***EDIT - roughly viable workaround found. Read below post #10 for my semi-ok workaround

So I love idea of having a search / spot light at various places in my settlements. But it seems this is a issue that affects everyone?

Symptom- place spot light / search light turret down - works perfectly and beams light. Go away, travel, reload game, whatever - next time your settlement is visited, spot lights are scanning back and forth but the light is no longer emitted.

Have seen other players post about this as well, but hadn't seen anyone come up with workaround. So two questions

1- does anyone NOT have this issue? e.g perfectly working, always light emitting spot lights?

2- if you do have issue, found any fix or workaround?

Only one I know is not a workaround by any stretch - if I pick up and put spot light back down again, the light shines. But that's not even a semi workaround. Same thing for turning off generators and then turning back on - that seems to 'reboot' the spot lights to shine again, but only for that one visit - always stops emitting light after going away from settlement.

**not spot light turret is turned off, just the beam of light is no longer visible or emits cone of light.

I haven't experienced the issue that you described. Every spotlight, whether stationary or search light turret, I've placed is functioning correctly.

Do you have any of the spotlights on a timer pole?

There are other issues with the lights, including switches and floor lamps. Regardless of placing conduits and creating a power grid accurately, some lights will glitch, switches will not work at all (within the sphere of where the conduit is placed of course) and floor lamps will not activate on/off.

Power and electricity are brilliant as a concept in the game, but are not working properly and were poorly implemented.

no same here I have tried picking them up in the workshop screen & placing them back down they work for a few seconds then go dark but still continue to track. This has occorured in every settlement I have built them in though they still add to the defense rating

@Telvanni Arch-Magister,

I've never experienced that issue either. Not all, but several of my settlements are using multiple lights strung-up in and around houses, around defense systems and in around constructed dwellings without issue. Unsure of why others are experiencing these issues when I am not.

Wait, are you talking about hung up lights? Or the turret trafficking spot lights?

There's a weird corner case scenario where hung up lights can sometimes go out but aside from that, mine and most players I've seen post indicate no issues with lights mounted on walls, light bulbs, wall lamps, etc.

What I am talking about is specifically the scanning turret mounted search light / spot light that you build under defenses-turret category. It adds 2 defense plus shines a beam of high intensity light in a ~90 degree cone sweeping back and forth

Is the issue you are not having just with lights you hang up? (which would be normal, most of us have zero issues with that)

Or are you saying you have scanning turret mounted spot lights placed, and never have them go out?

Assuming we're talking about the same turret mounted, scanning spot light built under defenses category, no - I have them placed without any timer or middle man between power source and spot light.

I have tried various combos of direct powering right from generator source, via conduit or pylon, etc and always same issue which to date other players and also said same issue.

Given you're the first one I've seen post that has this working fine, it would be helpful to diagnose what you are doing different vs what we may all be doing.

How exactly are you placing the spot lights? direct connection to generator, where placed, etc. If it's working for 1 person then it is possible it can work for others, so I am not questioning your veracity, just desperate to try any possible fix to get my spot lights to work without constantly resetting them via turning on/off power or picking up/putting down again.

Also, I am on PC version.

It happens mainly with floor lamps for me, I have not tested spotlights. Floor lamps will come on when conduits are placed, but then pressing "E" wont turn them off. It can also happen that they turn off with "E" and can't be turned back on.

There is probably something I am doing wrong, I will test again.

I have only 2 spotlights on each end of sanctuary...and 1 at red rocket...all 3 are connected to its own generator..have never seen any of them without light (that I've noticed anyway) if that helps..probably not..

However, sometimes the lights inside my home will turn off if I move them, and do not come back on, even if placed back where they were, and also do not come back on when I try to 'activate' them, I have to scrap them and make a new one..if that helps..probably not..lol

Ok - reasonable work around to getting turret spot lights to work (mostly) without any manual intervention or constantly resetting them.

1- given clue that for those having this problem, turning on/off power supply to lights (or pickup and place down again which does same power on/off condition) temporarily solved the lights emitting again - I thought of a bizarre way to use the interval switch pylon

The interval switch pylon switches power on/off repeatedly - with X seconds on, Y seconds off. Default timer isn't so good for this purpose so you need to also build and attach a terminal to change ON duration to max 10 sec, and OFF duration to min 1 sec.

a- build interval switch and hook ALL spotlights to it

(my preferred method is chain all spotlights together - then hook 1 spot light to the interval switch pylon)

e.g. SL --> SL --> SL --> Interval switch pylon --> wire to power source / grid connection

b- don't attach anything else in power grid to this interval switch pylon or you'll interrupt normal powered objects

c- connect interval switch pylon to power grid

d- build and hook up terminal anywhere, then program it for ON duration 10 sec, OFF duration 1 sec (the max and min)

Thats it. What happens is now your spot lights will scan and emit light for 10 seconds - enough to get about 3 full sweeps back and forth - then turrets droop down very briefly for 1 second as power turns off - but comes back up again to shine spotlights. In a way, it's basically adding 1 sec of unlit time, similar to how if turret is sweeping left, the right side is not lit.

