Roleplaying Question: What is the relationship between the settlers and the character

[The Konrad]

It's a very strange community, isn't it?
You decide their clothing, basically their possesions, you can tell them where to work, where to sleep, etc.
But they are not slaves, because
a) not political correct enough for Bethesda
b) they have working hours (where is the labour union or syndicate saying that the shop opens from 8 to 8?)
c) the seem quite happy with their position.

They share your weapons, they share the food, they share your Power Amour if you leave a Fusion Core inside.

Weird.

Thoughts Anyone? Explanation?

[Dmt_Perception]

If only you could be a Slaver a'la Fallout3.
Those collars were so much fun!

[insolent1]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Konrad:

Well I certainly can't claim Abernathy's or Finch's farm, but I have settlers sleeping IN MY FRIGGIN HOUSE and I want them to pay rent.

Its your own fault for letting the vermin in and its their house now not yours...."stares" as I see one of your settlers tucking into your nuka cola quantuam collection

[The Konrad]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von pike:

you control the npc's in the settlements because it's a game , nothing to do with your slave bait

Be that as it may, I said they aren't slaves (because of reasons I mentioned above) and I want to analyze the situation from a roleplay perspective, not from a design choice made by the devs.
So your comment didn't quite get it and it also isn't helping much.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Brew:

Its your own fault for letting the vermin in and its their house now not yours...."stares" as I see one of your settlers tucking into your nuka cola quantuam collection

Good point, too bad they regularly spawn inside for no particular reason...
Still tresspassing is a crime, just look at Diamond city...

[[SC]Kaneeiiiiqri|wiWi]

There needs to be a mod that marks the items settlers start with as owned. Then you can still give them things and have them equip it, but they still own their original stuff, and to take it would be stealing.

[Syntax Error]

You're in charge of the settlement so you hand out work assignments. You also distribute arms or equipment. Sometimes they steal your power armor if you don't take precautions.

Beyond that, there's just a certain amount of game mechanic you have to ignore for the sake of playability. I don't need a game where my settlers prove their free will by refusing to work the crops.

[The Konrad]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Syntax Error:

[...]Sometimes they steal your power armor if you don't take precautions.[...]

They don't exactly steal your power armor because they don't commit a crime as you can't excute/ punish them for doing so.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Syntax Error:

Beyond that, there's just a certain amount of game mechanic you have to ignore for the sake of playability. I don't need a game where my settlers prove their free will by refusing to work the crops.

Agreed, but I would have been interesting if you had a law/police system, where you have to be the judge and decide the severity of the punishment for example.

So you can play your lax Utopia of Hippie Commune where all is fine or you can super strict not tolerating anyone stepping out of line and become Hitler 3.0 and make both Maxson and Father proud.

[AlexMBrennan]

Thoughts Anyone? Explanation?

The way I see is it that the player character offers farmland to cultivate crops, shelter and protection from hostiles. People can come join these settlements as long as they are willing to pitch in (growing crops, running various trades and keeping watch).

The fact that you can directly access everyone's inventory is just a gameplay mechanic.

Also they don't pay tax even though your protecting them and giving them a new home.
Until i built a shop thats the time i can tax them.

Well, you get a tithe - if you have a food/water surplus or settlers manning scanvenging stations, items are added to the workshop. A tax paid in caps you'd just have to get the settlers to sell the items instead

[Sir Psycho]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Konrad:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Sir Psycho:

[...]
Sounds like communism to me

Under Stalin though, it's not the Utopian thing. You basically HAVE to tell everyone what to do.

I mean, you provide them with what they need and they still just stand around stealing stuff.

[The Konrad]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Sir Psycho:

I mean, you provide them with what they need and they still just stand around stealing stuff.

Good point buuuuuut
you could have them all scavenge for ressources in the Muddy Swamp of the Murkwater Construction Site in their underwear. Seems like an appropriate hard-labour gulak to me...

[Sentient_Toaster]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Konrad:

So you can play your lax Utopia of Hippie Commune where all is fine or you can super strict not tolerating anyone stepping out of line and become Hitler 3.0 and make both Maxson and Father proud.

That seems to have been done already.

https://www.reddit.com/r/fo4/comments/3xdtrn/synth_concentration_camp/

[The Konrad]

lol,

k

but Covenant was there before...

[Ensign]

Its hard to say OP. I know you want an answer in respect to roleplay but thats impossible when the system is incomplete by devs.

Its like me asking the roleplay aspects of bieng a pimp in gta v when there is no such system in place.

Cant justify this system as roleplay since there is little functionality to it. For it to be so would mean that we all would have to agree to accept that the settlement mechanics are complete and are in the game now as designed and that they work 100% to the vision of bethesda. In otherwords if beth had all the time in the world to dedicate to settlements this is what we would get, and I dont think this is the case.

I dont think it was on purpose that we cant track settlers and which job they have or that its impossible to call back provisioners without clunky work arounds. Pretty sure they ran out of time.

So we cant claim communism or hippie society. I mean i guess we can because its what we have now but this isnt how bethesda wanted us to play this, they jsut ran out of time to put proper systems in place which is to say that of a REAL general. Appointing governers, setting patrols, resource management, roving caravans, ect.

[Soggy Omelet]

Nothing really. They're just generic NPCs to populate whatever settlements you build up.

As much as I love building settlements/personal bases, it's nothing more than a fun distraction. It doesn't add anything too game as a whole and lacks any real substance. Even the interesting aspects like settlements getting attacked by enemies are an incredibly rare thing for me. Supply lines is about as in depth as it gets.

I was hoping I could make a base that will attract evil scumbags and we can raid other settlements. That'd be pretty tight. Maybe a mod will come out for that..

[The Konrad]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Acid Trip Advisor:

[...]

I was hoping I could make a base that will attract evil scumbags and we can raid other settlements. That'd be pretty tight. Maybe a mod will come out for that..

That's sounds cool. But being the bad guy doesn't work for Bethesda that much. Let's hope the MODs can fix that eventually.

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Ensign:

[...] I mean i guess we can because its what we have now but this isnt how bethesda wanted us to play this, they jsut ran out of time to put proper systems in place which is to say that of a REAL general. Appointing governers, setting patrols, resource management, roving caravans, ect.

You are right, but Todd called it a day and released the game in this state. It passed QM Control (I guess it did, there aren't that many bugs out there) and Bethesda is not a company that "wants us play this in a specific way" That's why I like them so much.
On the other hand, they try to be very political correct to avoid an SJW flamewar so no killable children and other nasty things in their games. I'm not judging that here, just saying how it is...

[Sir Psycho]

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Konrad:

Ursprünglich geschrieben von Sir Psycho:

I mean, you provide them with what they need and they still just stand around stealing stuff.

Good point buuuuuut
you could have them all scavenge for ressources in the Muddy Swamp of the Murkwater Construction Site in their underwear. Seems like an appropriate hard-labour gulak to me...

Brilliant. First up, Preston.