HOT TAKE, HQ is too much for casual players

[Russ0612]

I thought adding the ASAM was meant to make me as a relatively casual and lore-focusing player a bit easier on building settlements to I have to build each wall. With a nice touch of having different and cool settlers in your settlement and with a well-made questline backing up the legitimacy of the ASAM.

Now with this GNN HQ design, it is 10 times more complicating than the vanilla game, I think this defiles the original purpose of this mod to the point all we see in this forum is basically players teaching others how to get some basic things with the HQ.
However I love the CPD concept added in though, it gives more quest and more interesting things happening in the Commonwealth indeed. I also still love chapter 2's story with the gunners making them not only just a "stronger" raider just like the super mutants.

But yes, my hot take please don't flame me too hard guys, what do you guys think both the player and the modders?

 

[Rosie O'Neil]

Agree - story quests rock!

HQ, However: The HQ 'system' uses a very different interface from anywhere else. It's a lot to become comfortable with for use in only one place. And a lot to become knowledgeable enough with so as to have reasonable expectations of the likely outcomes of your decisions. (Especially if you're not sure you actually entered the correct command, or the correct command correctly.)

My recommendation: Make HQ construction a linear quest. Even better - just delegate the whole project to Cedric.

I like Cedric and he seems more than capable.

 

[Rosie O'Neil]

I started a new playthrough and two things are happening:
Many things I build from workshop mods (not all) flicker on and off with a white overlay. It's really immersion breaking.
I tried making Red Rocket my base because I was constantly CTD with Sanctuary.
This seems to have been a worse decision. Now, every time I try to place a plot I immediately CTD. I can't finish the 'build and assign residential/agricultural plots' quest. I did add several new workshop items, including a big one, CW Workshop Pack and CW Workshop Pack 2. This was actually after the flickering problem. I'm on my third new game in an attempt to figure this out. I'm going to learn how to create a clean save, since this is something I've never bothered with before.
I do have a pretty big mod load. I can't resist clothing/character appearance mods (basically FO4 is me returning to my childhood love of playing with Barbies). I love workshop mods. I had started this character and new SS2 with the idea that I was going to go easy on outfit mods. Oh yeah, that's another thing that's all of a sudden happening. NPC's are wearing invisible clothing. I thought it might have been a conflict with mods that add leveled items and replace vanilla items but I'm pretty sure I've gotten it down to just the latest Better Settlers mod. I'm going to be really brutal chopping my mod load down and start AGAIN. I just have to accept I can't have a big mod like SS2 and also play endlessly with outfit changes. Really, I'm kind of just hoarding those outfit mods. I hardly ever use most of them. It's just a compulsion. :D
I DO want to figure out the flickering issue. Also, I have a thing now where, at least during the pre-War Sanctuary opening, my character has a flickering white square over his head.

ETA: While I'm thinking of it, I'd love to know how much adding I can do on my own to City Plans once they start building? I don't have any City Plans incorporated in the playthru that the white flickering is happening. This is all early days stuff where I haven't even gotten to the Martial and Commercial plots. In Sanctuary, I think I'm just going to try to create my own city with the help of the plot designs.
ETA; I really like Jake and Aidan as new NPCs/quests but I'm getting frustrated with the whole ASAM thing. Like, there are these ASAMs everywhere now. It's kind of immersion-breaking. Do they have to be visible or is that a setting I inadvertently chose. I have pretty intense ADHD and following the written tutorials is tough for me.

