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Institute Phase 4 Plan: Institute City Plan Project Plan Thread.

Rylasasin

Active Member
Messages
143
I had an idea for and would like to start an Unofficial city plan contest. It'd have to be unofficial due to the nature of the contest in question, and the fact that it's allowed (and in some cases, even required) to run certain settlement object mods (Fort his first one, either homemaker or settlement objects expanded for their institute objects).

To whom would I go for that and where would I post it?
 
To keep it clearly distinct from the official contest, you might want to call it the Rylassin Challenge or the [Insert Target Mod] Challenge, or something like that.

I'd recommend checking with @damanding to start.
 
As it is I don't think you could get something like this going too strong. You would need to find ways to make it more distinct than just use of mod items. This last month had 8(?) entries with the motivation of being showcased on kinggath's channel, being in the megapack, and a shirt. They have contest mods to make quality control easier, they add an insane amount of objects with the blueprint mod that are vanilla friendly, and at least one person presumably just tasked with checking out the builds. The megapack can be used by anyone with the game and sim settlements, which is a lot of people.

On top of that, one month in the official contest is actually kind of tight. It would be hard to do two settlements in a month, and just having access to items in a mod I probably don't use wont motivate me. Even if it was something I love like Workshop Rearranged. The blueprint mod frankly scratches the more items itch for me.

So some random thoughts:
- In any case I would stick to one set of mods. There's just not much use for one city plan per mod.
- The contest could have a specific theme that doesn't fit with the official, like The Institute, or Pre War, or whatever. A well made pack of institute themed city plans could probably do well enough on nexus to motivate participation. In this case you would find a good set of mods for an institute build and keep those ones for each contest.
- You could base it around a mod that so fundamentally changes the game that it would benefit from city plans aimed at it. Horizon themed city plans might do ok, and you could probably get people from that community to jump on board. So each contest it's a new settlement or two to be made for Horizon or whatever mod.
 
Given that, I think rather than a contest, you might want to organize it as a Project, and try to recruit people to each tackle a different settlement with a shared theme and an agreed-upon set of required mods.

Cooperation, rather than competition seems like a good approach.
 
I like the idea of a project rather than a contest. Saves me the trouble of having to judge/get a judge or hand out prizes after all :blum

Okay, so here is my proposition on the rules of this project. Nothing is final yet, obviously.

