Hey guys just wanted to start a thread to centralize all the good thoughts and ideas to improve settlements as settlements right now don't really serve a purpose other than making a quick cap, and the user creation kit will be unlocked sometime early in 2016, but I may be wrong about that. The point is the geck is on its ways ,so let's be prepared for the future.

I think settlements should have more departments other than just defense, power, and water. I think there should be science, scavenging, and medical departments. The scavenging department would be a team of settlers who go out of the settlement to gather raw materials and resources. One of the resources that would be essential for the settlement would be gas or nuclear related material to power the generators. The overall magnitude of scavenging department would be influenced by increasing the number of settlers in the scavenging team, making more teams, and providing the scavenging team with better gear. I think some of this functionality should be tied to difficulty, so players who would rather remain uninvolved with settlements don't have to.

The science department would make innovations upon the settlement such as sustainable power, more efficient production, medical resources, and other innovations and appliances that would improve the happiness and efficiency of the settlement. The progression of scientific innovation would be decided by a random number generator that would allow access to more efficient appliances. The overall magnitude of the science department would be influenced by building research and development centers, gear that boost the science stat, scientific related materials such as documents and data found in the waste, number of people on the research, and overall happiness. Some documents can be discovered by the sole survivor and can lead to the development of unique innovations.

The medical department would be responsible for the overall health of your settlement, healing the scavenging teams after they return, and settlers after a raid. The overall magnitude of the medical department would be influenced by the settlement ability to produce medical supplies, number of people on the medical team, medical related facilities, and overall science rating.


I have no doubt this is an undertaking and most of this will than likely not be implemented as I am not familiar with modding, the limitations associated to the users hardware and fallout 4 software . These are just ideas I wanted to write down that would expand the overall experience with settlements.

Ummm... for many of us who role play, settlements are the entire point of the game because they are the rebuilding of the Commonwealth. They serve far more purpose than endless combat, for example, as that leads to nothing (except death, perhaps).

But yes, there have been numerous threads about settlements including suggestions for expansion s and improvements.

Exactly, that's Is why I made this thread to expand the overall immersion of settlements and users involvement.

Defense value should determine if/when/how often a settlement is attacked. (defense vs. production)

Defense should also determine when/if you get the quests to take out some faction that is harassing said settlement. I mean, seriously, Sanctuary has a defense value well in to triple digits, yet settlers complain that supermutants attack, and all they can do is run and hide? Seriously? And just how many of those supermutants actually even get CLOSE to anything in the settlement, after being riddled with bullets/lasers/missiles???

Same goes for kidnapping. Although, one could argue, that the victim was picked up outside the settlement........

Success/failure of defense should NOT depend on the the PC being there to hold their collective hands....

We should be able to make the houses good as new. I wouldn't mind seeing some new 'components' of buildings, such that we could build pre-war houses, in pristine condition, in various configurations. Or, at the very least, be able to repair the existing homes we cannot scrap, to like-new condition.

Personally, I would like it if there was an option to assign one of the settlers to be a local handyman - someone who can do trivial things as necessary, like making more beds as needed (given indoor floor-space) or perhaps installing basic water pumps. Supplies permitting, of course.

Definitely repairing water pumps and generators, maybe even repairing machine-gun turrets (not the higher-grade turrets, though). Even if there was a cost in caps, materials or effort (like scavenging up some tools) involved, it would make things feel more real and less annoyingly micro-managing.