No matter how ridiculously over defended my settlements are they still get overrun if I am not there. This has happened to a settlement that had 8 rocket and 4 heavy turrets. I didn't bother going to help it because any of the other times I went to help I would arrive to the attack immediately ending as the turrets killed the entire attacking force. The other problem, which I have seen others bring up, is the enemies spawning past my defenses. What is the point of bottlenecks if enemy can spawn in the middle of the base?

This isn't even counting how, after completing the Main Quest, the faction I sided with ATTACKED one of MY settlements. I know the attacks are randomly generated but couldn't a few "If then" statements have been included to account for this? Granted the attacking forces never fired at me, even while I slaughtered them, and it didn't hurt my standing with the faction but it was still ridiculous that attacked.

Edit:

***TO CLARIFY*** I have no issue with settlements being attacked. My problem is with the AUTOMATED defenses not winning unless I am there.

I've actually only been attacked once, after almost 200 hours of playing. That was in Tenpines, very early in the game when I had not built any defenses in it. The two settlers there died but were quickly replaced by two new ones.

Strange as I have had numerous attacks in the ~130 hours I have played.

I dont know how people get attacked left and right...

I've only been attacked like maybe 4 times in around 150-160 hours.

I've had a few attacks that I missed. I didn't know they happened until I saw that "!" in the pipboy telling me that some of their resources or defenses were destroyed. So I go there, fix things up and add a few more turrets.

Last night I finally actually caught an attack. I had set up Tenpines Bluff with seven turrets. Never added anything else so they still just had the original settlers, so the DEF should have been more than enough to cover it. Well they got attacked so I quick traveled there and got involved with some raiders with missile launchers. Took them out. Added some more turrets.

I've read that if the DEF is greater than the FOOD+WATER you shouldn't be attacked. But I know that isn't true, while it may be decreasing the attacks (hard to test that). I'll just keep adding some turrets and hope it reduces the attack frequency.

I am curious as to what 'faction' you are referring to that attacked your settlement. So far all I've seen is raiders, gunners and super mutants.

I know the DEF higher than Food+Water is a lie, or at least buggy, as the settlement I mentioned in my OP had 12 food and 9 water with 144 defense.

The faction was the Institute and it was about a dozen Synths.

Edit: the settlement was Kingsport Lighthouse.

My current character who's is now level 24 has never had an attack happen yet. Kind of svcks. This is my 3rd char. My first char reached level 25 and only had 3 attacks. 1st was 2 gunners that tried to run across the bridge into sanctuary and got mowed down by my turrets. Other 2 were groups of supermutents that attacked sunshine tidings. They ran into my wall surrounding the place until the suiciders blew up killing the whole group. I'm playing my current character on survival also and sofar nothing. 8(

Actually if you put enough defences you will never be invaded, which is stupid as [censored] since it destroys the only meaningfull part of investing time in settlements.

Providing sufficient defenses seems to reduce the incidence of attacks significantly - I think I've had maybe 5 attacks in an entire play-through, and two of them were at newly-reclaimed settlements that I hadn't fortified.

I also seem to recall reading that the general danger-level increase as you go from north to south also plays into the frequency of attacks, so settlements south of Boston are at significantly higher risk. I'm not sure of that, as I never really established any major settlements down there, but I do know that Sanctuary never got attacked.

Maybe the game difficulty might also play a part here? I played at Normal difficulty. It'd be interesting to know what difficulty setting those who've suffered frequent attacks were using.

[quote name="MarkDB" post="24649164" timestamp="1449168584"]
Providing sufficient defenses seems to reduce the incidence of attacks significantly - I think I've had maybe 5 attacks in an entire play-through, and two of them were at newly-reclaimed settlements that I hadn't fortified.

I also seem to recall reading that the general danger-level increase as you go from north to south also plays into the frequency of attacks, so settlements south of Boston are at significantly higher risk. I'm not sure of that, as I never really established any major settlements down there, but I do know that Sanctuary never got attacked.

