I guess that's a hopeful request...Right now I'm just building for fun. I don't do this professionally. Between life, job, other hobbies, wife(big honey-do list), and kids, I play this game with what spare time I have left. The thought of deleting everything but the main structures seems daunting. I would recommend if someone really wants to see this blueprint SIMS-friendly without any furnishings or decoration that they go ahead and start deleting away those unwanted items. At this time, It might be a quicker option before I get around to doing it. I know it's not the answer you want to hear but that's where I'm currently at with this build.
As for the size of the layouts: I didn't use wsfw to create the layout files...I used the Settlement Layout Plugin Creator to convert the json file to esl and esp files. I just wanted to provide an option for those that didn't want to use TransferSettlements.
Not sure what area you are referring to. Maybe a screenshot might help... ...as for any clutter or garbage, you would have to scrap everything before you import. If you don't have any scrap mods enabled, the console command "scrapall" usually does the trick. I wouldn't recommend "scrapall" if you have scrapping mods because you might lose something vital like a cave wall or ceiling.
Does this settlement plan require you to finish the experiments to use the plan or is it that you can't complete the experiments after using the plan? I typically kick the Overseer out when I take possession of Vault 88 and do not do the experiment stuff.
1: You forgot to connect the Vault-Tec Reactor to the entrance conduit, so the front door defences don't work. That's a simple fix, perhaps you didn't realise but the nearby conduit you've set up does require a wired connection to the reactor. Once you've done that everything jumps into life. Otherwise as far as I can see, the power is working as intended with all the wired connections in place. 2: The radio beacon (for some reason) needs a wired connection, but in its default position you can't do it as the cabinet it's attached to interferes with the route of the wire. I moved it up a bit so it was hanging in mid air, connected it to the power point immediately above then put it back - which is a standard workaround, wires stay attached if you move something (because Bethesda). 3: A light by the defence station at the front entrance might be nice too. Saves our brave guards from standing in the dark. I mean, if the door looks like it might be breached, they can always turn it off to get cover of darkness. 4: Signage. Despite being relatively near the Atrium, it took me forever to find the main farm area. By which I mean I found the detention cells in the abandoned station before I found the farms and I was specifically looking for the farms. It does say Hydroponics above the door, but the whole place is a maze (possibly by design) and being able to find one's way about would be nice. 5: With regard to point 3, the incredible load time (I tidied the kitchen, filled the dishwasher, made tea and it only just had loaded from a fast travel) for the area makes it only really feasible to visit occasionally, so being able to enjoy it to the max really would benefit from (again lol) signs. Unless you have a map? (If you do have a map, I will work out how to make into an asset you can put on the walls, maybe with a "You Are Here" arrow).
Aside from that, this is a great piece of work. A real labour of love. I particularly enjoy the little quips on the back of the cash registers. I dread to think how many hours you've put into this, but I am highly impressed and giving my endorsement is the least I can do to show my appreciation.
Thank you very much for your feedback and your endorsement. Your feedback has helped and will help me further improve this blueprint...and yes, this has been a labour of love. This is how I enjoy Fallout 4. With this blueprint I kept seeing "What if I try this" and "That space looks empty and needs to have something there" or "How can I improve this". I find this process very enjoyable. To you, Tromador and everyone else, your feedback is very much appreciated.
It's big and I can see you put a lot of work into this, but I'm seeing a lot of errors. Maybe it's the bazillion mods I'm using - though other blueprints import fine, so I'm more inclined it's the size making the game cry.
I'm getting lots of HOM[1], I am guessing this is the game engine having a panic attack at the scale of the project as it clears up when I get close. A lot of the wiring is missing. In fact, I would say all the wiring is missing. The conduits are there and correct, but anything needing an actual wire doesn't have one. Prime example, I had to connect a wire to the conduit system in the entrance area, then wire in all the turrets etc. All the connectors are there, so it's generally obvious where the wires should go, but they didn't import correctly.
This said, I've done a search in the .json and not a single one of the objects marked as "isPowered" : 1,has any connections to anything, they all read "ConnectedObjects" : "",which means[2] that TransferSettlements doesn't know what to connect where.