 

[Rosie O'Neil]

For me the HQ is confusing, the layout, what I need to do in which room, how often it crashed.
In the tutorial for example you need to assign Jake to the engineers department, you get send to a closet, have to clean it then "build" a maintenance room.
Next thing you need to do is to assign Jake, no indication as where I need to assign him. I tried to "reassign" menu, but that's not the way to do it.
Finally I discovered a desk where I could assing Jake.
Next step, cleaning some room for Security, assign Aiden as head of security. I was not able to find the spot where I could assign Aiden. The little office space in the entrace
with the computer was not showing the option anyway. At that point it was also placing something down, instant CTD.
I cleaned up an earlier save file and same grinding stuff again, only managed to make it to the basement now (with cheat)
Apperently the basement is divided in 20 segments each has to be cleaned each has to be assigned and I have no clue which part is what, node-west, mid-floor, catwalk, south-pod.
The 3d map you can view is not very helpful either, it shows a room but since you have no idea where you are actual standing at that moment, you still have to guess.
I like the concept of building a HQ, but this is to much, to grinding.
It was funny that when I wanted to Fast Travell back to Sanctuary I couldn't, since I had not "discovered" yet. Why it rains inside the HQ is also kinda funny.
But than I saw different "repair" options in the menu and thought okay.. this is really to much. Bye HQ for now.

Hoo boy. This description makes it seem even more daunting. I've never done SS. I finally decided to give it a go. I like Jake and Aidan as NPC (I wish they did better with the female NPCs--Lilly and Lupe look weird and are very annoying). But this HQ stuff is more complicated than I bargained for. Also, I was delaying it for awhile to obtain allies for the big fight at GNN since I hadn't done any of the vanilla factions stuff except for MM. During this delay I could barely get anything done because my settlements were constantly being barraged by hoards of Gunners. Like, at one point, Taffington Boathouse had them 3-4 deep. I was just lobbing grenades at them and Stimpacking like mad. It might be because I switched my play level to hard. I always forget to change the level difficulty so it starts to feel too easy. But when I went to loot and clean up, there were nowhere near enough dead Gunners to account for the mass of them on the roof. It was immersion-breaking because it's just the narrow porch roof over Taffington. Also, that same one female Gunner kept appearing. Let's have a little variety in those Gunners please! I actually installed a Gunner replacement mod for outfits for my re-attempt playthrough. I can't recall if it varies the appearance of the NPCs as well as improves their outfits. Anyway, I uninstalled it in case it was what was causing my crashing.
At any rate, I barely had any allies show up and definitely not Preston.
And the least mentioned about the CPD quests the better.

 

[Rosie O'Neil]

Hoo boy. This description makes it seem even more daunting. I've never done SS. I finally decided to give it a go with SS2 I like Jake and Aidan as NPC (I wish they did better with the female NPCs--Lilly and Lupe look weird and are very annoying). But this HQ stuff is more complicated than I bargained for. Also, I was delaying it for awhile to obtain allies for the big fight at GNN since I hadn't done any of the vanilla factions stuff except for MM. During this delay I could barely get anything done because my settlements were constantly being barraged by hoards of Gunners. Like, at one point, Taffington Boathouse had them 3-4 deep. I was just lobbing grenades at them and Stimpacking like mad. It might be because I switched my play level to hard. I always forget to change the level difficulty so it starts to feel too easy. But when I went to loot and clean up, there were nowhere near enough dead Gunners to account for the mass of them on the roof. It was immersion-breaking because it's just the narrow porch roof over Taffington. Also, that same one female Gunner kept appearing. Let's have a little variety in those Gunners please! I actually installed a Gunner replacement mod for outfits for my re-attempt playthrough. I can't recall if it varies the appearance of the NPCs as well as improves their outfits. Anyway, I uninstalled it in case it was what was causing my crashing.
At any rate, I barely had any allies show up and definitely not Preston.
And the least mentioned about the CPD quests the better.

ETA: I meant to say I think I might just go back in time and give SS a try. I hear the NPC for that is pretty annoying but whatevs. Or I might just use the builds I've seen via SS2 as inspiration. I love building and probably should stick with it. I just enjoyed having some new story content. Maybe I'll try Horizon or Grim. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[ElanaLoaded]

@Rosie O'Neil If I'm not intruding - I, too, get frustrated with SS2. May I suggest that the issues with the HQ are being ironed out. Just give the team time. They just solved the other big bug - super long save times with chapter 2. A reasonable HQ is on the way.

