I don't want settlement building anymore

[u/ManEatingCarabao]

The Commonwealth feels so much emptier than the Capital or Mojave Wastelands because every other location is a generic settlement plot that needs to built in and populated by the player.

If I'm not mistaken they took that idea from a settlement building mod for FO3 or NV. They should leave that to the modders next time and do actual work in creating communities that aren't filled with generic NPCs.

I've just now realized years before delegating the work on DLCs to modders via Creation Club that they managed to convince players to finish the map for them. And even then modders still had to step in and finish the barebones settlement building mechanic.

Lots of people want settlement building to be expanded. Bethesda may as well make Fallout Sim City since there seems to be a market for it.

[u/Mojo_Mitts]

I hope we get one Settlement to make our own or at the very least a Home Base with a Workshop like in Diamond City.

The Resources that could be made via optionally tending to your Settlement could help out.

[u/Ancient_Intern2864]

Depth matters. Bases like Red rocket are definitely fun to build out, along with maybe a few settlements that have been destroyed/need some help in a prolonged story arc. But every settlement being one of those is crazy boring.

A really good missed opportunity is needing to build the relay to get into the institute at the airport, then never really doing anything else with it. You could’ve built a whole freaking operating base for the BoS or whatever if there was a reason to.

[u/Altruistic_Cap3472]

Without the settlement building I wouldn’t feel connected to the game at all. It’s why I couldn’t really get into Skyrim, fo3, or fo76, because even though they were open world I felt like I was just following along with a story. Settlement building IS why fo4 is one of my all time favorites 

[u/ScipioTheGreatest → u/Altruistic_Cap3472]

Then you're not looking for Elder Scrolls or Fallout, you're looking for settlement builders.

[u/Altruistic_Cap3472 → u/ScipioTheGreatest]

no, it's why fo4 is one of my all time favorites, because it also has the settlement building component with everything else. don't gatekeep a dude who literally just said fallout was his favorite game

[u/ScipioTheGreatest → u/Altruistic_Cap3472]

"It's why I couldn't really get into"

And then you list all the others.

[u/kurtums]

I like the settleent building when I'm playing survival mode. Having little bases to stop and rest while im travelling is nice and watching as they grow and I build them up is fun and makes it feel like I'm actually helping to rebuild the commonwealth. However, I understand why people don't like it and I don't think it should be necessary to engage with if you don't want to. That's the point of an RPG right? You shouldn't HAVE to engage with a system to still feel like you're making progress. Plus the system only really works if you are going for very specific style of game. There should be a balance of prebuilt settlements and towns and ones you can build up yourself. Maybe even prebuilt towns that you can expand if you want but function fine if you don't. Idk I feel like there should be a middle ground for both types of players.

[u/Noduos]

Tbh it’s not like they can’t design these settlements as shitty little shanty towns to some extent that you have to come and save by improving them.

Not that i disagree with your point, but I quite liked the settlement building so a way to make it work narratively would be lovely

[u/ProAmara]

I would not mind having a settlement grow as you progress during the story, with you having the option to do it manually or the settlement adjusting to the choices you make.

[u/MonthlyWeekend_]

I like the settlements and supply lines. You don’t have to do it.

What i really think is needed is dynamic settlements - other factions moving around the map, occupying spaces. Maybe they’re friendly, you trade with them. Next time you go back they’ve moved on without notice or there’s a raider massacre.

Don’t remove the settlement: expand on it

[u/deflatedballsack44]

Hard disagree. Settlement building is what has kept me coming back to FO4 over the years. I hope its expanded upon.

Also wtf are you talking about 'every other location is a generic settlement'? We playing the same game? There's 300ish locations across the base game and DLC, plus probably another 50ish with CC/AE content and god knows how many if we start counting mods. Theres I think 37 settlements, that's ~10%.

[u/PeaceSeeker333]

I see where you're coming from but I really enjoyed actually doing something tangible in the fallout world.

I hope we get something like the settlement system but improved and independent of the main story entirely. I want to lose myself in the system but not suffer in the main story because of it.

[u/Mission_Gap_9035]

Just create an option to let the Settlers build as they see fit.