Also there are hostile gunners all over the place. Don't think it's your JSON file, but worth mentioning.
So seeing as you did an upload yesterday, I am wondering if the export went foofoo on this occasion. This is the first and only version I've downloaded, so I have no idea if earlier versions worked better.
Clem is incredibly annoying. That is nothing to do with you, mind - just a general observation. Shut up Clem! I wish I had been much more horrible in the experiments now. ;)
It certainly is an impressive piece of work, hopefully you can work out what's up with the lack of connections. Perhaps try another export - though if the time taken to import is any indicator, I imagine it takes a fair while to export too. Good luck!
[1] Hall of Mirrors effect [2] If my understanding is correct
Thank You for that detailed feedback. You clearly have a better technical understanding of this than I have as I'm not familiar with some of the terms you used nor am I able to decipher a .json file. As to why the TransferSettlements isn't recognizing the power connections is a mystery to me. Perhaps I don't have the most recent version of TransferSettlements or have not configured the export properly. I've seen online that there is an export power option, but, for some reason, It doesn't show up on my export options. I must have erroneously assumed that the power connections would have been automatically recognized. I'm thinking that I might have to reinstall TransferSettlements and create a new export.
As for the Hall of Mirror effect, I'm not sure if I have that but I do get some problems in the main atrium area with images overlapping when I pan sideways... I've dismissed this as there being too many objects in the cell for my poor laptop to handle.
Moving forward, I would like to correct some of these issues. Feedback is very important because what works on my laptop may not work on yours and you guys may see things that I have overlooked. Please be patient with me as I try to resolve these issues. I know my export takes about 3 hours so I can only imagine the frustration some of you must feel after waiting to import the blueprint only to find some errors. That was not my intent.
Once again, thank you for your and anyone else's feedback.
My pleasure to help and anything else I can do feel free to ask.
The JSON is just a text file, basically a list of objects (be they walls, floors, furniture or etc) and their properties. It's quite human readable though large as you would imagine for near 30k items. Each individual object is enclosed by a set of curly braces {} and separated by a comma. For example, here is one of the turrets in the entrance area. { "ConnectedObjects" : "", "ExtraData" : "", "FormID" : "22B59D", "FormID_dec" : 2274717, "RemoveHavok" : 0, "Scale" : 1.0, "idx" : 28905, "isActor" : 1, "isAssignable" : 0, "isCreated" : 1, "isFarmAnimal" : 0, "isFood" : 0, "isGenerator" : 0, "isPowered" : 1, "isTamedCreature" : 0, "isTurret" : 1, "isWater" : 0, "name" : "Heavy Laser Turret", "plugin_name" : "Fallout4.esm", "posX" : -9618.560546875, "posY" : -266.64566040039062, "posZ" : -950.000244140625, "rotX" : 0.0, "rotY" : 0.0, "rotZ" : 219.71566772460937 },As you can see it's just a list of details about the object, what it is, where it is, in which direction is it facing and so on along with a unique index number (the "idx" field). Being a laser turret obviously it needs power and this is correctly shown in the "isPowered" line, (1 for yes, 0 for no). As it's powered it should be connected to some other objects, with the index ("idx") of those in the "ConnectedObjects" part of the object definition - which is unfortunately blank in this case. Hopefully that explanation makes sense.
If I'm honest I don't *know* that's how it works, but I've looked at other blueprints files and their powered items all have ConnectedObjects, so it's the logical conclusion and I would agree that you missed a check box. To aid your cause I had a quick look (at a much smaller settlement lol) and yeah, there's a tickbox for that. It seems to be on by default, maybe you accidentally unticked it, but it will need to be there. I suspect you want the options I've selected, unless you have some random animals hidden away in there, in which case add additional checkmarks as necessary - hit this thumbnail for a larger screenshot.
Any questions, I'll do my best. Thanks for your hard work.
I had a feeling that I needed to check a box for wired power connections. Unfortunately, it didn't show up as an option on my end here (see image). I assumed that the power connections were automatic, which we now know are not. I think the first thing I need to do is figure out why this option is not showing up. I will try to see if I can configure the options before attempting a re-install of TransferSettlements.
