random items like the pillory that doesn't fit the whole DLC in any way shape or form. The fireworks are terrible to say the least, bloody camera shake. I dunno about the rest of you but in my 45 years on this planet as a citizen of the US I have never ever had that effect on the 4rth of July because of the fireworks. Ball track is useless. It doesn't do anything cool, doesn't boost happiness, doesn't really do anything at all but let you watch a half assed rube Goldberg machine that's really really slow and depressing that end results in the ball on the ground and nothing else. it's like an employee said "Hey, I made all these parts and we didn't make the rest lets just throw these into the DLC because the idiots will eat it up". serious half assed BS in that ball track, if it was a mod it would get 2 endorsements on day 1 and maybe 12 by day 365. The conveyors and factory machines.. that's the cool stuff in this mod, that's what the 2 quarters overpay pay for if alone but the rest of the package is just right.

[Loxly]

Worth less than Horse Armor was for Oblivion. Complete waste of a $5 bill when it is worth 2 quarters. The only thing substantially new and not already done with mods is the conveyors/factory machines, fireworks, ball track, and... umm a few random items like the pillory that doesn't fit the whole DLC in any way shape or form. The fireworks are terrible to say the least, bloody camera shake. I dunno about the rest of you but in my 45 years on this planet as a citizen of the US I have never ever had that effect on the 4rth of July because of the fireworks. Ball track is useless. It doesn't do anything cool, doesn't boost happiness, doesn't really do anything at all but let you watch a half assed rube Goldberg machine that's really really slow and depressing that end results in the ball on the ground and nothing else. it's like an employee said "Hey, I made all these parts and we didn't make the rest lets just throw these into the DLC because the idiots will eat it up". serious half assed BS in that ball track, if it was a mod it would get 2 endorsements on day 1 and maybe 12 by day 365. The conveyors and factory machines.. that's the cool stuff in this mod, that's what the 2 quarters overpay pay for if alone but the rest of the package is just right.

 

I've seen other people say that the mods are better at doing the same thing as this DLC. I don't think so. Not universally anyway.

 

The elevator mod requires 6 elevators to access all floor of a 4 story building from any floor. With the DLC you only need one. The Weapon/Armor Display mod only just got the ability to [show] mods on the weapons on display. And as I posted above, the craft weapons/armor/ammo mod I was using requires 7 .esps to do what the DLC does with 1, 2 if you get a new esp that adds manufacture of what is currently missing.

 

Added: So, this DLC is currently saving me 7 .esp slots, 8 if I actually used the elevator mod. To me, that alone, is worth a few bucks.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Loxly

[ShadowReaper31]

My first impression is that it is decent,Only been playing around with it for a couple hours but here's my thoughts

Pros:

• I really like that the display racks function with modded weapons and weapons added in with mods (I know right?).
• Conduits are very useful
• Logic gates will add tons of awesome applications
• Building machines look cool
• Ball tracks although mostly useless provide limited amusement
• Producing tons of useless crap, eg Teddy Bears

 

Cons:

• Settlers treat Pillory as an animation block, 90% of the time the assigned settler is wandering around and not get punished (looking at you marcy...)
• Builders do not link to the workshop or have a shared inventory between them (incredibly frustrating,)
• Builders do not tell you what components are missing in order to start
• Practically no options for intersecting conveyor belts, no T junctions etc.
• Not sure if related but since the DLC installed ALL my settlers unassigned themselves from jobs
• Can't figure out how to get my Cryolator onto a weapon rack
• Conveyor storage doesn't appear to function correctly (or at all)
• Marcy won't stay in the pillory
• Lag. This one you won't notice unless you have several builders running but basically all the conveyor belts and manufacturing items are being pulled along by physics and collisions. Try and do too many of these eg dropping huge hopper onto conveyor belts can cause issues)
• All Manufacturing items use rubber, this might not seem that bad but you run out quickly and rubber is quite tough to get a hold of
• Many of the new boxcars and building sets I didn't really notice because I already had them from mods
• Ammo production was implemented better with mods

 

Anyways these are my thoughts on the DLC so far, all in all I'm just waiting for modders to figure out how to fix all my cons because as a huge automation fan manufacturing systems need to be fixed to be used more complicatedly. But as a more casual user I'd give the DLC a 3/5.

Edited June 21, 2016 by ShadowReaper31

[RattleAndGrind]

I am not impressed. Whatever Bethesda is charging for this DLC, it is too much.

 

For example; the PA display case requires power, but it is so poorly lit that you are hard pressed to identify the paint scheme.

 

About those wonderful manufacturing machines. If you expect to be able to feed an abundance of raw materials into one and have it crank out widgets while you are off slaying beasties, forget it. The device only works while you are in the settlement. Leave, and it stops.

 

And it appears that settlers do not like having someone in the pillory, so don't assign a settler there unless you want to see the happiness in your settlement tank.

 

Those neat Weapon and Armor displays are just poor imitations of Skyrim's Hearthfire.

 

Over all, yuk.

Edited June 27, 2016 by RattleAndGrind

[midtek]

• Marcy won't stay in the pillory

 

Ah hell!

[CiderMuffin]

Worth less than Horse Armor was for Oblivion. Complete waste of a $5 bill when it is worth 2 quarters. The only thing substantially new and not already done with mods is the conveyors/factory machines, fireworks, ball track, and... umm a few random items like the pillory that doesn't fit the whole DLC in any way shape or form. The fireworks are terrible to say the least, bloody camera shake. I dunno about the rest of you but in my 45 years on this planet as a citizen of the US I have never ever had that effect on the 4rth of July because of the fireworks. Ball track is useless. It doesn't do anything cool, doesn't boost happiness, doesn't really do anything at all but let you watch a half assed rube Goldberg machine that's really really slow and depressing that end results in the ball on the ground and nothing else. it's like an employee said "Hey, I made all these parts and we didn't make the rest lets just throw these into the DLC because the idiots will eat it up". serious half assed BS in that ball track, if it was a mod it would get 2 endorsements on day 1 and maybe 12 by day 365. The conveyors and factory machines.. that's the cool stuff in this mod, that's what the 2 quarters overpay pay for if alone but the rest of the package is just right.

Lol ok whatever you say buddy, you stay in that inaccuracy chamber.

[padraigsh]

Where are the machines? I could only build the pillory as of last night. I'm thinking a mod disabled a lot of it.

[CiderMuffin]

Where are the machines? I could only build the pillory as of last night. I'm thinking a mod disabled a lot of it.

It's possible, I recommend getting Settlement Keywords Expanded, finding all the mods that add to settlement building and getting the patches.