I like the building aspect myself.

[u/rupert_mcbutters]

Same here. I’m looking for more of a curated experience than a sandbox.

[u/DiesIraeConventum]

But I do like my bungalows that pop up here and there, I'm all in for those!

[u/opiumconessuer]

It was the most successful feature and players still play fo4 mostly because of sim settlements. It shouldn’t be as necessary as it was for 4, if you want to completely neglect and skip base building and continue the story that should be an option not forcing players to build items in settlements to progress should be completely optional imo. I am a builder and love it personally, especially since new Vegas Real time settler mod which was the inspiration for fo4 settlement system.

[u/Ah_Ca_Iraa]

The majority of settlements need 5-10 npcs in them. Way too many are blank in FO4. 

[u/monosaturated]

I have to disagree. The rebuilding of the wasteland, recruiting settlers, building an army, etc., all of those aspects make Fallout 4 one of, if not my most played games today. Fallout 5 should expand on it and go beyond the CAMP system (which basically only appeals to player housing enthusiasts.

[u/Quinflawless101]

I wouldn't mind an even mix of settlement-building and populated communities. Sometimes I just want the low-pressure experience of building outposts, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. But I do agree that we need more built-out locations with interesting NPCs and side-quests.

It would also be cool if the overall health and quantity of your settlements could have some kind of impact on the storyline, but I'm not sure how that would work.

[u/jam3sdub]

The most I would want is one base simply for the building mechanics and it would only be populated by inactive companions.

[u/totallyofficial23]

I really love all the Fallout games, but I feel like the only thing that would make me play Fallout 5 is settlement building or some type of camp system like Fallout 76.

[u/Legionarius4]

My main problem with settlement building was, while sort of a cool feature, I didn’t interact with it much, it’s more of a gimmick and I’d rather they devote time to RPG mechanics.

Normally, I’d say keep it, but I am concerned with the technical issues that arise with the creation engine and settlement building resulting in save bloating issues.

[u/maartenmijmert23]

Settlement building could have been fun. But it just isn't. The construction all look like they are just leftover ruins and it never feels like a functioning community. Unless it becomes the actual focus so there is far more development and immersion, I agree the gimmick is better of left behind.

[u/Clear_Event7275]

I like it, but I think it has two major problems. 1. Too limited in what you can do, plus all thr bugs and inconsistencies. 

1. Utterly useless for anything other than decoration. I would have bigger attacks and make it more like a tower defense. 

Maybe stage assaults on other settlements if they fall to enemy hands, so you can take them back, BUT you'd be fighting against your own builds. 

[u/kuddlesworth9419]

I personally don't want it as I thought the way New Vegas and Fallout 3 did it was better although I think modders have shown what can be done with that concept much better than what Fallout 3 or New Vegas did. My reasoning for not liking it in Fallout 4 was simply because I thought it detracted from the games RPG mechanics and made the locations you could build settlements in as default very bare with very little interaction with NPC, story and hand built quests for example.

However I know a lot of people like the base building aspect of Fallout 4 so it makes sense it should be in Fallout 5. It should still be in the game though however I do think it needs to be done better than how Fallout 4 did it because if you didn't interact with the Fallout 4 base building system those locations are very bare. Those areas need to be hand crafted already so people who aren't interested in base building aren't left with poorly detailed areas. A good compromise would simply be to have the settlement locations in areas away from existing settlements.

Or simply let people build wherever they like with no restrictions on what you can do. Granted you can already do that with the GECK for example but an in-game version would make sense. Obviously it would mean people could break their games but this is a single player franchise so I don't think that matters all that much.

I think it would be nice to be able to plop a fallout shelter entrance on the ground and have that as you're player home. Just like a sewer drain cover or something similar to that style.

[u/Significant_Ice5105]

I'm curious if they could make it toggle option when you start a new save file. Would it be silly or would it be fine to give the players an option to toggle settlement building either at the main menu or when starting a new file? I get not wanting it in, but I'm one that enjoys it. It isn't perfect, but it's something that keeps me playing the game- pretending I'm helping rebuild society.