I suggest you test by seeing if the option appears at a different settlement - if so then you know it's something odd with vault 88 and if so, it may be worth asking on the TransferSettlement forum.
I think I know why "export power connections" wasn't showing. I didn't have HUDFramework installed. Now that I've installed it, the option to export power connections is available...my bad...apologies to everyone. I'm going to start a new export with the power option checked off....I'll post a new version later on today in about 3-4 hours.
Thank you Tromador for your help and everyone for your patience.
I just finished uploading the latest version (7.14) which was exported with the power connections options enabled. Hopefully, this works as I spent 5 hours exporting instead of the usual 3(I think that's a good sign)...I definitely will be trying out the Hall of Mirrors Fix. It sounds like just what my blueprint needs. Also, Let me know how the latest update works... as usual, your help, patience, and suggestions are much appreciated.
That’s why I keep saying it would be better to have just the structures built with no furniture, decorations, power anything, just the vault structures and connectors also to help with performance and make the transfer faster
A quick look at the JSON and I can immediately see that, as a prime example, the reactor is connected to something (quite important lol), so looks good for testing the import.
I watched a few clips of your videos and the settlers seemed to be just standing about in the Atrium. Did you have NPC AI turned off or is there a problem with getting them to do their jobs?
At the time I made the video, I didn't have any NPC AI turned off. They just seemed to congregate around the atrium area. However, mezzicstorm2131 introduced me toVault-88 Settler Sandbox Fix which seemed to get the settlers to walk about the vault more instead of simply idling about.
I don't recommend anyone use scrap mods unless they know exactly what they are scrapping. I had used a scrap mod in an earlier playthrough and through sheer laziness typed in the console command "scrapall"...needless to say, I lost sections of the cave, the water pump, and the water it was in. If you don't have any scrap mods, the console command "scrapall" should work without all the grief...otherwise you are manually scraping each item.
This blueprint was created with no mods in mind: That means I built around things that couldn't be normally scrapped in a vanilla playthrough like the subway cars in the abandoned metro tunnel. Having said this, if you do decide to use a scrapping mod after import to create more space, just remember to make frequent saves in the event you scrap something that you may later regret.
Roger that. I always found it odd that after 200 years, nobody had reinvented "broom" or "dustpan and brush" and were content to live in filth, surrounded by piles of debris and such, so it irks me and I do the clean up myself - but yes, most vanilla blueprints do (and probably rightly so, for being vanilla) build around stuff that can't be removed. So what I've generally done is a 3 part process.
Turn scrap mod off, delete everything.
Import blueprint and allow to settle, per the transfer settlement instructions (though tbh, it generally seems fine).
Go back with scrap mod on and get rid of anything else that offends me.
I guess I'll do that here as well. Thanks for the helpful reply.
I really hope you have still considered an unfurnished version of this, I would love to have the structures built only so i could put in some sim settlements 2 plots, may I suggest you use Workshop Framework Layout feature? it's way faster than transfer settlements and builds the layout in the blink of an eye, plus an unfurnished and undecorated version would save a lot of loading time.
I've considered the two things that you requested. Firstly, An unfinished version is not off the table. It would be nice to have an alternative file for SIMS settlements. However, I'm currently in "build mode" right now and honestly, the building bug has compelled me to fill every possible space that I can and this seems to be taking up my gaming time. Once I've hit a ceiling and realized there is not much more to build, I will consider deleting the furnishings and uploading a blueprint that is unfurnished. The second point was about using Workshop Framework: I completed the settlement layout export in "17708.671875 seconds"(see image)...that's 4 hours 55 minutes and 8 seconds. This was a much longer export time than the average 2 1/2 hours it usually takes with TransferSettlements...Good thing I set it to export while I was doing other things. Also, I couldn't find the export file, perhaps a technical error on my part...So suffice it to say, I won't be using Workshop Framework moving forward unless the process is quicker and I can figure out a way to find the export file on my computer...Feasibility seems to be the issue right now. However, I do appreciate your interest! Your requests have not gone unnoticed.
Downloaded your latest version. You're trying to melt nuke my old, poor, laptop aren't you? Just cleared and finished Vault 88 on a new playthrough, and I'm interested to see what cool, new secrets you put in. Cheers!
