Settlers randomly losing assignments

[yaugie]

Since the last major update (2.0.3), every time I travel back to a settlement I've built up, one settler at random will have 'lost' one of their assignments - either Home, Job, or Hobby. This is Great(tm) since it means something will now be short.

Has anyone else seen this? I have no idea what could've caused this to start happening, it was fine before. I have all auto-assign functionality turned off.

EDIT TO SAVE YOU READING THE ENTIRE THREAD:
At this point I am 99% sure it is nothing to do with the Disease system, and believe it to be an issue of Settlers temporarily losing even which settlement they belong to and losing an assignment in the process. Testing continues.

 

[OscarN1N7]

Although it hasn't done Ada's lines, sadly

@sranger will correct me if I'm wrong (and bear in mind I'm a modding noob) but this should be fairly easy to do in FO4Edit. It's just a case of finding the lines that you hear all the time and setting them to only repeat once every 24 hours (I don't think it's possible to set it any higher than that - or at least it doesn't work for me).

So for Ada, it's Quest >> DLC01COMAda. Make a patch, click on any lines you're sick of ("I've never lost anyone before...) and on the right, under ENAM - Response flags, change Reset Hours to 24.

And for other robot companions (which will also affect Ada's dialogue pool) it's Quest >> DLC01COMRobotCompanion >> DLC01COMRIdles. Same thing, just pick the lines you hear too often ("I must apologize for the odd noises...)

I'm a long way off meeting Ada on this playthrough but I'll give this a go closer to the time and see what happens. Should have the same effect as the vanilla companions.

 

[JohnnyKimchi]

Since the last major update (2.0.3), every time I travel back to a settlement I've built up, one settler at random will have 'lost' one of their assignments - either Home, Job, or Hobby. This is Great(tm) since it means something will now be short.

Has anyone else seen this? I have no idea what could've caused this to start happening, it was fine before. I have all auto-assign functionality turned off.

This happens occasionally for me as well. Not as frequently after I started a new playthrough reducing my mod count from 120 to 70 lol. I honestly have no idea if that has anything to do with it or I've been lucky this playthrough. It is also a random plot, usually municipal or industrial plots that are affected for me.

 

[sranger]

@sranger will correct me if I'm wrong (and bear in mind I'm a modding noob) but this should be fairly easy to do in FO4Edit. It's just a case of finding the lines that you hear all the time and setting them to only repeat once every 24 hours (I don't think it's possible to set it any higher than that - or at least it doesn't work for me).

So for Ada, it's Quest >> DLC01COMAda. Make a patch, click on any lines you're sick of ("I've never lost anyone before...) and on the right, under ENAM - Response flags, change Reset Hours to 24.

And for other robot companions (which will also affect Ada's dialogue pool) it's Quest >> DLC01COMRobotCompanion >> DLC01COMRIdles. Same thing, just pick the lines you hear too often ("I must apologize for the odd noises...)

I'm a long way off meeting Ada on this playthrough but I'll give this a go closer to the time and see what happens. Should have the same effect as the vanilla companions.

Ada just doesn't have that wide of a voicepool, nor did she support a "your thoughts" prompt in the base game. It would need to be implemented in

 

[FastBlackCat]

@yaugie - Interestingly, I had SCDO in my last playthrough and was getting the unassignment issue. I've started a new playthrough trying Companion Thoughts Overhaul* instead of SCDO. It's early days (I've only built in Sanctuary so far) but I haven't encountered the issue yet. That probably doesn't mean anything since I recall the unassignment issue taking a while to manifest, so it may well still happen in this playthrough. Just thought I'd mention it since you raised SCDO. I'll keep you posted.

I'm not using Uncapped Settlement Surplus. Also, I had a quick look at your plugins and thought I'd list those that were active in both our load orders during my last playthrough, when I was encountering the issue (apart from cores mods):

*SS2WastelandVenturers.esp
*SS2-Jampads2.esp
*JunkTownTwo.esp
*SS2-PraRandomAddon.esp
*PiperCaitCurieDialogueOverhaul.esp (now removed)
*SS2_FDK_TinyLiving.esp
*[SS2 Addon] SimSettlements SuperStructures.esp
*SS2_ruined_simsettlement_addonpack.esp
*SS2Extended.esp
*SS2WalledGardensAndMore.esp

That's not a bad suggestion. "Settler and Companion Dialogue Overhaul" did get pretty feature creeped from what it was originally described as, I'll try that "Companion Thoughts Overhaul" instead. Although it hasn't done Ada's lines, sadly

I'm using SCDO, too, and those particular add-on packs. I'm definitely going to monitor the possible SCDO connection.

