building tips

[Garrow]

Anyone got building tips to make settlements look good? Everything i make looks like ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

[BrackObama2]

Well I only play with tons of mods, so it makes building much more fun. Use clutter, place random things here and there, depending on if you want a "clean" looking build, or post-apocalyptic one.
For example, if building a clinic, I place stuff related to medicine all around the place, not actual items from my inventory, but clutter from the build menu. There are bunch of mods for such things. So place beds, rags, IVs, surgical equipment, lights, signs, posters, rugs, personal belongings around the place. It sometimes gets annoying and boring for me too, that's why I use all those mods that adds new things to place + Sim Settlements 2.
Also, do not rush. I started a new game pretty much a week ago, still haven't finished Sanctuary. I do one building after another once in a while whenever I feel like I know what I want to build.

[Charon]

If you are playing on pc place everywhere is the way to go for placing stuff
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/9424

For inspiration maybe download a few settlement blueprints or watch some youtube videos?

[Ceejay]

Its just practice, I do wish they had better building options built into the game, I know there are mods, but I have run into issues with some mods (not necessarily by themselves, however when combined with other mods etc).

At one point I was running with hundreds of mods and could do quite a few things with settlements, however i am now running a couple of handfull's of mods if that. (though nice and stable game).

[EolSunder]

in the vanilla game it just takes practice. Concrete items are easier than wood and steel, and walls are the hardest. Even with thousands of hours its a pain trying to line walls up without making a huge floor first.

But if you want to make it easier, tons of mods to help. I never used them but i assume they make connecting much easier than the vanilla game.

[::GH☢ST::]

If you have time, I'd recommend watching some videos on this yt channel, helped me a lot, I played only with Unofficial patch and few bug fix mods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl-idDvy-PE

[Liquid Inc]

I use one building mod, and that's Homemaker... Gives you a few extra things to play with!

But building wise?
Floors. Always start with floors.

Work out where you want internal walls to be, and build those as you place the floors down. They'll snap to the edges of the floor, and won't obstruct the outer walls when you go to build those.

If you want multiple floors, use the floor piece with a built-in ladder. This actually lets you put a roof tile on the top of the first floor walls, yet still allows you to clip floor pieces to the built-in ladder piece. It'll keep things square and level, no matter how high you want to build:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2904713251

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2904713217

Welcome to starlight tower (Yes this took a long time, and a lot of pipe pistols. Drop them, add them to workshop, take back - repeat; drops the build limit so you can build more. There are mods to do the same thing too)

[Relic62]

Its practice mainly, takes me about 3 hrs to build a settlement sometimes 2hrs on avg with everything in it that is required, roofs, beds, water, power, lights, happy crap and defense ( always go overbrd with that). I use concrete blocks, barn wood and roofs and some of the other concrete types available mainly, and always wall every thing in with one entrance. The only exception is sanctuary which takes a lot of hrs on/off. Everything is basically modular, its easier to do it that way. I dont have the patience to line things up or muck around with existing building's, plus its not worth it in the long run anyway. I do have some mods mainly power stuff and water stuff and scrap everything which is basically what I do to some of the settlements where there is only shacks or buildings that need a ton of work.

[hawkeye]

Junktown settlements are supposed to look ramshackle.

You could try downloading one of fiddleflaps settlements as an example. They don't use mods except for transfer settlements e.g. tenpines bluff.
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/users/6575660?tab=user+files
One way of playing the game is to start off with the junktown mod and then gradually upgrade it into brick or concrete using mods (or siding if there was a siding mod).

or elianora's hangmans alley -
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/28110

If you want something less ramshackle look thru settlement mods on nexus. But you will probably need to start installing more building mods and that can be a slippery slope.
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/categories/61/

And practise won't make you perfect but a lot better at design.

Settlement building is a lot easier with mods like Place Everywhere and Workshop Framework.

[Garrow]

yall are awesome, i looked a little into mods before but it was only a clean up mod for the starting neighborhood, ill try some of the listed ones and just keep practicing

also any idea how to make settlements helpful? I don't see a point besides some food and the merchants. Ill still build because i like doing it though

[bagel]

you dont you just neglect the other settlements and focus on the player home

[hawkeye]

In modded survival mode access to doctors and ammo is important. Settlements can provide those services. They can also provide a place to sell loot and buy food and obtain purified water. They are a way of earning XP by building structures and doing their repetitive quests.

They could have been made a lot more interesting by the addition of more roles that settlers could take on e.g. carpenter, toolmaker, miner, etc. One weakness of the system is how raw materials can be transformed in a moment to complex objects as if by magic.

[Fumo Bnnuy n Frends]

1. ♥♥♥♥ vanilla get mods

2. like seriously vanilla building sucks compared to modding. Even if you don't get texture or settlement item mods there are QoL mods or fixes like the place everywhere mod or more scrappable items mod that just makes snapping things together much easier

3. Download settlement blueprints. See which ones you like. See what they do and how they do it. What items they use. Learn from that try it out yourselves

4. If you haven't get the DLC. Even though it's p crap they add tons of new stuff. GOTY edition has all DLC outside of the creation club.

5. Look up some youtube videos. My fave is the fallout 4 builder guy who shows how to make things like condults through walls to power lights or droppable gates.

5. Just trial and error. Plain and simple.

[Bored Peon]

For me Place Everywhere is a must have. Especially one you learn how to use the extra option keys.

I would NOT have been able to do this without using the option to turn off snapping.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2894193724
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2895828951

[Fumo Bnnuy n Frends]

Originally posted by Bored Peon:

For me Place Everywhere is a must have. Especially one you learn how to use the extra option keys.

I would NOT have been able to do this without using the option to turn off snapping.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2894193724
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2895828951

yes

that is a must b/c of how b.s. the building placement is

not being able to place ex: a stairwell b/c it's 2 inches from the edge of a telephone pole good example why it's needed

[Fumo Bnnuy n Frends]

Originally posted by Pookie101:

If you check out a you tube channel called "skooled zone" he has excellent tutorials on building things.

Personal hint.
Never build a box house. Always add little rooms off to the side or even a little wall as a divider, anything to break up the box house vibe or add an awning, Stack some creates, etc next to an exterior wall things you would expect people to do for storage after a while

yeah

that's the guy that does tons of fallout 4 building tips and tricks and ideas