Best mods to improving settlement building?

[Rykaal]

More specifically improving building space, making pre existing structures easier to work around. And general just fixing up settlement layout in general.

Since several of them in the base game are basically unusable for a varriety of reasons.

And while i'm at it, any other must have mods for this that don't fall into the above categories?

[Splattergutz]

Settlements Expanded
Settlement Supplies Expanded
Homemaker
Expanded Settlement Buildings
Spring Cleaning
Place Everywhere

And for game play;
Easy Lockpicking
Easy Hacking
++++++

[Shadowrun]

building is my favorite part of this game, so my load-out is full of workshop related mods.

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FAST STARTS AND FRAMEWORK MODS {Phase 5}
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Mod Configuration Menu [REQ: F4SE]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/21497

Workshop Framework
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/35004

Workshop Plus [REQ: Mod Config Menu, Workshop Framework]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/35005

Faster Workshop (Workshop Lag Fix) [REQ: Mod Config Menu, F4SE]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/35382

Place Everywhere [REQ: F4SE]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/9424

Settlement Menu Manager
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/24204

Build High - Expanded Settlements 5.0
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3528

^ build high will remove the height limit from all settlements. it also pushes the build area out farther on most settlements. you can also customize what the build area border looks like (color).

then, i have this huge list of mods that add stuff i can build. just more and more and more and more useful stuff. you will find that i don't use "homemaker", for example, and other common object mods. it's because it's crap. it always crashes my game when i'm scrolling through what can i build. no matter where it is on the load order. and there's hardly anything worth building in it anyway. just trash.

but here's what i do use. and 100% endorse as being useful and working correctly in my game. without CTD when looking through the items lolwut.

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SETTLEMENT AND WORKSHOP MENU ITEMS {Phase 10}
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Manufacturing Extended
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/15429

Manufacturing Extended expanded
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18345

Better Manufacturing [REQ: F4SE]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/26375

Factory Add On - Miners Refineries and Assemblers
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/42731

Build Your Own Pool
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13316

Solar Panels
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/17168

Minutemen Morale Pack
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/16715

cVc Dead Wasteland
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/43818

Woodys Wasteland Stuff [REQ: Settlement Menu Manager]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/24951

The Cozy Scavver [REQ: Settlement Menu Manager]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/38982

Snap Beds
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20697

Half width walls
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10163

Concrete Walls with Window Glass
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18360

General Dave's Wasteland Walls
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/26008

Better Armory Mod (BAM) - Weapon Racks and More [REQ: Settlement Menu Manager]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/42123

Stackable Concrete Foundations
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/6362

Stackable Brick Walls and Foundations
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/7510

More Fortifications
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/54786

Food and Water Settlement Crates
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/44200

Graf's Security Fences
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/39252

wall pass through power conduits
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20262

Not Just Basements [REQ: Settlement Menu Manager]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/36816

Workshop Decorated Bookcase Doors
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/33955

Easy Resource Sharing - Supply Lines without Provisioners
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/51422

Settlement Objects Expansion Pack (SOE)
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10075

Working Food Planters
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1490

Advanced Settlement Turret Set
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/8115


but then... it doesn't even end there i know...


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SETTLEMENT AND WORKSHOP MENU OVERHAULS {Phase 11}
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Rename Anything [REQ: F4SE]
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/22105

^ you can rename anything int he game. even your power armor. even your settlers. anything!

Uncapped Settlement Surplus
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12430

^ they cap your settlement production output. so uncap it if you want (it's togglable)

Settlement Keywords Expanded
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12226

Increased Settler Population
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1613

^ caps at 50 per settlement but i think you can push it further using an INI file. not really advised though, the game engine really can't handle it even though your computer could.

Settlement Attacks Beyond
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12892

^ attacks to your settlement sometimes spawn inside the settlement! not with this mod!

Fast Travel Target Fix
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/47165

^ some of the fast travel targets in the game are broken. like the boston airport one. this should fix those.

Scrap Everything
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/5320

^ highly advise against using this mod but if you want a real down and dirty way to scrap literally every pre-fab building in the game then this would be the mod. this mod has compatibility issues with many other mods so be careful adding it to your load-out.

[Rykaal]

The other category of mods I was looking for that I forgot to list, any good ones that just add more locations for settlements as well?

[Shadowrun]

i didn't get around to trying it out but you can build a workshop anywhere which means you could have a settlement anywhere. i don't think they attract settlers though.

