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'Internal' / wall-less plots

Castor

Castor

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29
I've said this before on youtube, but adding it here because... shiny new forum!

I love seeing the settlers build their own plots and move in their clutter, makes everything feel very immersive, but a lot of the settlements don't have space to lay a bunch of external plots - and they do have great big empty buildings just waiting to be reused.

I'd love to see wall-less versions of the plots, maybe only 1x2 or 1.5 to save space, that can be placed inside existing ruins. They could maybe include some dividers/furniture used as dividers to outline the space, but it means that all that space in places like Croup Manor, Jamaica Plains, Sunshine Tidings, even the houses in Sanctuary, can be used fully while maintaining the 'settlers doing it for themselves' feel of SS. Also means that in tight places like Hangman's Alley, smaller, wall-less plots could be used inside a self-built building to help with lack of space.
 
+1 - this is a GREAT IDEA! I'm currently building at Echo Mill (Far Harbor) and loved the idea of putting shops inside the existing buildings. But as is, they of course won't fit :(
 
I actually created my account on this site specifically to make a suggestion along these same lines.

Like Castor said, several settlements have great buildings already, but you can't really take full advantage of the buildings while also using Sim Settlements since the plots won't fit. In my Sunshine Tidings Co-op, for example, I've used scrap all to completely remove the cabins so that I could fit enough plots in. I'm not even using Sim Settlements in Sanctuary since I like the pre-existing houses too much.

My version of Castor's idea was more along the lines of "rooms:" 1x1 plots that would consist of a bed or couch with an end table or dresser. There wouldn't be any walls or anything, and instead of the usual cornerpost, there could be a framed plaque/picture sitting on the dresser and power could be delivered wirelessly from a conduit, like with lights.

Those would fit perfectly inside the bedrooms in Sanctuary, or the cabins in Sunshine Tidings, or even in buildings built by the traditional construction system (because I do personally still enjoy putting together cool buildings). The rooms could even upgrade over time; the beds could go from stained to clean, the dressers could go from broken to fixed, and the clutter could change just like on the regular plots.

There could even be commercial versions, that might consist of no more than a desk and chair with a clothing or gun rack behind it. Industrial plots could be as simple as a cluttered up armor workbench or chem station. Agriculture could use a greenhouse table, or a couple shelves stacked up to look like hydroponics.

Admittedly, the 1x1 size would change the balance of the mod and allow a lot of exploitation from people who just want to cram as much stuff into as little a space as possible, but honestly they'd probably find a way to do it anyway. Maybe the yield from these smaller plots would be less than a full-sized one, so only the residential ones would have the same overall function as the regular 2x2 plots.

I'll admit that I could probably try and download the add-on tools to try and figure out how to make my own plots that fit the above description, but I've never dabbled in creating any sort of modding before and my computer is kind of a potato. If this idea is something anyone would like to tackle, I'd be more than happy to provide whatever assistance I could.

(Edited for typos and grammar)
 
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Some really cool ideas there, Overedge! I agree about the plot sizes, having them a little smaller would be great.

I think any potential exploits could be balanced too. Since plots offer various bonuses (taxes, happiness etc.) you could have it so these plots don't offer as much benefit, or have less upgrade tiers. Since they'll be smaller and less structured, it makes sense that they'd not be as beneficial to the settlement.
 
So you want Sim Tower functionality. That might be a good solution for the multi person plots too. If you want people to sleep in the same bed there could be one half of a double bed in each mini plot to give that illusion.
 
I wouldn't be bothered about potential to 'exploit'. People play the game however they want to, there's no wrong or right way so 'cheating' doesn't exist. If these smaller plots were less beneficial then they wouldn't help out in the small settlements, which is part of the reason I'd want them. Never going to be able to squeeze over 20 full size plots into somewhere like Hangmans.
 
Yeah, if someone want to exploit they dont even need the mod at all... But some places, like croup manor, would be nice to have residencial internal plots, maybe some internal Bar too, and just some convetional factorys and shops outside... I think that we just want to have an option... if its not too much trouble of course
 
I had a similar idea to this.

I'd be happy if it was limited to just residential to start with, but I'm sure there would be good ideas for industrial as well (and maybe commercial zones too - I've got local leader 2 and prefer building my own shops at the moment).

For residential, you could place a 1x1 plot either in an existing structure or one of your making. The settler would lay down a rug or mat, have a sleeping bag and a few other items (the randomised clutter). These plots have no electricity and cannot upgrade (and won't get VIPs). They also pay no tax.

You could also have a 2x2 plot for the same purpose, but it can upgrade to be a little more fancy, including having a proper bed and electrical items (which could be powered the normal way). These could pay some tax, but not too much.