I see you found the "Meltdown" room...as for nuking a laptop, mine isn't too far off since I'm finding delays in placing objects as I hit the enter button when building...I think I might be at my max...in any case...I'll keep building...see empty space...must fill...lol
42 comments
As for the size of the layouts: I didn't use wsfw to create the layout files...I used the Settlement Layout Plugin Creator to convert the json file to esl and esp files. I just wanted to provide an option for those that didn't want to use TransferSettlements.
...as for any clutter or garbage, you would have to scrap everything before you import. If you don't have any scrap mods enabled, the console command "scrapall" usually does the trick. I wouldn't recommend "scrapall" if you have scrapping mods because you might lose something vital like a cave wall or ceiling.
Consequences of telling Vault 88 overseer to leave without doing the experiments
...In a nutshell, you don't get to pick what characteristics the prototypes do.
Having said this, it might be worth trying to import the blueprint anyway but to be safe, I recommend you create a save point before you do so.
1: You forgot to connect the Vault-Tec Reactor to the entrance conduit, so the front door defences don't work. That's a simple fix, perhaps you didn't realise but the nearby conduit you've set up does require a wired connection to the reactor. Once you've done that everything jumps into life. Otherwise as far as I can see, the power is working as intended with all the wired connections in place.
2: The radio beacon (for some reason) needs a wired connection, but in its default position you can't do it as the cabinet it's attached to interferes with the route of the wire. I moved it up a bit so it was hanging in mid air, connected it to the power point immediately above then put it back - which is a standard workaround, wires stay attached if you move something (because Bethesda).
3: A light by the defence station at the front entrance might be nice too. Saves our brave guards from standing in the dark. I mean, if the door looks like it might be breached, they can always turn it off to get cover of darkness.
4: Signage. Despite being relatively near the Atrium, it took me forever to find the main farm area. By which I mean I found the detention cells in the abandoned station before I found the farms and I was specifically looking for the farms. It does say Hydroponics above the door, but the whole place is a maze (possibly by design) and being able to find one's way about would be nice.
5: With regard to point 3, the incredible load time (I tidied the kitchen, filled the dishwasher, made tea and it only just had loaded from a fast travel) for the area makes it only really feasible to visit occasionally, so being able to enjoy it to the max really would benefit from (again lol) signs. Unless you have a map? (If you do have a map, I will work out how to make into an asset you can put on the walls, maybe with a "You Are Here" arrow).
Aside from that, this is a great piece of work. A real labour of love. I particularly enjoy the little quips on the back of the cash registers. I dread to think how many hours you've put into this, but I am highly impressed and giving my endorsement is the least I can do to show my appreciation.
I'm getting lots of HOM[1], I am guessing this is the game engine having a panic attack at the scale of the project as it clears up when I get close.
A lot of the wiring is missing. In fact, I would say all the wiring is missing. The conduits are there and correct, but anything needing an actual wire doesn't have one. Prime example, I had to connect a wire to the conduit system in the entrance area, then wire in all the turrets etc. All the connectors are there, so it's generally obvious where the wires should go, but they didn't import correctly.
This said, I've done a search in the .json and not a single one of the objects marked as
"isPowered" : 1,has any connections to anything, they all read"ConnectedObjects" : "",which means[2] that TransferSettlements doesn't know what to connect where.Also there are hostile gunners all over the place. Don't think it's your JSON file, but worth mentioning.
So seeing as you did an upload yesterday, I am wondering if the export went foofoo on this occasion. This is the first and only version I've downloaded, so I have no idea if earlier versions worked better.
Clem is incredibly annoying. That is nothing to do with you, mind - just a general observation. Shut up Clem! I wish I had been much more horrible in the experiments now. ;)
It certainly is an impressive piece of work, hopefully you can work out what's up with the lack of connections. Perhaps try another export - though if the time taken to import is any indicator, I imagine it takes a fair while to export too. Good luck!
[1] Hall of Mirrors effect
[2] If my understanding is correct
As for the Hall of Mirror effect, I'm not sure if I have that but I do get some problems in the main atrium area with images overlapping when I pan sideways... I've dismissed this as there being too many objects in the cell for my poor laptop to handle.
