Q. about settlement attacks

[kevkiev]

So I just visited Kingsport Lighthouse, and fought a Super Mutant on the way there. Seemed pretty random but, when I got there, I went to trade with one of my vendors and got the standard post-settlement attack thank yous. Same with every other trader/settler. Then I noticed super mutant corpses scattered around the beach to the North, one of the usual spawn points for attacks. But I didn't get a notification about the attack, and went back to a very recent save (fortuitously, maybe 2 minutes tops, real time, prior to the super mutant fight) and there wasn't anything in quests/misc.

 

Anyone have this happen? I know there are attacks outside the quest system, but I don't recall ever getting the "you showed up in the nick of time" routine for those. But maybe I'm misremembering?

 

Have a couple mods that relate to settlement attacks:

 

Shaikujin's Better warnings:

http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4106/?tab=14&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Ffallout4%2Fajax%2Fmodbugs%2F%3Fid%3D4106&pUp=1

 

and No offscreen attacks:

http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18936/?

 

the second of which I recently uninstalled (I know, I know, always dicey uninstalling a script mod) as I'd had a drastic drop in attacks since installing the mod and was hoping they'd rebound if I uninstalled. (They didn't. Still not sure if that's a bad thing really. Lol, previously I was getting attacks every couple days and it was getting a bit tedious.)

 

Anyways, yeah, just curious about what's going on before I start worrying about any sort of mod troubleshooting.

[JimmyRJump]

Happened quite frequently to me, before I started using a mod that does away with random settlement attacks. Reloading the game to a point before the attack took place often results in the attack not happening at all, or at least at another point in time.

[kevkiev]

Oh, ok, so there's nothing to worry about. Thought maybe the notification system was wonky, as I couldn't remember ever getting any attacks (that result in the settler thank you dialogue) without being notified about them first. Thanks!

[JimmyRJump]

Oh, ok, so there's nothing to worry about. Thought maybe the notification system was wonky, as I couldn't remember ever getting any attacks (that result in the settler thank you dialogue) without being notified about them first. Thanks!

Well, the system is wonky, because, indeed, you should get notified when an attack happens. It's just that, on some occasions, you arrive somewhere when attackers are underway (which doesn't happen often as with most attacks, the intruders are spawned inside the settlement, usually in the same spot where the fast-travel arrival spot is) so that you killerize the perpetrators before the system can warn you but the settlers for some reason thank you anyway...

 

I installed the No Settlement Attacks because a lot of the time settlers couldn't be interacted with as they kept thanking you ad-infinitum... that and the spawning inside settlements.

[kevkiev]

Yeah, that sounds about right. I think I'm kinda touchy atm since the attacks (ie the ones preceded by a "defend... " message) in my game seem to have completely stopped (it's been about 6-8 weeks game time) and thought maybe the notice system had just stopped working. Then again, if that were the case I'd be seeing damage in my settlements, which I'm not.

 

A mod like the one you linked (thanks) is tempting. As I mentioned, my attacks really dropped off after installing that one mod (before, apparently, stopping completely) and I actually kinda liked it. They were way too frequent and, yeah, those damn inside spawns. I'm beginning to think all you can really do is ramp up the turrets and arm your settlers to the teeth. Fences don't seem to do much good aside from cosmetics. (Besides, it seems that to at least some extent if something's gonna get damaged there's nothing you can do about it. Once saw a couple corn plants keel over before my eyes even though there were only a couple super mutant melee attackers not even close to being within range.)

 

Funny you mention the never-ending show of gratitude. The Kingsport settlers, after the attack I mentioned, haven't shut up about it. Can't trade with the vendors or otherwise interact with anyone. Tried the usual fixes (fast travel to another settlement, trade, sleep, travel back etc.) but so far no joy. Hopefully it goes away but, oh well.