By making sure they are never as good as the real thing, I think the balance (and realism) is achieved. I also would like to make hangmans alley into my own low rent apartment complex (with farms on the roof). I can make all the rooms, but I can't make them look used the way this mod can.
 
In the same way you are thinking, I think would be great too if there was a vault variant for the plots. That would made building vaults so great and alive.

These plots could be a full room with the walls and ceiling already at the start and then the settler just decorate the space with his things. Or have half rooms that just walls at the back and one of the sides.
 
This.
I created an account to suggest something like this, i'm not surprised someone already did it.
Just a bed at first with some suitcases, bags. Then at next level add some clutters like boxes, clothes, books.
Just the size to fit in places like the old houses bedrooms in sanctuary or in the castle.
No roof, no walls.
Like this we can use the old buildings as residential plots.
 
I agree with the desire for this, I also had an idea for the modders to be able to add more to their design if they are designed to snap/fit on a regular 1x1 plot, you could have 4 posts in the corners, that would look just like structural posts, but this can allow for lights to be strung and or mounted to so that you aren't limited only to floor mounted items.
 
An other, but similar idea; we could stick an item to a house (like a "for rent" sign or a house number). Once it's done, the house is considered as a residential plot.
Anything as long as we can enjoy the sim settlement system while using old buildings.
 
genosias said:
An other, but similar idea; we could stick an item to a house (like a "for rent" sign or a house number). Once it's done, the house is considered as a residential plot.
Anything as long as we can enjoy the sim settlement system while using old buildings.
Click to expand...
I think this is kind hard to do... The game doesnt know what group of objects could be considered an house... The vanilla game only count beds number (an single object class), and this mod count the plot (witch is an single object) as house too... An vanilla construction, like in sunshine settlement, its just a bunch of objects on the game point of view... Thats why would be nescessary to create an litle "plot" to do something like the mod already does with the residential plots
 
So much yes. ATM there's simply not much point to pre-existing buildings with this. It would also easily allow creation of apartment buildings.
 
From what I've been reading in the PDFs, there should actually be a way to do this already. At least in part. Going off of the "Advanced Possibilities" PDF, I believe you could make the basic "shell" of the house as the building plan, but have a set of dividers to break it into different rooms that spawn from a Formlist, so that each instance of the house would have a different interior layout. The only thing I'm uncertain on is if you could then make furniture placement "aware" of which floorplan spawned in (I'm still learning! Sorry!).
 
Kefke_Wren said:
From what I've been reading in the PDFs, there should actually be a way to do this already. At least in part. Going off of the "Advanced Possibilities" PDF, I believe you could make the basic "shell" of the house as the building plan, but have a set of dividers to break it into different rooms that spawn from a Formlist, so that each instance of the house would have a different interior layout. The only thing I'm uncertain on is if you could then make furniture placement "aware" of which floorplan spawned in (I'm still learning! Sorry!).
Click to expand...

Well I'm no programmer (do know a little bit of coding), but that would probably depend on what kind of information there is in snap points. Theoretically this could happen if snap points hold information about what it is snapped to, and if that information can tell something else what building model it is.

That said, this would then require setups for each possible room type, something that would be problematic. Probably better to just look at a plot small enough to fit in an most internal spaces, especially bedrooms.
 
Plus providing smaller internal plots would allow people to set up the buildings how they want them rather than each room being pre-defined.
 
Kefke_Wren said:
From what I've been reading in the PDFs, there should actually be a way to do this already. At least in part. Going off of the "Advanced Possibilities" PDF, I believe you could make the basic "shell" of the house as the building plan, but have a set of dividers to break it into different rooms that spawn from a Formlist, so that each instance of the house would have a different interior layout. The only thing I'm uncertain on is if you could then make furniture placement "aware" of which floorplan spawned in (I'm still learning! Sorry!).
Click to expand...

The stagespawnitems are not aware of other stagespawnitems by default. However, you could make it so your "interior layout" that gets spawned by Sim Settlements is in fact an activator that then spawns in the furniture itself (and is therefore aware of the internal layout).

This requires quite a bit more scripting then your average SS add-on/house however. It would limit you to only spawning in things with SS that work for every possible internal layout on a given building plan and anything and everything that depended on the interior wall configuration would have to be spawned in by your new "interior spawner" system.
 
I asked for something similar to this on the nexus.

My idea was simple small area designations in-which settlers would put a bed and maybe a nightstand or something. It would be far less efficient than a stand-alone plot, but you could makeup for it with a communal interior "recreation" plot, which would make up the difference for something like 4 of these mini-plots at once. These would have pool tables, dry bars, radios, etc..
 
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