Building Settler-Friendly Settlements

[IronGland]

My apologies if there is already an authoritative post on the subject already. I looked, but might not have been using the right terms.

I'm not far into Fallout 4 at all, and still learning the mechanics and gameplay. And, until recently, I've really been enjoying the settlement aspects. Once you figure out the building interface, it's engaging.

The problem is I've sunk time into building some increasingly elaborate settlements, that only seem to confuse and discombobulate my settlers.

Stairs. I struggle to get them to use stairs. I have settlers at Abernathy Farm who stand in the field all night like zombies because they can't climb the stairs into the single-story bunkhouse. I built a simple 5-story structure at Taffington Boat house that some of them can enter and leave no problem, but others stand outside with dumb looks on their faces.

Wall Scaffolds. Because my settlers kept leaving the perimeter to do pipe pistol charges at attacking raiders, I built scaffolds around the walls so they can shoot back from elevated and hardened positions. But to no avail - they're still doing Pickett's Charges outside the wire.

Hangman's Alley. I know this place gives many players grief. I managed to get them to climb the staircases I built, but for some reason they won't cross this invisible line into the easternmost part of the settlement. No doors, obstacles, or uneven ground to cover. They just won't go there.

There are still other examples, but they are all a function of me building settlements that look and work great for me, but not the virtual people I'm building them for.

The solutions I've read usually revolve around waiting an in-game week for the pathing to work itself out, or otherwise leave plenty of redundant pathways to figure out which ones the settlers "understand".

But here I wanted to ask a different question: What building tips have you found effective in building settlements that work for settlers? So that rather than waiting in-game weeks or trying mod after mod, you're building idiot-proof settlements that settlers just intuitively "get"?

[Jouni]

I just command a settler or a companion to walk up stairs and other uncertain paths to ensure that they can use them. If you build something like scaffolding stairs for roof access then its best to first place a floor piece on the roof and connect stair parts to it. I also avoid short stairs from the barn set since it seems to have problems too often.

[Chaosium]

I build everything on ground level so that they dont have to face their worst enemy, stairs. I also tend to set beds in different places so that they don't end up bumping into each other all day.

I usually don't have many settlers in Hangman's alley. It's my personal base, only 2 or 3 guards and that's it.

Overall, use wide entrances, more than 1 set of stairs and try to keep things simple enough.

[hawkeye]

Mods help. For example, the hangmans east boundary problem is fixed in a mod. There is a mod that increases the settlers AI range. Don't know if it works or not.

I built a 4 or 5 floor hotel-like building at hangmans with a rooftop garden. Farmers went up to the garden. They have never left since then even to walk downstairs one floor to beds.

There is a navmesh fixer mod that adds a navmesh tile. It can help npcs cross non-meshed objects or doorways. The game needs a navmesh visualizer. If the CC added one, everyone would sign up to it overnight. Missed opportunity there Bethesda.

Keep paths wide and without bends around or over obstacles. 1x1 tiles can be a problem.
When building always ask an npc to "move here" to check if a point is accessible.
It can take a few minutes for the build to activate navmesh changes.

AFT has a combat style selector option for followers, not npcs. So there could be hidden combat AI settings in the game. There has to be AI somehow. Look for mods maybe.

The combat in the game could be improved drastically. For example, in the 18th century on the frontier in PA, there were small blockhouses built for farmers and travellers to retreat to when indians raided. "Retreat" meaning "run like hell". The game could have assembly points in settlements that are in fortified locations. Anyone not on guard duty heads for cover etc. INstead of provisioners and traders being immortal your job is to a make the world safe by creating refuges for travellers. Minutemen could even act like minutemen and respond to settlement attacks. If the lone survivor can have a flare gun, why not others?

The game could be a lot better if there was a skirmish game like the many that exist for tabletop miniatures. Some even have AI rules which could be easily adapted. Does anyone know if Fallout Wasteland Warfare has AI rules?

[Fer]

My view on the settlers with stair and higher building is. If you build structures make sure you keep stairs away from choke points. Build it wide like 2x concrete next to 1 and other. (If you build high walls with guard posts make sure you build multiple access point too get on the walls) Settlers wil patrol on your walls when they have like 2 guard posts assigned. If you don't want settlers on surthen floors of your buildings only build a elevator in that building. They won't go up. Unless you have chairs or a bar on higher floors they will teleport there sometimes. Recommend bar in a seprate building. In other words build buildings for what its gonna be used for. I don't know about all locations though. Some settlement the settlers might be idiots and never do what you want them to do.

[longpinkytoes]

this is actually good for settlement defence. hostiles don't have a crafting station or bed or store or even patrol markers to teleport to if they are frustrated by the navmesh for long enough. your settlers all have at least one of those options if you are keeping them assigned properly. so far there has never been an angry red arrow on settlement happiness from having to teleport past an obstruction at bedtime.

[West Dragon]

What worked for me was the Scrap Everything mod. I use it at every build site. Then, I construct a foundation to fit everything my settlers need in one convenient area. Then I build Heavy Laser Turrets all along the edge of the foundation so that no matter where hostiles come from, they're quickly blasted before my settlers ever need to react. I avoid building doors and I only place stairs around the foundation so in case settlers do somehow fall off the platform, I've at least provided them a means of climbing their way back up.