Mobile Workshop by SKK
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/43493

and since you said you wanted 'must have' mods, i'm gonna point you to a modding setup guide i wrote that walks you through setting up some essential mods

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2718451026

[hawkeye]

Originally posted by Rykaal:

The other category of mods I was looking for that I forgot to list, any good ones that just add more locations for settlements as well?

First step - do a google search for "custom settlements syte:simsettlements.com". (Replace the y with an i). Read all the posts. Especially this one
simsettlements.com/site/index.php?threads/can-i-have-all-the-settlements-plz.5756/

Second step - for all that you might try, make sure that you read the bug lists and comments sections. Most are bugged.

Third step - learn how custom settlements work in this tutorial https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/32193

In general the RR locations are best as the terrain is clear and flat.


Be wary of anything that has an external workshop and an interior with another workshop. Not all will support settler recruitment, caravan services, add an entry in the settlements dropdown list the game uses, previs re-generation, have a 20% max happiness bug and so on.

Plus, in general for all settlements vanilla and custom, installing a mod that clears the flora and flattens the terrain is highly beneficial. Custom settlements usually don't do it and there aren't mods like Clear And Simple series for custom settlements.

Alternatively there is a mod that progressively enlarges the land size of the vanilla settlements as they grow. Annex The Commonwealth. There has been work trying to integrate it into Sim Settlements 2 on the author's Discord server.

OK, so now you know that custom settlements can be a pain. Sites I like -

Ryders Rentals is a great location, slap bang in the centre of the industrial area.
I have tried the Settlemods mod version but there is an incorrect setting that causes workshop mode to drop out when you cross a cell border.

Evans Way Cul-De-Sac is a good location next to DC but the nearby RR is preferable. EWCdS is as buggy as xxxx. But if you do the xEdit tutorial you might be able to sort it out.

I like using Far Harbor and The Boston Waterfront for customs. There is a fast travelling player home on a boat called the Red Wave that currently can access a few locations. I need to figure out how to add more. Plus there is a driveable boats mod. Haven't used it with FH yet but it could be fun.

Tarsis31 has several mods on nexus including one that does all the RR's. Haven't tried it. Yagichan and Pra are other users.

Lastly Ozmods' Swans Pond deletes all the rubbish, piles of scrap in Boston. Everything. Tanks fps, but if you ever want to do a clean downtown, this is a good start. Not at all useful for a serious playthru.

Ragoda has a Swan's Pond and many, many more. If they work pls report back.
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/users/4349499?tab=user+files

[Splattergutz]

Originally posted by Rykaal:

The other category of mods I was looking for that I forgot to list, any good ones that just add more locations for settlements as well?

Project Mojav gives you another 3 settlements.

Also, for your settlements another couple of small mods that can make a difference depending on what you want to do are;

Solar Panels
Wall Pass-Through Power Conduits

They come in handy.

[in]

Easy Lockpicking - mod issue

Great mod, i picked enough locks manually that this automation skips the tiring mini-game.
ONE ISSUE - installed and enabled via Vortex, no problem there - when i load the game i still have to ENABLE this mod manually in MODS game main menu to actually load it. Works fine after.

But, when i quit the game, and load, i have to go back to MODS each time and re-enable for this mod to load.
How to fix this? Why does it disable every game quit?

[Relic62]

The key to building stuff is a flat surface, using concrete floors, the vanilla building stuff is meh, these days all I use is the Far harbour building stuff barn and warehouse materials mainly. I can usually build a full settlement on avg every 3 hrs real time. Where the difficulty is, is fixing existing buildings to use them, I think that's where some mods become very handy in that area.

I use easy hacking, its cheating but it saves a lot of time no issues with it, MCM weather control, works great all you do is save a fine weather one and use a hot key to enable it, makes building stuff easier instead of doing it during a rain or rad storm. No more hammering is another one and get rid of raider and dead dog other side of sanctuary bridge.

I think your best trying out mods a few at a time so if you do have issues you can nail the culprit down easily and get rid of it.

[dolmore]

I know it's possible to raise the facecount cap on a workshop using console commands, but do one of these mods handle that automatically?

[Relic62]

Originally posted by dolmore:

I know it's possible to raise the facecount cap on a workshop using console commands, but do one of these mods handle that automatically?

Do you mean change looks ? and yes there are mods that expand on this ?

[Löthar Storm]

I'm gonna venture a guess that he meant headcount.

[Zekiran]

Originally posted by dolmore:

I know it's possible to raise the facecount cap on a workshop using console commands, but do one of these mods handle that automatically?

The best way to increase your settler quantity is to increase your CHA score. Whether that means by going in and using the console to increase it with modav or setav, or just using the items and bobbleheads, up to you.