The effect doesn't look bad at all, but your tastes may be different. This isn't an optimal fix, it's just a reasonable workaround without having to resort to manual intervention and will assure that when you are returning on a dark night to your settlement, you will see your spot lights shining except for that one brief 1 sec pause every 10 seconds.

Here is a screenshot of the configuration for the bridge entrance into Sanctuary.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/AceGoober/Game%20ScreenShots/Fallout_4/AceGoober_FO4_0018.jpg

Those two turret spotlights have been in-place since roughly the end of the second day after Fallout 4 was released. I have not experienced any issues with either of those nor any others I've placed in other settlements.

I am using the http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1029/? since the stock generators seemed out-of-place. I felt that the generators could produce a bit more power than than stock considering the design.

Hope this helps.

i'v had normal lights just stop emitting light but i havent tested the spotlights

for me, only time fixed placement lights like light bulbs, wall mounted lamps, etc stop emitting light is if after initial placement, I either move the conduit power source out of range and then back, or move the light off the wall/placed location. Somehow that seems to disturb the light emitting, but all I need to do is remove and replace the light and then it is permanently lit again.

with the spotlight workaround, I'm reasonably ok but still tinkering and can't seem to replicate success others have. Thanks to acegoober for the config screen, tried that but in my case same issue, so I just put an internal switch there too, and now I have them working full time with the 1 sec downtime every 10 workaround.

still would like some better resolution but at least I can come home across the bridge and see fully lit up entrance unlike total darkness before.

The game has an issue of knowing where things are placed, and often "sink". This actually affects beams on spotlights.

Some prefabs have metal roofs, but aren't in line with the rest of the structures. If you placed a spotlight on this roof, place a floor piece on the roof, then set your spotlight.

If your spotlight is on the ground, there's a good chance it has sunk. There are two ways to correct this:

1) Place a small floor under the spotlight. When you return, the floor will have sunk but the spotlight remains even

2) Use either the cement block or wood platform and sink them into the ground. Place your spotlight on top. This is the recommended way, because you can actually raise your platform just high enough to prevent enemies from taking them out.

If these don't work, then your issue isn't one I've experienced.

PS: this also affects placed lights in a house, where the bulb displays light, but the lightbulb looks like it has no power. Be sure your lights are on the "outermost" part of any ceiling beam to prevent this.

Out of curiosity to spotlights actually do anything to enhance the detection range of either settlers or turrets. The turrets already seem to detect stuff from quite aways away already.

For me the spotlights are useful for two primary reasons, both equally valid for my preference but only one is truly functional vs asthetics

1- aesthetics - I just like the look of illuminated courtyards and bridges, etc.

2- functional - they can be programmed via terminal to either track admin (you) or hostiles

#2 is very helpful on night settlement attacks. It's hard to see without constant VATs checking who is who and where attackers are. With spotlights set to track hostiles, as long as you have strategically placed the lights, the hostiles will be illuminated and helps your non-VATs targeting.

Some settlement locations are better suited for spotlight illumination than others. For example the Castle I really like to place spotlights to easily tell which quarter of the castle courtyard the attackers are currently at. Normally in places like Sanctuary I just track by which way my turrets are firing, but I've made Castle a death trap in the courtyard by lots of inward facing turrets, so it's not as obvious by which turrets are firing which direction in the dark night the hostiles are.

Yeah I have this issue too, otherwise electricity & lighting works fine for me.

Mine keep working but the light doesnt work when i leave then come back after a while. I go into building mode and have to reset them to start shining light again.

I don't know about spotlights, I haven't built any yet.
But I do have problems with other lights at night. (campfires, lanterns, lights at red rocket...etc.)

Traced it down to FOV, to reproduce:
1. Find a light that doesn't work. (lanterns in sanctuary frequently won't work for me.)
2. Look at it and set FOV to 70, ("fov 70 70" in the console.) light starts working.
3. Set FOV to 90 or above, light goes out.

Also, you can use a rifle scope and it does the same thing.

I'd say somethings bugged.