So why wasn't the time the devs safed by not creating living and authentic settlements themselfs put into the editor?
And I strongly disagree with the statement:"It's the tool the devs use to create the fallout world."
No it wasn't. They used something like the geck where you can place any world object without any restrictions.
Yesterday I scrapped a metal rack which was outlined yellow. Yeah, no rusty metal rack for your settlements, besides it obviously existst in the game.
The next point are the traders...
I cant build a store, because the stupid store object just looks hilarious inside a room.
How about a prefab store room, ready with all the small decorations inside?
No, because it would have needed some dev-time to create it.

The stuff I can create myself is either so blant that it is immersion breaking, needs a huge amount of time decorating with small items or is just plain impossible.

Instead of giving me prefab stuff that I can put myself together with 3 pieces give me prefabs for fully fleshed out rooms in different variants like dining rooms, bedrooms, bath, etc.
And especially don't use this "feature" as an excuse to just cut out the fully fleshed out settlements on the developing side. Where are the megatons, rivet cities and paradise falls in this game? Yeah, build them yourself... (If it would even be possible.)

If I had to choose between a simple settlement upgrade system like you bought different interiors for the player house (think on something like "want an additional settler home?" "Yes." *pays* *it gets build*) and the current editor I would strongly prefer the much more immersional first option.

Why more immersional?

Think of megaton in fallout 3 as a buildable settlement.
If you first visit it it's a big pile of metal with a lot of wood around.

Simple upgrade system:
Npc:"Could be a good place for a settlement. What do you want to build?"
Every building you buy removes some scrap and places the premade building until you have megaton as you know it.

Editor:
Even if there would be no restrictions and all objects available, try to build megaton...
Dont forget to place bottles, tools, books and all the other stuff in every room to make it look good. (Either you leave it blant or you need several days to do it.)

Edit: Btw. systems wouldn't exclude each other. Upgrade system for immersion and time safing, editor for full creative work or to fill some stuff in between the premade options.

+1

Even if the editor would be "perfect" it can't create content out of your mind and making a place like the ones allready existing needs a lot of time.

It's like shipping a need for speed with an halfbaked editor and only 2 tracks and than tell the people if they complain about the lack of tracks: "Hey you can make your own ones."

I pay for the content in a game, not for a broken tool to make the content myself.

I want to add that they emphasized that the settlements are "completly optional". They are. Problem is, there are not much other settlements you can visit. Think of a skyrim without actual cities... just meh.

Thanks for your response. If I would just have said "The settlement feature is cr**!" there would be allready 2 pages of people agreeing or disagreeing. And than the same people complain that all topics are the same...

I dunno, but it seems to me that I would prefer building my own layout and filling it wiht my own junk placed to please the interrior decorator in me. But there are problems with that, which I will get to.

Whatyou (OP) seem to be advocating seems very similar to Skyrims Hearthfire DLC. With that, you can sort of choose the layout of your manor (within very limited options) and then when you add furniture, there is already clutter on the tables, shelves and so forth. I didn't care for that so much, because I want to show off my collection of skeever tails on the tables.

In FONV I used the construction set (GECK) and/or console commands to customize my house, and I found that preferable. My only issue with FO4 is that I CAN build a house to suit my own layout, and I CAN furnish it with a limited variety of beds, chairs, tables, containers, etc., but when I put a picture frame on a table it falls through the table. I do NOT like that part very much, but given the choice I'd really rather do it myself than have predetermined clutter on everything.

I hope that makes sense...

Understood and yes, it makes sense. My problem is, that I don't want to "clutter" every house my settlers live in myself. It's just too tedious.

After wasting more time on settlement building than on actually playing the game (and I don't even added the clutter) I just build 5 copy-paste houses with 4 beds each, one shelf and one lamp. Totally obvious and bland. Even one single house looks bland, because there is no decoration, no varity in the walls, nothing. That's immersionbreaking for me. On the other hand I don't want to waste another bunch of hours to make them look better for obvious reasons. So my only option is to leave the content and live in an empty dessert...

I don't know about interior fittings in prefab buildings but certainly the limit on items you can add should be raised to accommodate decoration. I understand why the limit is there (to stop a bazillion turrets being places) but better to have limits on the categories rather than the overall items.

I don't see the problem, as long as your house is kitted out with misc objects so it looks lived/worked in why worry about the others. I honestly never go into the other houses anyway only to initially place some beds.