 

[yaugie]

Ada just doesn't have that wide of a voicepool, nor did she support a "your thoughts" prompt in the base game. It would need to be implemented in

Don't stress about it, I know she isn't everyone's favourite companion, and I might roll with Macready or maybe Cait next game anyway just for some variety. (I've been meaning to observe how the "companions interject" feels in SS2)

 

[OscarN1N7]

Ada just doesn't have that wide of a voicepool, nor did she support a "your thoughts" prompt in the base game. It would need to be implemented in

Ah, I was under the impression that your mod opens up the dialogue pool not just of the "your thoughts" responses but also of the idle lines they say as you're walking around. At least it feels that way - I don't ask my companions for their thoughts very often but I'm sure they've said lines I've never heard before as we're traveling together. I figured the same would be true of Ada even without "your thoughts" (albeit, yeah, with the smaller dialogue pool).

 

[sranger]

Ah, I was under the impression that your mod opens up the dialogue pool not just of the "your thoughts" responses but also of the idle lines they say as you're walking around. At least it feels that way - I don't ask my companions for their thoughts very often but I'm sure they've said lines I've never heard before as we're traveling together. I figured the same would be true of Ada even without "your thoughts" (albeit, yeah, with the smaller dialogue pool).

It does do that, that is true. That's just because it pulls from the generic idle dialogue pool when you're walking around at times, and having less of those repeat opens up other lines.

TBH I just never really travel with Ada after automatron finishes. I've taken a look at her line pool before and she does have locational commentary but I can't say from personal experience if repeat dialogue is an issue for her.

 

[OscarN1N7]

It does do that, that is true. That's just because it pulls from the generic idle dialogue pool when you're walking around at times, and having less of those repeat opens up other lines.

TBH I just never really travel with Ada after automatron finishes. I've taken a look at her line pool before and she does have locational commentary but I can't say from personal experience if repeat dialogue is an issue for her.

Thanks for the clarification. When I get to Ada I'll try changing the reset hours of her more common lines and see what happens. Looking at her lines, there are things I've never heard before like "it's 3,700 miles to Spain" when near water (but of course other people might have). So maybe it'll have an effect. Either way, thanks again for the mod!

 

[cbrgamer2]

That's not a bad suggestion. "Settler and Companion Dialogue Overhaul" did get pretty feature creeped from what it was originally described as, I'll try that "Companion Thoughts Overhaul" instead.

I had a look through the scripts for SCDO and I can't see how it would alter settler stats or unassign them from plots.

 

[yaugie]

I had a look through the scripts for SCDO and I can't see how it would alter settler stats or unassign them from plots.

Yeah I didn't fully expect that to be the cause, I'm just trying to find where the issue might be. Eliminate the variables, etc etc.

 

[cbrgamer2]

@yaugie is there anything consistent about it? Type of building? Is it always the same settlers that seem to lose the assignments? Anything that might give us a lead?

 

[yaugie]

@yaugie is there anything consistent about it? Type of building? Is it always the same settlers that seem to lose the assignments? Anything that might give us a lead?

The only possible lead I've seen is that for me it has only ever happened for "unique" settlers - assuming that the people that start the game living at Tenpines Bluff count as "unique" in the mechanical sense, which I presume they do, since there's mods that give them names and their appearances seem to be fixed. However, it doesn't happen to every single one every single time either.
Outside of that though, I've seen it happen with - I think - every possible plot size and type at this point. And it's not "only plots in addon packs" or something either.

It isn't either the first or the last settler that joined that settlement, and it isn't either the newest or the oldest plot there (which were things I thought worth checking).
And it doesn't happen on any kind of consistent timing that I can find - it's definitely not 'every visit to that location' or anything like that.
I am also pretty sure it isn't having a Disease, or being on Training either.

I'll be damned if I can see a pattern to it, except that once it starts happening to a specific person, it seems to KEEP happening to them. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I was consistently having Mrs Tenpines lose her Recreational assignment, and in a more recent game it was Pumpkin (from "Settlers of the Commonwealth") losing her Home assignment.

My best guess at present is that it's something to do with how I've regularly noticed people ever so briefly - like, under a second - losing then regaining assignments when I'm in Build Mode in a settlement. As in, I mouse over them and they show as No Assignment on the vanilla HUD popup, then by the time I look away and look back, they have the green 'has assignment' icon again. I don't think I've ever even seen anyone else mention having noticed that, though.
I mentioned "unique" settlers (that's the flag in the CK for it right? I forget now) because I know SS2 has multiple points in its subsystems that check for that, to give them exemptions from things like the "disease animations" and the "auto-equip from assigned plot"...

Now that I think though, I'm also 99% sure I've seen the Population count on the Vanilla HUD bounce up and down by 1 every so often while I'm in Build Mode at that location... hmmmm.

Oh, and another thought... as my load order back a few posts showed, I don't use Unofficial FO4 Patch. Could THAT be a clue?

 

[cbrgamer2]

The only possible lead I've seen is that for me it has only ever happened for "unique" settlers

Interesting - anybody else had it happen to non-unique settlers?

except that once it starts happening to a specific person, it seems to KEEP happening to them.

This is actually useful - it should be possible to monitor a settler if we know which one in a save.