[JimmyRJump]

Yep, Kinsport is one of those where settlers get stuck in their thanksgiving. Had it at County Crossing, The Slog, Taffington Boathouse and Tenpines Bluff as well, as far as I remember. It goes away eventually, though I havent got a clue how long it takes for the lot to reset as I've never tried to measure the time lapse.

 

Walls do have an effect on intruders when they come from outside the build perimeter like at Starlight Drive-In where you have Gunners attacking from the direction of the railway and Raiders coming down from the rocky hill area. A wall with a couple of turrets keep those out, usually...

 

Crops being shot to smithereens often happens by your own turrets. Depending on your level, settlers repair crops themselves, too. Then there's acts of sabotage by Synth spies. Although an older mod that wasn't adapted for later versions of the game, Settlement Aid Program's Synth Spy Glasses still work to see which settler is an infiltrator (or which Brahmin, for that matter)...

[damanding]

There's another mod called Settlement Management Software that is super buggy, so make sure you scan through the comments and bug reports. Some of the functions of the mod seriously don't work and at least one or two just plain aren't safe to use. However, I have used the enemy spawn quest marker feature safely. I build all my defenses with the spawn markers for each settlement in mind and it makes life a lot easier. http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12032/

[kevkiev]

oops double post

[kevkiev]

I guess it could have been one of my turrets, but there were no attackers nearby to shoot at and I didn't see any tracers etc (I have mostly heavy lasers and missile launchers). Still, coulda been, it was quite a while ago and my memory ain't what it used to be. I always use this mod http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/8031/?tab=4&&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Ffallout4%2Fajax%2Fcomments%2F%3Fmod_id%3D8031%26page%3D1%26sort%3DDESC%26pid%3D0%26thread_id%3D3656685&pUp=1 to suss out synths

 

There's another mod called Settlement Management Software that is super buggy, so make sure you scan through the comments and bug reports. Some of the functions of the mod seriously don't work and at least one or two just plain aren't safe to use. However, I have used the enemy spawn quest marker feature safely. I build all my defenses with the spawn markers for each settlement in mind and it makes life a lot easier. http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12032/

 

Ah, thanks for the link and advice. I've heard about that mod but never checked it out to thoroughly. WIll take a look.

[Perraine]

The settlement attack system was (and probably still partially is) totally broken. There is a post I started over on the Unofficial FO4 Patch forums, that goes into details about how the attack system is scripted.

 

There is a formula that uses settlement happiness/population/food/defense etc. to calculate when a settlement will be attacked, and whether you'll win or lose. It's quite convoluted, and in the vanilla game it was borked, but kinda functional, Far Harbor screwed it up completely, but I believe either the UFO4Patch team have partially restored it to semi working or (shock!) Bugthesda did in one of their updates.

 

If you get the "Help defend xxx" message, you have approx 15 in game hours to get there before the attack occurs, However ... If you fast travel in, the game will calculate how long it "probably" would have taken you to get there normally and how far the attackers would have traveled in that same time and "moves" the attackers into that location, completely ignoring any wall or building that might have been placed. That's why they will spawn inside your settlement if you fast travel in.

 

If you do not attend an attack, or if you fast travel in just as an attack starts, the game will run the calculation regardless, and decide if you would have won or lost. If it was a loss, it will randomly decide to damage certain resource items such as plants.

 

If the "help defend xxx" message didn't generate, it means that the quest never actually started, so that is why the settlers get stuck in the "thanks for your help" loop, as it can't finish a quest that never started. It will reset eventually, normally fast traveling out to a distant location and back in will fix it. (it might be the 15 hours that the attack script uses, or 24 in game hours, as that is the normal reset time for things in settlements, like crops or vendor cap generation)

 

You should be VERY careful with (or never use) AOE turrets like the rocket launcher turret except in areas where there is no possibility of collateral damage such as on top of The Castle Walls.

 

In the current version of the game (with the UFO4Patch) if you have little or no excess food stored in the workshop (either grown or pre-war items) and you have more than 100 defense, you'll very rarely get attacked.