Regarding the difficulty of SS2 play --- - there are many, many, many settings on the mayor's holotape / desk. It''s worth the time to examine each setting and find the mix that suits your preferred play style. It took me two weeks to finally settle on a mix of settings I like. Medium difficulty, modified. A few I use: Realistic build times = OFF. (Hammer quest takes way to long, otherwise. And that delays the rest of the SS2 MQ.) Storage not increase attacks. Robot default happiness changed from 50 to 70. Also, I turn OFF non plot maintenance when I become a BOS knight or Minutemen General.

Role-play wise, my faction supplies me some resources used to cover non plot maintenance. BOS wants me to reconnoiter the Commonwealth. Minutemen want new settlements allied with the MM. This keeps me busy. My price? Supply resources, personnel to cover maintenance of non plot infrastructure (auto defense, yada) in my settlements. We don't have to play with all SS2 settings at default.

EDIT I;m clueless about the pics you posted, sorry. Modifying settlement plans already underway? Yes, I have done this. Seems like Paul's people always implement a plan that needs major rewiring. And I destroy several plots. When I visit, the defense plots are not built, but the charisma training is being built. Crazy priority - so I destroy all the training plots, and all but one entertainment plot. And force them to focus on food, defense, and beds.

 

[DocAbs75]

Yup.. I think I'm done... 7 attempts in 3 1/2 weeks.. and I can't do it anymore ... I want to murder Lupe in front of everyone as an example.. set her on fire... stuff her into an artillery cannon and shoot her into oblivion. All the hot fixes and patches have been great. Loving the regular, few second save times and such... but Lupe's forehead is a giant brick wall covered in Constantine wire on a dead end road that I keep running into face first in every attempt to finish this story line. I can't do it anymore.
I have a high appreciation for everyone who put their blood, sweat and tears into this. It has given FO4 new life and was a better story than most of Bethesda's own ideas. I can't even imagine what it takes to create such a mod set, so I won't even pretend to.
That being said, I'm exhausted trying to finish this. I understand how it works and got extremely far into finishing HQ 3 playthroughs ago. I was only left with Jake's engineering jobs... That required a gazillion energy, but that game crashed and I lost all of it. So, like an idiot.. I started over... 3 more times... each ending in HQ stuck with Lupe not doing her job by any stretch of the imagination. Spending real world hours just trying to get enough logistics energy to complete a singular task, which is the idiot child's main purpose... create a damn supply line. Sleeping for 12 hours in game... unassigning and reassigning everyone, sleeping 12 more in game hours, waking up.. not 1 singular logistics energy point... but finding my scrap logistics that i did have mysteriously reset to zero while i slept.. mind you I set the timers to run real world seconds instead of in game days for HQ projects... I am on XBox, so I can't console command her to not be a bum and do her job.. so, there's literally no way around the issue which has become my most hated NPC in the entirety of the game..
I know I'm not the only one with these issues, and I have zero idea if or when this will be fixed.. so I'm gonna hafta save this and wait to see...
Guess I'll go back to playing it without mods and work on achievements or get back into ESO for a while or... I dunno... something.. but I can't keep eating glass hoping that it won't shred my innards.

 

[victoriaks01]

Yeah sort of like a city plan but for HQ so an HQ-plan?

I could see the player donating caps and resources to get the HQ to the next level and possibly soliciting donations from the settlements. Also, the police department would become part of the HQ. As far as power let the player assist if they have done vault settlement and acquired the massive nuclear power generators.

 

[victoriaks01]

Awesome what you and your team continue to do with SSc1,c2 yada. Primary frustration with HQ is -- not knowing if the command I entered is actually entered correctly. The response (if I actually 'see' any) > is command entered correctly? or a bug? or an intended aspect of HQ? Yada. The uncertainty I feel at all levels is difficult.
Twice I succeeded in taking the HQ and getting Cedric to accept administrator post. Just couldn't get past cleaning the first room.
Also, why keep all the convoluted, disconnected, roundabout, hallway passages inherited from the gunners' layout? Fix it so it's easy to walk from one place to another in the HQ - without getting lost, taking wrong turns. Sometimes feels like I'm navigating a maze.