MODS:
  • Settlement Objects Expansion is a must-have, and will make up the bulk of construction. I had thought of making a choice between homemaker and SOE, but SOE has a more complete (and better made) set of Institute Objects, so I think that should be the primary mod. You can use Homemaker if you want to, but it will count towards the ESM Limit.
  • Not sure what else, though. (Immersive Teleportation? Advanced Bubble Turret Set? Buildable Synths?)
  • Hard Limit of 5 extra mod ESMs/ESPs plus 10 ESLs. DLCS, SOE, Simsettlements, Simsettlements addons, Project Blueprint, or any other essential mods we decide on don't count. On the flip side, additional ESPs from mods that have more than one (IE SOE autodoor patch) does count.
  • Creation Club is grey. CC Stuff does not count towards your mod limit (either ESM or ESL), but it must be 100% optional. Things like Arcade Machines, wall posters, Slocum Joe's coffee and donuts workbenches, etc. are allowed. Structures, furniture, etc, are not.
SETTLEMENTS:
  • You may choose any Vanilla settlement sans 2: Home Plate and Boston Airport (Because that would make no sense, plus I don't think it's possible to take BA on an institute run anyway). Anything else is fair game, from Hangmans to Murkwater to Spectacle Island. This means no mod added settlements (IE No Northern Exposure or Roadside Pines Motel), no DLC settlements (No Mechanist Lair, no Vault 88, no Far Harbor settlements, no NW Red Rocket). Also no mods that expand vanilla settlements (IE No settlements expanded or Annex the Commonwealth)
  • Scrap mods are allowed (though won't be counted due to the way scrapping works with plans). In fact, they're encouraged.
  • Ruins and Wreckage must be cleared. Unlike all other factions, the Institute does not want to build around existing structures, but replace them entirely. The Red Rocket station, the ramshakle hut at Abernanthy, all must go! There are some exceptions, particularly where this would cause problems. Notable exceptions are:
    • Warwick Homestead: the entirety of the plant (due to the experiment there. Also deleting that can cause issues). Unlike all other settlements, the plant must be both repaired and made use of in the plan itself.
    • Bunker Hill: Removing the monument is optional. If removed, it must be replaced by an Institute-built version. The trading hub must remain, yet it must be rebuilt using institute materials. Everything else (including the walls) must go!
    • The Castle: Too many problems can occur from scrapping it.
    • Abernathy Farm: The Pylon. The house and everything in it must go, but the Pylon must remain, mostly due to it being problematic to remove.
    • Overpasses (Finch Farm, Graygarden): Removal is too problematic. However, unlike in the official contests, you are NOT required to make use of them.
    • Roads.
    • Covenant Wall: Discretionary. Recommended, but not required. The houses inside are another matter however.
    • The Slog: The Pool.
    • (Anything else anywhere that is problematic if removed?)
  • Plans must make as much use of the chosen settlement's build space as possible. This means if you choose Sanctuary, you must make use of the entire neighborhood from corner to corner, don't just build inside one tiny little compact area or build one single tower where the Director's house is. Don't pick Starlight Drive-in or Spectacle Island unless you intend to make use of the ENTIRE thing in some way or another! The Institute does not go for half-measures.
    • In the case of Abernathy, Gray Garden, and Finch Farm, you must also take advantage of the tall building area. That is why they are considered larger settlements than normal.
  • Settlements must be completely self-sufficient from beginning to end. They must produce enough food and water to satisfy their populations without requiring outside provisioners. Also they must be adequately defended. Use of turrets from Advanced Turrets/Advanced Bubble Turrets is recommended, though it will count towards the mod count (though maybe it shouldn't?)
  • Settlements must be enclosed from the get-go. We can't have mutants and wasteland degenerates running in an disturbing the test subjects citizens, now can we? They must be either walled and gated, or completely enclosed (IE some sort of arcology).
 
Sounds fun as an unofficial coop! :agree: I don't know if Kinggath is ever likely to go for allowing 3rd party content (like mods) as that excludes users and he definitely wants to be as inclusive of all users as he possibly can. But hey he could surprise me. ;)
 
It would be hard to do two settlements in a month
I, er, I have done 4 this month alone. Time permitting I may get a 5th out. Depends on how long #4 takes to decorate.

- In any case I would stick to one set of mods. There's just not much use for one city plan per mod.
I've done this. Those plans - well, let's just say they aren't my most popular releases.

MODS:
  • Settlement Objects Expansion is a must-have, and will make up the bulk of construction. I had thought of making a choice between homemaker and SOE, but SOE has a more complete (and better made) set of Institute Objects, so I think that should be the primary mod. You can use Homemaker if you want to, but it will count towards the ESM Limit.
  • Not sure what else, though. (Immersive Teleportation? Advanced Bubble Turret Set? Buildable Synths?)
  • Hard Limit of 5 extra mod ESMs/ESPs plus 10 ESLs. DLCS, SOE, Simsettlements, Simsettlements addons, Project Blueprint, or any other essential mods we decide on don't count. On the flip side, additional ESPs from mods that have more than one (IE SOE autodoor patch) does count.
  • Creation Club is grey. CC Stuff does not count towards your mod limit (either ESM or ESL), but it must be 100% optional. Things like Arcade Machines, wall posters, Slocum Joe's coffee and donuts workbenches, etc. are allowed. Structures, furniture, etc, are not.
Best to nail down exactly which mods you want right now, to ensure that users can swap out city plans without changing their mod list.
 
A follow-up suggestion: You should probably do this as a mod which gets updated as new Plans are completed, similar to the way the City Plan Pack works.

That will make it more attactive to the Too Many Mods Already types like myself.
 
Also, rather than a scrapping mod, which tends to cause serious instability, you might want to take a look at this.

Cleaner Lived-In Settlements

I've been using for a while now, and it seems pretty solid.
 
I, er, I have done 4 this month alone. Time permitting I may get a 5th out. Depends on how long #4 takes to decorate.

