Creating Settlements as ESP's to rebuild precombines & previs data

[MJS814]

I was wondering if anyone has ever

 

1.) Created a settlement and used to transfer settlements to create a json file.

2.) Take the json file and run a script to create an esp.

3.) Use creation kit to rebuild precombines and previs data.

4.) Installed the mod in a different version of the game to see if the settlement now requires less draws and triangles thereby making is less performance intensive.

 

I have already done steps 1 & 2 long before (like a year ago) and I know how to do step 3. The real question is will this make a difference? Has anyone tried and succeeded or failed?

If you succeeded are there pitfalls to avoid or anything happen that wasn't expected? If you tried and failed, what do you think the problem may have been?

 

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

 

[aurreth]

I would really like to know how to do Step 2! I am much better at building in world than in the CK,

 

And yes, precombines and visibility make a difference. I made one minor change to the world area around the top of the Vault 111 area and graphics went sideways. All because I removed a rust stain and a mud puddle (decals). Regenerated precom/vis and those went away. No more frame drops coming up the hill from Sanctuary, and no vanishing world as you turn your head.

 

I'm doing a bunch of settlement mods right now, tell me how to do Step 2 and I'll let you know if it makes a difference.

 

Then my question would be "is there any way to get Transfer Settlement to transfer deletes as well?" I renovated the Mass Fusion Executive Suite, but to do so I had to delete vanilla walls and replace them with repaired versions. I would really like those deletes to be copied and transferred as well.

[MJS814]

There is a script that you can use that was made by DieFm https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/39742 Check it out. I used it only once and it worked fine for me. I did not do enough testing to see if it fixed FPS or screen stuttering because the settlement wasn't big enough and my game was already messed up.

 

In order for precombines to work, would I have to make everything static? I almost certain that can be done with PE. Otherwise if items are moved it would break the precombine. Things that move like pumps, turrets, etc. would not be made static? Right now I have built up Red Rocket, Sanctuary and Abernathy so much that the game will frequently crash especially if I am in workshop mode. I have not tried Baka Scrap Heap, but based on the description for that mod I'm not sure that will help. Any thoughts let me know.

[aurreth]

Have you tried using the CK to generate precombines and previs on the new ESP?

 

I'm still finding my way around in working with modded areas and all the static/nonstatic/scrappable/not scrappable stuff. Like walls need keywords added so you can snap things go them? Why is this not the default behavior of walls, floors and ceilings?

 

Basically, because Bethesda was too lazy to make everything work correctly you almost have to go through every object in the cell and tell it "you are a wall, act like one. You are a pile of trash, you can be scrapped." The keywords should have been added to the base object when they were initially created, but Beth didn't bother because they didn't think people would be scrapping everything. Apparently, to them, "immersion" means no one who knew what a broom is survived the Great War.

 

lol Sorry, me bitching. If you can follow directions it's not hard to turn any cell into a settlement. The hard, tedious part is going through and fixing all the keywords. Since Beth goes heavy on trash, clutter and cardboard boxes that can take forever.

[MJS814]

I have not created an esp in this play thru. The last one I did was over a year ago. I need to have a separate game or profile to test to see if it makes any difference in game performance. Hopefully I will have time over the weekend. I am not sure what Bethesda thought when they started the settlement building. Having played most of the Fallout games I thought it was genius and it added 100's of hours to the game. Not surprisingly the people that are skilled at making mods and, enjoyed playing FO4 made settlement building a 1,000 times better than Bethesda did. Unfortunately the game engine has limitations and Bethesda took a conservative approach, trying to make sure the game worked on several platforms with a minimal of issues. While mods that increase settlement building size and mods that break precombines push the limits of the game engine. When we push to much frame rates drop and if we build more the game crashes. That being said why Bethesda did not think that we would not want clean settlements, fixed roofs, and nice places to live for our settlers is head scratching.

[SKKmods]

That being said why Bethesda did not think that we would not want clean settlements, fixed roofs, and nice places to live for our settlers is head scratching.

 

Because the game was designed as a post apocalyptic open world RPG, not minecraft or lego. Thats probably why.

[aurreth]

 

That being said why Bethesda did not think that we would not want clean settlements, fixed roofs, and nice places to live for our settlers is head scratching.

 

Because the game was designed as a post apocalyptic open world RPG, not minecraft or lego. Thats probably why.

 

 

200 years after the apocalypse and in all that time no one has figured out "hey, if I put these boards edge-to-edge the wind doesn't get through the wall"? Or you can build a fusion reactor, but not a roof that doesn't look like mutant moths have been eating holes in it?

 

Post apocalyptic settlements should be an option, but so should clean ones, since the person building them is from before the apocalypse.

[k1m0as]

http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/3.jpg

http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/2.jpg

[MJS814]

I messed up my game a little with a mod and spent my free time over the weekend trying to get to place where I could move forward. I have read some interesting articles and posts regarding previs and precombines by snarkywriter, damanding, Trosski and RedRocketTV, which give me hope. Some of it is difficult for me to follow and even a little contradictory, but it gives me hope.

 

If you're interested

 

Here is a link to damanding's forum on the subject

https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/5522717-fallout-4-optimization-and-performance-systems-explained/

 

Here is a link to snarkywriter article, it really relates to more than just sim settlements.

[monesq]

I'm all into making modern looking settlements and the heck to the alleged "non-lore friendly" aspect of my settlements. Because of the detail I go through in making these settlements and the fact that more often than not, I may delete an item which will destroy previs and precombines, I have not shared any of my Settlement Blueprints as they will most certainly impact a persons game, and hell hath no fury as a pissed off gamer. So I asked a modder if it was possible to include with a Settlement Blueprint an esp or esl where I have initially just scrapped the entire settlement including all previs precombines and navmesh ("PPN")info in all settlements, then rebuild all the PPNs in the Commonwealth, and then creating my Settlement Blueprints in that redone commonwealth. I would then upload the Blueprint with an esp or whatever covering that specific settlement so when the Blueprint is run with the esp it will not impact the whole of the Commonwealth. It's a nice idea and the mod author said it could be done, bu it is way too much work and most people have already messed up their games limited optimizations.

 

I wish I knew enough about the CK to be able to just create settlement replacements where I can simply fix all the PPNs in that build and release it as a replacement, but, as another commenter indicated, I am excellent at in game settlement building but have no talent when it comes to the CK. Plus, the CK ids SOOOOOO SLOOOOW. I am jealous of your ability.

 

You can check out some of my pics of my settlements I have posted for ideas (or some eye candy as I do have a fully functioning stripper pole in all my bars).

 

Bottom line for you I think is to just go for it and test it yourself. I am not sure anyone has done what you are proposing. I have heard of someone working on the entire Commonwealth to make broken PPN's a thing of the past, but I am not sure of all of the details.

 

Good luck with your project.