Mods role in settlement building

[NeticCyber]

So im not really all that new to using sim settlements specifically the first one, so im wondering if the 2nd if i were to use it, would largely take over the way that i build my settlements, will i have to mostly use the components from this mod in order to build and so my settlements dont suffer, or am i still able to do alot of free building for my settlements.

 

[Cessori]

Y

So im not really all that new to using sim settlements specifically the first one, so im wondering if the 2nd if i were to use it, would largely take over the way that i build my settlements, will i have to mostly use the components from this mod in order to build and so my settlements dont suffer, or am i still able to do alot of free building for my settlements.

I found building settlements to be pretty much the same. SIm Settlements 2 has some new game mechanics.
You should also be aware that Sim Settlements addons are not compatible with Sim Settlements 2.

Few wiki pages to point you to, if you are interested in trying it out:

• Installation and Load Order
• Known Issues
• Available Add-Ons
• What's New in Sim Settlements 2
• The Basics

 

[Umair Ahmed]

So im not really all that new to using sim settlements specifically the first one, so im wondering if the 2nd if i were to use it, would largely take over the way that i build my settlements, will i have to mostly use the components from this mod in order to build and so my settlements dont suffer, or am i still able to do alot of free building for my settlements.

I understand you, I also didn't jump to SS2 when it was released, in fact I left the scene completely for 2 years after my save was corrupted with years of work.

Frankly to have the better first time experience, I recommend doing the quest line and gradually open up to the system. Though I myself didn't want to do that at first. As you will be thrust into so much that you won't be able to handle it. Especially if you start with the HQ prematurely which is very far in the storyline.

Its more like a staged experience which changes with each stage and has different requirements for each. This also entails that free build may not be as free as it was in SS1. You have to think and designate settlements to do different things because to get them to certain levels is time taking.

There is a shortage of plot plans though, largely because the scene is not as vibrant anymore. I remember having over 200 plans for just residential and I made every single one of them in sanctuary to see how they look lol. It hasn't changed much for that but now there are many more types of plots and then mix in the stages too. Essentially 7 plot types, 4 sizes and 3 stages. Beware some stages don't even have a single plan for some combinations.

There is also the issue that all the required information about a plot is not given with plot descriptions so you can't plan your first settlements without leaving compensatory space for future development. That also binds in my advice of sticking with the quest-line. I made sanctuary first with 3x3s in mind which turned out to be a big disappointment as that has the most discrepancies. But that allowed me to freely rework the plans as I saw fit.

 

[NeticCyber]

I understand you, I also didn't jump to SS2 when it was released, in fact I left the scene completely for 2 years after my save was corrupted with years of work.

Frankly to have the better first time experience, I recommend doing the quest line and gradually open up to the system. Though I myself didn't want to do that at first. As you will be thrust into so much that you won't be able to handle it. Especially if you start with the HQ prematurely which is very far in the storyline.

Its more like a staged experience which changes with each stage and has different requirements for each. This also entails that free build may not be as free as it was in SS1. You have to think and designate settlements to do different things because to get them to certain levels is time taking.

There is a shortage of plot plans though, largely because the scene is not as vibrant anymore. I remember having over 200 plans for just residential and I made every single one of them in sanctuary to see how they look lol. It hasn't changed much for that but now there are many more types of plots and then mix in the stages too. Essentially 7 plot types, 4 sizes and 3 stages. Beware some stages don't even have a single plan for some combinations.

There is also the issue that all the required information about a plot is not given with plot descriptions so you can't plan your first settlements without leaving compensatory space for future development. That also binds in my advice of sticking with the quest-line. I made sanctuary first with 3x3s in mind which turned out to be a big disappointment as that has the most discrepancies. But that allowed me to freely rework the plans as I saw fit.

Interesting, right now i have sanctuary being developed using a city plan, so i dont have to keep to much of a eye on it, asdie from making sure i stop in every now and then to make sure everything is being good to go. Though this does bring in another question for me, if i where to start building a free build item, would the city plan make that null? And i agree, this version of the mod doesnt seem to have as much free building as the first one did which is sad to say the least

 

[Umair Ahmed]

Interesting, right now i have sanctuary being developed using a city plan, so i dont have to keep to much of a eye on it, asdie from making sure i stop in every now and then to make sure everything is being good to go. Though this does bring in another question for me, if i where to start building a free build item, would the city plan make that null? And i agree, this version of the mod doesnt seem to have as much free building as the first one did which is sad to say the least

Ah, I forgot, people like me who only do free builds are a rare breed, haha. Regardless, you can't mix, free buildable area with a city plan as far as I know. So a settlement can be free build or it will use a city plan.

 

[NeticCyber]

Ah, I forgot, people like me who only do free builds are a rare breed, haha. Regardless, you can't mix, free buildable area with a city plan as far as I know. So a settlement can be free build or it will use a city plan.

Well thats a shame, i like to do a good bit of freebuilding if i can, but if i have to redo some things in a settlement that'll be fine, it'll allow me to make sure it grows how i want it to any ways

 

[Antoine Soverie]

You can still free build whatever you want. But - if you use a city plan, the whole settlement gets nuked to clear out the place, so I'd say use city plan first then build around it. And if it's a levelled one, some authors place stuff as an indicator of what comes later, some don't, but I'd suggest to not destroy or move any plots it made. Though city plans are kinda performance heavy as it is so you probably want a pretty powerful PC for building on top of them.

 

[LeapinL]

You can still free build whatever you want. But - if you use a city plan, the whole settlement gets nuked to clear out the place, so I'd say use city plan first then build around it. And if it's a levelled one, some authors place stuff as an indicator of what comes later, some don't, but I'd suggest to not destroy or move any plots it made. Though city plans are kinda performance heavy as it is so you probably want a pretty powerful PC for building on top of them.

I would even recommend waiting until level 3 is achieved before adding any items. Some of the plots will upgrade to higher structures and if you built something over it then it will build right through your structure. I usually place tidy bots in all settlements and had to wait on those as some got buried.

 

[Karvoc]

Depends on the city plan. Also, always ask the city builder if you are grabbing their city plans from the nexus as they will be more than happy to tell you about areas where you can free build in their plans.

An example is Sanctuary. If you are using the Rise of the Commonwealth plan from the team then anything outside of the wall is free game. By level 2 you will have what I mean by this.
As a city builder whos plans are heavy on your PC. I encourage you to play with the plan and find where you can make your own touches.

Think of a city plan as this, thousands of placed items that are all waiting on a trigger to show up.