Moving forward, I would like to correct some of these issues. Feedback is very important because what works on my laptop may not work on yours and you guys may see things that I have overlooked. Please be patient with me as I try to resolve these issues. I know my export takes about 3 hours so I can only imagine the frustration some of you must feel after waiting to import the blueprint only to find some errors. That was not my intent.
Once again, thank you for your and anyone else's feedback.
The JSON is just a text file, basically a list of objects (be they walls, floors, furniture or etc) and their properties. It's quite human readable though large as you would imagine for near 30k items. Each individual object is enclosed by a set of curly braces {} and separated by a comma. For example, here is one of the turrets in the entrance area.
{As you can see it's just a list of details about the object, what it is, where it is, in which direction is it facing and so on along with a unique index number (the "idx" field). Being a laser turret obviously it needs power and this is correctly shown in the "isPowered" line, (1 for yes, 0 for no). As it's powered it should be connected to some other objects, with the index ("idx") of those in the "ConnectedObjects" part of the object definition - which is unfortunately blank in this case. Hopefully that explanation makes sense."ConnectedObjects" : "",
"ExtraData" : "",
"FormID" : "22B59D",
"FormID_dec" : 2274717,
"RemoveHavok" : 0,
"Scale" : 1.0,
"idx" : 28905,
"isActor" : 1,
"isAssignable" : 0,
"isCreated" : 1,
"isFarmAnimal" : 0,
"isFood" : 0,
"isGenerator" : 0,
"isPowered" : 1,
"isTamedCreature" : 0,
"isTurret" : 1,
"isWater" : 0,
"name" : "Heavy Laser Turret",
"plugin_name" : "Fallout4.esm",
"posX" : -9618.560546875,
"posY" : -266.64566040039062,
"posZ" : -950.000244140625,
"rotX" : 0.0,
"rotY" : 0.0,
"rotZ" : 219.71566772460937
},
If I'm honest I don't *know* that's how it works, but I've looked at other blueprints files and their powered items all have ConnectedObjects, so it's the logical conclusion and I would agree that you missed a check box. To aid your cause I had a quick look (at a much smaller settlement lol) and yeah, there's a tickbox for that. It seems to be on by default, maybe you accidentally unticked it, but it will need to be there. I suspect you want the options I've selected, unless you have some random animals hidden away in there, in which case add additional checkmarks as necessary - hit this thumbnail for a larger screenshot.
Any questions, I'll do my best. Thanks for your hard work.
I think the first thing I need to do is figure out why this option is not showing up. I will try to see if I can configure the options before attempting a re-install of TransferSettlements.
Again, thanks for your help and patience.
Thank you Tromador for your help and everyone for your patience.
Hall of Mirrors Fix for Vault 88 Megabuilds
I watched a few clips of your videos and the settlers seemed to be just standing about in the Atrium. Did you have NPC AI turned off or is there a problem with getting them to do their jobs?
I'll grab your latest along with this and the HOM fix and let you know how I get on.. It'll be a few hours of importing so don't wait up. 😂
When you say "clear all debris", do you mean with or without Scrap Everything (or similar) mod?
I don't recommend anyone use scrap mods unless they know exactly what they are scrapping. I had used a scrap mod in an earlier playthrough and through sheer laziness typed in the console command "scrapall"...needless to say, I lost sections of the cave, the water pump, and the water it was in. If you don't have any scrap mods, the console command "scrapall" should work without all the grief...otherwise you are manually scraping each item.
This blueprint was created with no mods in mind: That means I built around things that couldn't be normally scrapped in a vanilla playthrough like the subway cars in the abandoned metro tunnel. Having said this, if you do decide to use a scrapping mod after import to create more space, just remember to make frequent saves in the event you scrap something that you may later regret.
Otherwise, Have fun exploring!
I guess I'll do that here as well. Thanks for the helpful reply.
meltnuke my old, poor, laptop aren't you? Just cleared and finished Vault 88 on a new playthrough, and I'm interested to see what cool, new secrets you put in. Cheers!