"Sharing" power between multiple settlements possible?

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

Good evening everybody!

 

This is a mod that I wanted to create for a long time, but I don't know if it is even possible:

 

Is it possible for multiple settlements to "share" power between them?

 

 

Like if all of the generators and power-consuming-devices (lights, water purifiers, ...) were connected to the "same" electrical line.

 

 

This is just a quick sketch I made to explain what I want to do.

(The circle with the G stands for a generator)

The numbers are just an example ...

 

 

With only one of those "inter-settlement-power-lines", the implementation would be simple, just a global variable that determines how much "unused" power every settlement "provides into the system".

 

 

But I want multiple of those things, dynamically "connectable":

What I mean by that is that when building stuff in the settlements, you will be able to build a "inter-settlement-power-distribution-module" that you can connect to the power system of that settlement.

That power-distribution-module can that be "configured" (by a terminal maybe?) to "connect" to every other built power-distribution-module.in any settlement.

(Maybe keywords could be used to determine with what other settlements the module is connected, ...?)

 

So that there isn't a "pre-wired power grid" that connects the settlements in a specified way, but that the player can decide what settlements get connected.

 

For example:

Have SanctuaryHills and the RedRocketStation "connected", but at a later point "add" AbernathyFarm to that "grid". And maybe at a later point add CountyCrossing to the "grid".

And have a completely seperate connection between Graygarden, OberlandStation and Hangman'sAlley.

 

 

 

I hope this makes sense, if you have any idea if something like this is possible, let me know here.

If I didn't explain properly what I want to do, also let me know ...

 

 

 

[i almost didn't post this, because I am sure that this will not be possible and I don't like wasting time / effort on impossible stuff, because knowing that you will never get anything out of something is not healthy ...]

[pra]

​I have been thinking about that as well, so did other people.

I think the only way would be effectively build "drains" in settlements which provide power, and "outlets" in others. Effectively, the "drains" are just objects which require power.

And I think you could only have them require fixed amount of power. Like, the "drain" requires 10 power. If it's powered, it adds +10 to the global energy pool.

 

Then the "outlets" are effectively just generators. If there is not enough left in the global pool, they turn themselves off.

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

Yeah, I was thinking that something like that would be the solution ...

 

So the "power requirement" / "power generated" values can't be changed by a script?

Aren't they just like "actor values"?

And actor values can be changed by scipts, if I remember correctly ...

[Zorkaz]

The real difficulty is that the stats of the other settlements get updated in real-time, not after their cell got loaded.

 

 

Back then I tried making a fridge that runs out food. Depending on the food availability it gave food value to the settlement or not. But you could only make it via using a looping background script and a bunch of aliases.

 

But sure, scriptwise you can check and change the power output.

[pra]

Yeah, I was thinking that something like that would be the solution ...

 

So the "power requirement" / "power generated" values can't be changed by a script?

Aren't they just like "actor values"?

And actor values can be changed by scipts, if I remember correctly ...

âYou can, but I don't think you can dynamically figure out how much unused power is available in each settlement. Or rather, in each grid which has a "drain" connected to it.

Especially not off-screen.

 

Therefore I think, for the amount of energy in total, you should save all your "drains" in a central management quest or so, then iterate them and if powered, add their value onto the "having" variable.

Then you could iterate all "outlets", check if their value is smaller than "having", if yes, turn them on and subtract it, if no, turn them off.

 

If you want to change these values, keep in mind that the power grid won't update unless something "switches". The mesh of the object you try to change power AVs on should have a mesh similar to the workshop switch, which you can call setOpen on. And it must be an Activator. Doesn't work on terminals, for example, I tried that.

[pepperman35]

Humm...perhaps one settlement could be setup as a power plant (source), and other settlements could each have there own substation/distribution station (sinks).

[adammcbane]

It's not only possible but it exists you can find info on it here on the Nexus as transformers by Niston https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/images/170550/ just not released. Another feature related to this I'm hoping for is fuel consumption which mods did for New Vegas like for Underground Hideout which has best usable reactor ive seen in these games which was in a room with water and gave off radiation when you went in to add the fuel. Wish someone could copy that for a player home or outright settlement object. I believe at least one other mod did it possibly Underwater Hideout ( similar mod).

Edited August 10, 2020 by adammcbane

[pepperman35]

What about a quest mod to find, repair and turn on a power plant. From inside the power plant, you could turn on substations (substation nifs aka activators which would dynamically be placed and linked to workshops within settlement system. You could build in a cost aspect as well. For example, the player would have to spend x copper, y steel, z ceramics, and a # of caps to activate each substation. The power values should get updated as it would be linked to the workshop. The player would then connected his/her wiring to the substation for that respective settlement. The idea of reconstituting the power grid within the commonwealth is a very attractive idea, one ground in realism as power grids are typically the first thing to repair after a national emergency.

Edited February 14, 2021 by pepperman35

[YouDoNotKnowMyName]

What about a quest mod to find, repair and turn on a power plant. From inside the power plant, you could turn on substations (substation nifs aka activators which would dynamically be placed and linked to workshops within settlement system. You could build in a cost aspect as well. For example, the player would have to spend x copper, y steel, z ceramics, and a # of caps to activate each substation. The power values should get updated as it would be linked to the workshop. The player would then connected his/her wiring to the substation for that respective settlement. The idea of reconstituting the power grid within the commonwealth is a very attractive idea, one ground in realism as power grids are typically the first thing to repair after a national emergency.

That's what I was planning to do ...

Except instead of one "central power plant", to have "distributed generation".

[SKKmods]

I have a "Powering up the Commonwealth" quest soluiton thing never published.

 

Riffing on the Fallout 76 "powering up" daily operations that can power various workshop machinery.

 

Player repairs one or more of the old nuclear power plants which provide several K shared power to workshop constructable distribution nodes.

 

Created to test out some radiant UX and dynamic combat ideas, the power stations can be attacked and damaged or held ransom. Brownout or blackout power if not resolved.

 

Since most remaining Fallout 4 players dont like uncertainty to mess with their immersion and/or use Sim Settlements which probably does its own power thing, totally pointless to publish.

 

But the design is solid, just some persistent power produced/allocated tracking variables on a startgame quest script.