My best guess at present is that it's something to do with how I've regularly noticed people ever so briefly - like, under a second - losing then regaining assignments when I'm in Build Mode in a settlement.

I've noticed that too - in a new playthrough I noticed when doing "if I had a hammer" the "x/y assigned" notifications would sometimes show there was one less settler assigned. I've started looking into this.

Now that I think though, I'm also 99% sure I've seen the Population count on the Vanilla HUD bounce up and down by 1 every so often while I'm in Build Mode at that location

A settler being removed from the settlement momentarily may indeed cause them to lose assignments - but realistically it should then be ALL assignments.

Oh, and another thought... as my load order back a few posts showed, I don't use Unofficial FO4 Patch. Could THAT be a clue?

Don't know - can anybody else who uses UFO4P who has had this problem let us know?

 

[OscarN1N7]

Don't know - can anybody else who uses UFO4P who has had this problem let us know?

I use UFO4P so it's probably not that.

Interesting - anybody else had it happen to non-unique settlers?

Come to think of it, the settlers that I particularly remember being unassigned (this is from a previous playthrough) were unique settlers. But then again most of my settlers were unique so they had a greater chance of manifesting the issue.

 

[FastBlackCat]

In my game, it's both unique and non unique settlers, and it's always homes and work plots, however, for the most part, it seems to be unique settlers doing it. Curiously, I've never seen unassigned recreational plots (although they may be playing musical chairs, but I haven't been monitoring it). And in the last few days, what I've been seeing mostly are unique settlers trading work plots with non-unique settlers. Also, Jun and one generic settler at Sanctuary consistently, and without fail, unassign themselves from their housing plots and one non-named regular Slog worker and one generic settler at the Slog that are continually unassigning themselves from their advanced gardening plots.

Oh, and I use UFO4, too.

 

[yaugie]

Curiously, I've never seen unassigned recreational plots

I 100% have; Mrs Tenpines was doing that for me one game.
I use so few "generic" settlers that my estimate of it being Uniques doing it was almost certainly a false assumption; recall that I hadnt even used a City Plan in over 12 months until recently too. (yes it happens in both City Plans and "manual build" settlements)

The fact that this is so inconsistent really will make it agony to figure out what is actually happening.

 

[Cessori]

I'm in the process of building today and noticed that a level 2 residential plot was unassigned.
My settlement does not have any unique settlers.
Settler count did not decrease, so no one left the settlement.
About 5 mins later when I checked the plot again, the residential plot was assigned again.
I am also using UFO4P. IDK, it's definitely random, and hard to figure out what's happening.

Edit:
Should add that this settlement did not have a disease outbreak, or any settlers with disease.

 

[msalaba]

I've regularly noticed people ever so briefly - like, under a second - losing then regaining assignments when I'm in Build Mode in a settlement. As in, I mouse over them and they show as No Assignment on the vanilla HUD popup, then by the time I look away and look back, they have the green 'has assignment' icon again.

I have seen this. I have seen it often over many play throughs since v1.0.0. I believe this is related to the "musical chairs" issue.

in a new playthrough I noticed when doing "if I had a hammer" the "x/y assigned" notifications would sometimes show there was one less settler assigned. I've started looking into this.

I thought this was due to Lily being assigned to a settlement before she was supposed to. I could have sworn this was fixed in the last patch.

My $0.02 - The "NPC is unassigned and constantly being unassigned" issue most likely is related to the new disease mechanic. My money is on it being some sort of DoNotAllowAssignment keyword either being incorrectly applied or failing to be properly removed. I would suspect this could be found in some sort of WorkshopActorAssigned event in SimSettlementsV2:Quests:NPC_AssignmentManager

I highly doubt the unofficial patch is causing this. The patch is supposed to load before WSFW and SS2 so any conflicts should be overwritten. Also the changes to the workshop scripts by the UO patch are included in WSFW. (but with all things Todd, it can't be 100% ruled out...)

 

[msalaba]

@yaugie is there anything consistent about it? Type of building? Is it always the same settlers that seem to lose the assignments? Anything that might give us a lead?

Having read through this thread, the only thing consistent is random NPCs are being unassigned and some seem to be continually unassigned. Most of the remaining data is irrelevant as other issues are detailed. i.e. the "musical chairs" assignment issue, which has been present since SS2 released.

The more I think on this, the more I'm inclined to think its a chapter 2 issue. But I don't have anything to back up that claim other than a gut feeling. I'm ashamed to admit I have not had a proper "play through" save since chapter 2 released. As my test saves have minimal settlement building, I have not noticed this unassignment issue. Thinking a little more, it shouldn't be a chapter 2 issue. The mechanics are in SS2.esm... unless there is a "CH2 installed" flag I'm unaware of.

 

[yaugie]

I highly doubt the unofficial patch is causing this.

I only mentioned it because I DONT have it installed and it hasnt even touched this install of fo4, was still trying to find variables to eliminate.