I know there's folks that can do quality ones quick, but at least for me, my submission took maybe a total of 20ish hours believe it or not to build. And just with things like family/work/personal projects/playing games/etc it's hard to imagine I'd spend 40+ hours on settlements a month and maintain any kind of quality.

Then again I probably spend waaaay too long just thinking about the build itself without actually building.

I'm not trying to say one a month is some hard limit, just that it might be safe to assume your average participant couldn't be expected to do more than one, and thus if the official was entirely more appealing, it wouldn't work.
 
I know there's folks that can do quality ones quick, but at least for me, my submission took maybe a total of 20ish hours believe it or not to build. And just with things like family/work/personal projects/playing games/etc it's hard to imagine I'd spend 40+ hours on settlements a month and maintain any kind of quality.

Then again I probably spend waaaay too long just thinking about the build itself without actually building.

I'm not trying to say one a month is some hard limit, just that it might be safe to assume your average participant couldn't be expected to do more than one, and thus if the official was entirely more appealing, it wouldn't work.

This is another reason I suggest it as an ongoing, update-as-it-happens project.

Since it's not a contest, there's no real reason to establish deadlines.

My guess is that you'll get more takers if you make it a fun, low-pressure undertaking.
 
I know there's folks that can do quality ones quick, but at least for me, my submission took maybe a total of 20ish hours believe it or not to build.
I believe it. You might notice mine are not hyper-detailed. They are decorated and functional, but leave room for the player to make a "personal touch".

And just with things like family/work/personal projects/playing games/etc it's hard to imagine I'd spend 40+ hours on settlements a month and maintain any kind of quality.
Of course.

Then again I probably spend waaaay too long just thinking about the build itself without actually building.
If you ever see me live stream, you'll see my builds are - rather organic. I know what theme I want. How I get there? we'll find out after about 6 hours.

I'm not trying to say one a month is some hard limit, just that it might be safe to assume your average participant couldn't be expected to do more than one, and thus if the official was entirely more appealing, it wouldn't work.
I agree. I do the official contest builds, because I am doing all the settlements anyway.
 
Best to nail down exactly which mods you want right now, to ensure that users can swap out city plans without changing their mod list.

Okay, since this is the "planning" thread for this project (no pun or irony intended), let's get that down next.
Absolutely required:
  1. SOE, as previously mentioned, for reasons previously mentioned.
  2. Vault Tec Tools will probably be another requirement, since, barring Institute stuff Vault-Tec stuff is the next go-to for building and decorating.
Possiblities:
  1. Immersive Teleportation?
  2. Advanced Bubble Turret Set?
  3. Buildable Synths? Probably not though.
Other than that, I'm not really sure what mods would be overly necessary for decorating.


Also, rather than a scrapping mod, which tends to cause serious instability, you might want to take a look at this.

Cleaner Lived-In Settlements

I've been using for a while now, and it seems pretty solid.

Were this any other theme I might consider it, as most other factions would want to build around pre-existing structures where they couldn't scrap them outright. Indeed, this is reflected in how the official contests require to utilize these structures in your settlement builds.

The Institute however, is not "most other factions". They don't want to recycle existing structures unless it's 100% necessary (Read: it's not feasibly possible to get rid of them.). They want to 100% rebuild the Commonwealth in their own image, not simply slap their own constructs onto existing structures. The Sanctuary Hills houses? The Starlight Drive-in Theater stuff? The Sunset Tidings cabins? They all have to go.
Only real exception is the Warwick Homestead stuff since it's part of the experiment, and the castle because quest reasons.
 
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This last month had 8(?) entries with the motivation of being showcased on kinggath's channel, being in the megapack, and a shirt
And a sweet new logo for said shirt.
 
@Rylasasin : You might want to consider scrolling up to the first post and see if you can rename this thread to reflect the evolution of the idea.
 
So, so far the Mod list stands at:

SOE (Has better institute stuff that also works better than Homemaker does.)
Vault Tec Tools
Immersive Teleportation (As an alternative to IDEK's logistics station. It lets you set up trade routes via teleporter, but also lets you teleport between settlements)
Advanced Bubble Turret Set (Most Institute Settlements will probably rely more on these than on Defense Plots)

I would also include Institute Settlements, but I don't think that's well developed enough yet.

Any objections/additions?
 
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