Maybe the game difficulty might also play a part here? I played at Normal difficulty. It'd be interesting to know what difficulty setting those who've suffered frequent attacks were using.[/quote

I'm playing on survival and am level 24 and no attacks so far. Maybe when I get some settlements further south something will happen. I just got sanctuary tenpines and the drive-in up.

I get attacks all the time. I've taken to pretty much ignoring them unless they actually ask for my help or I happen to be there. The settlers do a good job of defending themselves and I'm around if something needs fixed. If one of the settlers dies, a new one will be along before too long.

I figure I set the place up so I'm their landlord/owner, not their babysitter.

I've got turrets and spotlights at all the strategic places and they do most of the work anyhow.

Not a problem.

Do have to admit though that making sure that you have a Brahmin or two on the property seems to make your settlers a whole lot more apt to defend the place more strongly. They must really love those cows.

I just wish Bethesda made a message box that required a click-response versus the quickly-displayed-and-then-vanished warnings that I miss half the time, only to find out latter my settlement lies in ruin.

I promise right here and now, if no one else does this first, this will be the first mod I make when the CK comes out.

I would make these changes:

1) Frequency with which settlements get attacked would be better based on defenses.

2) Settlement improvement could survive a player-unattended attack.

3) Settlers names could be changed.

4) Settler assignments could be listed.

5) Settlers would have improved AI.

6) Attacks warnings would require a click to dismiss and the time before failure would increase and/or require multiple warnings.

And anything else I think of until then.

Cause 20 turrets shooting down 3 raiders is funny to watch, that's why.

I've never had a settlement I actually care about get invaded.

Those two losers at Tenpines though, huddling behind a single turret that I sorta-kinda keep repaired? They're having a hard week.

Having a higher defense does NOT grant immunity, it is clearly stated in-game that it only increases the chance of not being attacked.

Yeah, this ^^^^^

Not many attacks. Hangman's Alley occasionally has a super mutant problem. Sanctuary never gets attacked. Abernathy is constantly getting attacked.

To the topic though, apparently high defense vs your other resources depresses the occurrance of attacks. However I have heard contrary.

re: the Settlement Radiant Quests

You can safely ignore kidnappings or "troubled by ghouls" prompts if you want.

NEVER ignore a "xxx settlement is under attack" because no matter what defences it will all be busted if you do. You have to actually be there for defence to work. It's not set-and-forget.

That defeats the whole point of setting up automated defenses. If I have to be there for them to work then the whole thing is pointless.

It isn't about them being attacked, it's that the AUTOMATED defenses don't work unless you're there. I have no problem with the settlements being attacked, it is that I have to be there even after setting up a perfectly good defense system.

My main settlement (Red Rocket) gets attacked regularly when I return to base.

That said, the 18 settlers, including my companions

and a wall of turrets, shred the foes pretty much immediately.

As I understand it, you can't stop attacks entirely, just decrease their probability. And defense=food+water comes actually from loading screen tip in game itself.

Is it not funny though that, apparently, when you fast travel to that settlement, whatever battle is going on has been going on for a long time already? I mean, it's obvious that it took me quite a while to get there. It was nice of them to wait for me before they killed each other though.

How do you know the automated defenses don't work when you're there? Whenever I arrive at a location they're already going full bore so I would assume that they are working even when I'm not there.

If I have to be there for them to work, I have to agree. What's the point?

Occasionally I'll return to a settlement and a settler will tell me how they fought off some raiders.

As others have stated, setting up defenses in settlements only reduces the chances of a settlement being attacked. It doesn't matter if you have a settlement with 500 defense, if they get attacked and you don't go help, they will lose and people will die. It's silly, but that's how it works. My biggest complaint with this system is that often times I will miss the notification that a settlement is being attacked and so I don't go and then I see it pop up that I failed to save them. There needs to be a better notification system and settlements that are being attacked should be notated on the map, maybe with a crossed rifles symbol or something on the map.