Currently have the same problem but looking forward to either a manual or a revision as to how it is currently set up. Possibly both. Until this is straightened out currently HQ is on hold as I have tried everything I could think of to no avail.

 

[ElanaLoaded]

Currently have the same problem but looking forward to either a manual or a revision as to how it is currently set up. Possibly both. Until this is straightened out currently HQ is on hold as I have tried everything I could think of to no avail.

Agreed. Good plan!
" ... a manual... " A very detailed document to which players may reference - even in game? YES!

"... revision as to how it [ HQ building ] is currently set up." YES, definitely!
Please consider: Gutting the whole mess of convoluted rooms and corridors. It IS an option. It's in a 'new' cell is it not? Streamline the halls - perhaps have the halls radiate out from a central hub room (on each floor). And have the hubs connect directly with one another via spiral stairs. (Like what the SS2 team did adding the spiral staircase in the big globe room. ) Surely, with all the resources, personnel (with their combined skills and experience), and tools / equipment available to this new Commonwealth HQ team - moving interior walls, (even load bearing walls) and adding doorways, etc. is well within the realm of being very doable. Were I in charge, first thing - rearrange the floors to make movement very efficient. It's a freekin HQ with strong military responsibilities. It's not an arcade maze of mirrors - sans the mirrors. IMHO.

 

[Rexorp]

want to murder Lupe in front of everyone as an example.. set her on fire... stuff her into an artillery cannon and shoot her into oblivion

This made my day. Thanks!

 

[ElanaLoaded]

This made my day. Thanks!

Oh, yes. Sending her to Oblivion guarantees that Mehrunes Dagon will cringe in fear!

 

[Prax07]

Yup.. I think I'm done... 7 attempts in 3 1/2 weeks.. and I can't do it anymore ... I want to murder Lupe in front of everyone as an example.. set her on fire... stuff her into an artillery cannon and shoot her into oblivion. All the hot fixes and patches have been great. Loving the regular, few second save times and such... but Lupe's forehead is a giant brick wall covered in Constantine wire on a dead end road that I keep running into face first in every attempt to finish this story line. I can't do it anymore.
I have a high appreciation for everyone who put their blood, sweat and tears into this. It has given FO4 new life and was a better story than most of Bethesda's own ideas. I can't even imagine what it takes to create such a mod set, so I won't even pretend to.
That being said, I'm exhausted trying to finish this. I understand how it works and got extremely far into finishing HQ 3 playthroughs ago. I was only left with Jake's engineering jobs... That required a gazillion energy, but that game crashed and I lost all of it. So, like an idiot.. I started over... 3 more times... each ending in HQ stuck with Lupe not doing her job by any stretch of the imagination. Spending real world hours just trying to get enough logistics energy to complete a singular task, which is the idiot child's main purpose... create a damn supply line. Sleeping for 12 hours in game... unassigning and reassigning everyone, sleeping 12 more in game hours, waking up.. not 1 singular logistics energy point... but finding my scrap logistics that i did have mysteriously reset to zero while i slept.. mind you I set the timers to run real world seconds instead of in game days for HQ projects... I am on XBox, so I can't console command her to not be a bum and do her job.. so, there's literally no way around the issue which has become my most hated NPC in the entirety of the game..
I know I'm not the only one with these issues, and I have zero idea if or when this will be fixed.. so I'm gonna hafta save this and wait to see...
Guess I'll go back to playing it without mods and work on achievements or get back into ESO for a while or... I dunno... something.. but I can't keep eating glass hoping that it won't shred my innards.

I'm in the same boat. Xbox, zero logistics energy. Removing her, re-adding her, adding others, nothing works. Can't progress because it's broken. Really not happy ATM.