The settler count mods I've ever seen are all pretty crap, honestly. I think I've tried three different ones, not one of them actually worked. It's easiest to just

player.modav CHA 10

to increase your charisma arbitrarily by 10 points. Be sure that you have the beds, food, and available things to do FIRST because they WILL show up and you'll forget how many settlements you need to then attend to...

[dolmore]

Originally posted by Menace to Sobriety:

I'm gonna venture a guess that he meant headcount.

The available build area for each workshop (empty portion of the build bar) is based on the total facecount of the meshes in the area. There are four parameters unique to each workshop that determine not only how many items you can place in a given settlement, but also how complex those objects can be.

Bethesda assigned those values based on the capabilities of GPUs at the time, but any newer card can handle far more than that. The parameters can be adjusted using console commands for each workshop, but the values that you plug in there are dependent on your particular GPU and maintaining the correct balance between the four can be tricky. Getting one out of whack can really ruin your day.

My code monkey days are way behind me and I didn't much care for programming even when i did it. I wouldn't think it would be too difficult to write a script that would detect the specifications for the installed GPU and change the parameter values for each workshop in the .ini file automatically. I was wondering if any of the listed mods do that.

[Löthar Storm]

ok that's above my pay-grade, learn something new every day.

[dtt.scanner]

So many unnecessary things. It is built into the game to allow you to increase the settlement cap with no mods... just drop and scrap items in the settlement to increase the building cap... different objects have different scrap values (as Dolmore suggested with vertices/faces) regarding the building cap, but all items will increase the cap by some amount each time you scrap something (you will see the red bar inch its way back to green). It is also possible to use built-in exploits to move things around, even glitch them into other structures, using the Rug and Post glitches. True Wire exploit allows for unlimited wire distance and transit through objects. No mods required. I recommend watching the No Mods Workshop on YouTube by SkooledZone before installing a bunch of settlement mods. All you need is the DLC additions for the pieces.

If you play on a PC, you can use console commands to move objects as well, and place precisely using x/y/z offsets, if there is an object in the way of where you want to put it. I think the Post glitch only works on game console.

No settlement mods in this Red Rocket colony:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2883091194

You can see that there is no limit on the number of materials that can be placed, and the floors are placed right through the base supports of the rocket.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2856114038

Here's another example of placing objects above where they needed to be and then dropping them down using the console z movement. [Modpos z -125 to drop a wooden railing from on top of the floor to just underneath for the sides of the tub, for example. Or maybe it was z -75... it has been a while. Railings are around a third of the distance between floors, so -75 then.]

You will have to play around with the distances, but normal floor level is 225, elevator floor level is 255, for starters. Moving x and y is tricky depending on orientation, but once you calculate the distances, you can assemble whole sections remotely and then move them into place with an exact alignment. It is usually easiest to move the piece you want to attach to upward by something like z 300, attach your piece, and then move them both back down z -300 into place, or build it on the floor above, and move it z -225 into place on the floor below. That way you maintain the snap alignment. If you are moving something laterally, then you need to keep track of the x/y movement totals so that connecting pieces will be moved the same lateral distances.

If you are on game console, then all of the glitches shown in the No Mods Workshop will work for you, since it is presented for game console, but it does require using Post and Rug glitches to move things around. Post for Z movement, and Rug for X/Y movement.

If you really want to mod your settlements, feel free... it's just that none of them are necessary for the things the OP wanted to do. Also, mods that "clean" the settlements can often wreck the game... and sometimes you notice too late for you to go back and undo it.

I wish I had pictures of my Far Harbor settlement. I went kind of crazy with the warehouse and greenhouse pieces. I was able to fully renovate one of the existing buildings (Sawmill), glitching concrete walls, and warehouse floors and ceilings to fill in the holes. Good as new, large, 4 story split level, and perfect for a colony... with a new extension with bay area and greenhouse (more warehouse pieces) attached.

For character charisma, I like to wear the newsboy cap and charisma clothing when I need it, and I console command the armor to give + to character stats. I usually end up with around Charisma 12, since I do a charisma build, but it can be higher. I put the falling effect on both legs, for 100% falling damage reduction (no need for power armor), but the other pieces I tend to spread evenly among the other ability scores with a total of +10 to stats. In theory, I think you could do as much as 20 charisma for population boosts, but you can also just recruit people in smaller settlements (faster arrival) and then send them to your big colony to fill it out. No limit on settlers, but you need to have resources and jobs for all of them, so anything more than 30 is probably too many to manage.