Building in the Void?

[aurreth]

Occasionally I get a bit scrap happy and accidentally knock down a wall that exposes the white void beyond the world. Happened yesterday, while trying to find a bit more space for power armor displays in the Mechanist's Lair (btw, there is a crapload of stuff just hanging in space down there where Bethesda couldn't be bothered to clean up after themselves.)

 

So, as an experiment, I pulled up a floor piece and stuck in an elevator, going DOWN into the void. Lo and behold I was able to take the elevator down and actually build a small room a couple stories down below the main room.

 

My question, then, is what are the limitations to expanding interior settlements out into the white? Is it simply a matter of adjusting the buildable area, and then building proper floors, walls and ceilings to hide the void?

[aurreth]

edit: wrong thread, my bad

Edited April 6, 2021 by aurreth

[HeyYou]

As it's an interior cell, are there even any colored border designating the buildable area? Or can you just build floor out into the void, put up some walls and ceilings, so you don't have the glaring whiteness, and have more useable space?

[aurreth]

As it's an interior cell, are there even any colored border designating the buildable area? Or can you just build floor out into the void, put up some walls and ceilings, so you don't have the glaring whiteness, and have more useable space?

 

No borders that I could see. And since the Mechanist's Lair actually does have them (hence the border wall between the main control room and Isabel's living space) you'd think they'd be there. But then again the colored borders are actual objects in the CK, so likely they were just never extended up and down into areas people shouldn't be poking their noses into :)

[RoNin1971]

There's a cube, or collection of cubes (DefaultEmptyTrigger markers, the big red ones within CK) connected to the workshop which defines the buildable area. The Visible borders are just objects to help the player to know where the border is.

You can't 'see' it in game, just watch when the timer starts or you can't build anymore. Using the CK you could always expand the area of course, or just check where the borders are.

[aurreth]

There's a cube, or collection of cubes (DefaultEmptyTrigger markers, the big red ones within CK) connected to the workshop which defines the buildable area. The Visible borders are just objects to help the player to know where the border is.

You can't 'see' it in game, just watch when the timer starts or you can't build anymore. Using the CK you could always expand the area of course, or just check where the borders are.

 

I can map out the boundaries, and probably figure out how to expand them. I'm just wondering if there is any issues with placing objects out in the white void, so long as I stay within the workshop boundaries. Like will the new room slowly dissolve into chaos and summon Arioch or something. Last thing I need is some albino with a greatsword running amok in the Mechanist's Lair.

 

Anyway, I have one or two interior settlements I'd like to expand, without the pain and heartache of the CK. If all I have to do is expand the borders using FO4Edit and then knock a hole in a wall, well, I can absolutely do that.

[HeyYou]

I don't think it will be an issue. The 'build your own vault' mod did pretty much exactly that. You basically had an entrance into the void, and built your vault from there.

[RoNin1971]

I don't think it will be an issue. The 'build your own vault' mod did pretty much exactly that. You basically had an entrance into the void, and built your vault from there.

It's no issue at all, for the engine. Except for rendering, as a visible void (even just a tiny hole) will distort textures (leaving a 'trail' while looking around)

& actually that's the reason I never got fond of 'build your own vault', despite it being a very nice mod (especially considering it was there before DLC06 - Vault 88)

 

This can be somewhat cicumvented with the CK. (For interiors at least) by:

1: turning on the sky for that cell (yeah, you'll see a blue sky and some clouds, even underground ... so, ...

2: set the FX for Moonlight only

 

This will result in a black void, without the distortion (or at least a lot less)

 

Gives a totally different feel too ;)

[VIitS]

As RoNin said, the biggest concern is the effect the void has when visible, and enabling the skybox as described will eliminate that issue.

 

Also, of note, the build volume for the Mechanist's Lair is actually made up of about a dozen build volume primitives. You can either expand the existing ones, or make new ones and attach them to the workbench.

[aurreth]

As RoNin said, the biggest concern is the effect the void has when visible, and enabling the skybox as described will eliminate that issue.

 

Also, of note, the build volume for the Mechanist's Lair is actually made up of about a dozen build volume primitives. You can either expand the existing ones, or make new ones and attach them to the workbench.

 

For Mechanist's Lair I'm using a mod that expands the buildable area to the entire facility (though I refuse to use the research wing, cause it creeps me out lol). I've used TCL to wander about "outside" and there is plenty of volume. Only issue that I've run into is that trying to remove exterior walls causes a CTD. The floor, no problem, but don't try knocking down walls. I may give it a shot with "disable" later on, see if I can get my opening that way.

 

My main goal is to build a power armor storage/museum off of the main chamber of the Mechanist's Lair, and add a couple of additional rooms to Vault 111. I'll have to expand the 111 borders, the mod I use has them pretty tight to the existing structure. As long as I know I won't run into any weird thing where stuff I put in the new areas disappears I'm good.

 

Thanks for all the help!