 

[victoriaks01]

Agreed. Good plan!
" ... a manual... " A very detailed document to which players may reference - even in game? YES!

"... revision as to how it [ HQ building ] is currently set up." YES, definitely!
Please consider: Gutting the whole mess of convoluted rooms and corridors. It IS an option. It's in a 'new' cell is it not? Streamline the halls - perhaps have the halls radiate out from a central hub room (on each floor). And have the hubs connect directly with one another via spiral stairs. (Like what the SS2 team did adding the spiral staircase in the big globe room. ) Surely, with all the resources, personnel (with their combined skills and experience), and tools / equipment available to this new Commonwealth HQ team - moving interior walls, (even load bearing walls) and adding doorways, etc. is well within the realm of being very doable. Were I in charge, first thing - rearrange the floors to make movement very efficient. It's a freekin HQ with strong military responsibilities. It's not an arcade maze of mirrors - sans the mirrors. IMHO.

I was thinking on top of a manual perhaps a flow chart ?

 

[ElanaLoaded]

I was thinking on top of a manual perhaps a flow chart ?

Always a good part of any quality Manual.

 

[victoriaks01]

Also having problems with the hospital. Got to the point where they moved into the hospital, one doctor quits and just hanging around hospital and another one became a settler but unable to recruit either doctor to go to the HQ. So, I wait for the fix.

 

[ElanaLoaded]

Also having problems with the hospital. Got to the point where they moved into the hospital, one doctor quits and just hanging around hospital and another one became a settler but unable to recruit either doctor to go to the HQ. So, I wait for the fix.

- ah hospital. And funeral pyre. I was able to build them, before. Several weeks ago, I played c2 up to cleaning the first room at HQ. Played twice. Was derailed both times. Now, i'm reading c2 posts - but not installing c2. Staying w c1, and a new to me mod - Tales of the Commonwealth. And exploring the PANPC mod. Always new stuff to keep busy while I wait for c2 to be less buggy (and less frustrating).

 

[victoriaks01]

- ah hospital. And funeral pyre. I was able to build them, before. Several weeks ago, I played c2 up to cleaning the first room at HQ. Played twice. Was derailed both times. Now, i'm reading c2 posts - but not installing c2. Staying w c1, and a new to me mod - Tales of the Commonwealth. And exploring the PANPC mod. Always new stuff to keep busy while I wait for c2 to be less buggy (and less frustrating).

Gunners are supposed to attack Hospital, but they never show another lovely bug of wonder

 

[Amardon1961]

I had most of these same issues, but they seemed to have fixed themselves. (mostly) . I have most of the HQ stuff built and all looks GREAT.
Just one area is still messed up, and has been for a game week or more. Anna's Café doesn't seem to want to complete. I have pics.View attachment 15500View attachment 15501

OK On this issue, I just had to make a different room choice to fix this! Why do you give us choices if you really mean to be linear? This happened to another room that I have seen others complain about. The Laundry is the right choice instead on a bedroom. smh. I love what's happening now that I have had a few hours into the HQ system. It takes a bit to learn (too hard IMHO) , but it's getting more fun.

 

[ElanaLoaded]

Gunners are supposed to attack Hospital, but they never show another lovely bug of wonder

Gunners got lost in Anna's Cafe? Tripped on the invisble furniture

 

[Midian]

This seems to be the general HQ frustration post so... Does anyone know when the SS2 settlers stop complaining about HQ? I have everything built and repaired except a few of the science lab add-ons. I'm on the last stages of Commonwealth Rising. I thought this had been fixed in an earlier patch? It's especially jarring when you are at that stage. I was so frustrated after days of hearing it while building up HQ (with it's issues) that I finally snapped and went on a violent rampage. I reloaded after and of course took some screenshots. Was hilarious though, found out settlers are still tied to their original settlement faction. Just an idea but maybe once you finish How to HQ they shouldn't complain it's completely ridiculous after (if not before) that point.