Hi folks

Just some quick questions I hope someone can answer......

1) If I was to build up an empty settlement - say Starlight Drive-in and use it as a base of operations but have no settlers, just companion npcs, piper et all would I still need food, water, beds etc? I'm fancying doing a play through with just one settlement for all the npcs to get all their perks etc. Is this do-able?

2) Settlements - I just want to build settlements but I keep getting various bugs reporting resources wrong, settler numbers wrong etc - now my question is this.....Has anyone just carried on even with these bugs and gone through the game and explored completed everything - does the issues with settlements impact MM ending if settlements ain't happy etc? I really want to build my settlement empire and I'm just wondering if it is worth it with all the issues (I presume they ain't game breaking).

Anyway I hope you lot can help if

Cheers

1) You may need food, water and bed.

2) If the settlement happiness drop down very low, settlers may flee or problem getting resources into workshop. Not me anyway, I keep happiness above 80. Maybe it doesn't count at all. MM ending depends on how many settlements you have in the name of MM. There is a minimum spec. Wiki tells more since this is G D forum.

Cheers,

-Klevs

Right now I have 22 settlements, and most of the "happiness" stats for them hold steady at 80-85%, occasionally dropping down into the mid 70%s. It can be a game by itself just to keep them all happy and defending against raids, but I love that micro-managing and building part of the game. The one exception to the 80+% happiness, is Grey Garden, which I can't seem to get out of the 60+% happiness level. I think it has to do with a population of 1/2 robots and 1/2 humans, at least that's my thought.

The whole system is still somewhat buggy, but definitely workable. Resources/population/ect can show inaccurate numbers in your pipboy, but when you get to that settlement, they will reset.

Settlers have a way of sometimes being there, and sometimes nowhere to be found. They are there and accounted for, but you just can't find them. Part of that is their path finding which is really bad. I found groups stuck up on roof tops, had to build a ladder so they could all walk back to the ground. Just recently I had 2 settlers stuck in a concrete & wood foundation at Coastal Cottage. I had to go into workshop mode, remove some foundation pieces so they could become part of the community again.

So there is some level of frustration, but if you're patient, I think it's worthwhile to develop the settlements.

Thanks for the replies folks - what I'm worried about more than anything else is the 'bug/s' multiplying to the point of insanity - ie: resources showing zero at multiple settlements and the time it takes to visit each settlement - had it at 4 locations at once and it ain't fun if you ain't using fast travel.

I don't mind the raids and losing resources that way and having to rebuild/repair etc - it's when there is no rhyme or reason to it that drives me nuts especially with the associated no fast travel limitation - I hear fast travel can also bug out the resources numbers at times.

I'm also interested in the npc only settlement and the need for resources - anyone else got any ideas?

Cheers

Does it matter when you get the settlements? Say I get all settlements, then I go to concord and get Preston and join the Minutemen, will the settlements then act as Minutemen settlements? Or do you need to join the Minutemen and then get settlements?

You could set up a supply line to the settlement from other settlements. If you do that the excess food and water from one settlement will become available for the companion settlement you want to build. All you need to then is build beds.

They'll go back to their origination point if you don't provide everything they need. Strong and X6-88 left the airport on their own accord, no food. I left Cait at Sanctuary and have not been back in a long time. I'm trying to see if she returns to her origination point.