Here's something I just have to get off my chest. Sim Settlements, and ROTC especially, are brilliant, I spent way more time with Fallout 4 since SS came out than before. What kinggath came up with is simply amazing and everybody else who contributed with building plans and new plot types etc deserve endless praise.
But... and this but is not a criticism of Sim Settlements, more a criticism of Bethesda's idea to include settlement building at all as well as other design decisions for Fallout 4. It's not the apocalyptic wasteland I prefer. See, if you ask me what my favourite Fallout version is, I'm one of the few people who'll go with Fallout 3. Yes, sure, New Vegas has better characters and dialogues and quests, but it's too “full”, it's... post-post-apocalyptic, humanity has conquered the wasteland again. I can't take five steps without running into the next settlement, everything's been rebuilt, everybody has electricity again, everybody is trading with each other, things are going pretty well, apart from factions fighting each other.
While Fallout 3 was nice and empty. You can walk around for half an hour without bumping into anybody, except for scary mutated monsters. And just experience the landscape, the crumbling remains of civilisation. It always seemd like a brave – but for me, right – decision by Bethesda to keep Fallout 3 so empty. Having played Oblivion forever, with its 223 quests, and then getting dropped into Fallout 3, which has only about 40 quests, felt just right to me, as did the green filter. Most of the settlements scattered across the landscape are small, poor and depressing and look like they might not be around much longer. It's Cormack McCarthy's superbleak novel The Road turned into a videogame, it gave me the chills.
Fast forward to Fallout 4 and the atmosphere is totally different, apart from the Glowing Sea with its half-buried buildings and few signs of human life. But the rest is lively and cheerful in comparison to Fallout 3. Humanity is doing pretty well, the main threat isn't from radiation or deathclaws, but from the Institute replacing people with robots, a story which wouldn't need to be set in the post-apocalypse.
And Sim Settlements and especially Rise of the Commonwealth only makes matters worse. All across the map healthy, well-defended communities where life ain't half-bad. More food and water than anybody needs, clothes, weapons, armour, medicine, alcohol, entertainment, everything's freely available. Even visitors drop by, walking around outside apparently isn't very dangerous. Not a scary and depressing wasteland anymore, which is what I long for.
But... and this but is not a criticism of Sim Settlements, more a criticism of Bethesda's idea to include settlement building at all as well as other design decisions for Fallout 4. It's not the apocalyptic wasteland I prefer. See, if you ask me what my favourite Fallout version is, I'm one of the few people who'll go with Fallout 3. Yes, sure, New Vegas has better characters and dialogues and quests, but it's too “full”, it's... post-post-apocalyptic, humanity has conquered the wasteland again. I can't take five steps without running into the next settlement, everything's been rebuilt, everybody has electricity again, everybody is trading with each other, things are going pretty well, apart from factions fighting each other.
While Fallout 3 was nice and empty. You can walk around for half an hour without bumping into anybody, except for scary mutated monsters. And just experience the landscape, the crumbling remains of civilisation. It always seemd like a brave – but for me, right – decision by Bethesda to keep Fallout 3 so empty. Having played Oblivion forever, with its 223 quests, and then getting dropped into Fallout 3, which has only about 40 quests, felt just right to me, as did the green filter. Most of the settlements scattered across the landscape are small, poor and depressing and look like they might not be around much longer. It's Cormack McCarthy's superbleak novel The Road turned into a videogame, it gave me the chills.
Fast forward to Fallout 4 and the atmosphere is totally different, apart from the Glowing Sea with its half-buried buildings and few signs of human life. But the rest is lively and cheerful in comparison to Fallout 3. Humanity is doing pretty well, the main threat isn't from radiation or deathclaws, but from the Institute replacing people with robots, a story which wouldn't need to be set in the post-apocalypse.
And Sim Settlements and especially Rise of the Commonwealth only makes matters worse. All across the map healthy, well-defended communities where life ain't half-bad. More food and water than anybody needs, clothes, weapons, armour, medicine, alcohol, entertainment, everything's freely available. Even visitors drop by, walking around outside apparently isn't very dangerous. Not a scary and depressing wasteland anymore, which is what I long for.