Menu
What's new
By:
Filters
the Sim Settlements forums!

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Question SS2: Process for making city plans

P

pakman

Active Member
Community Rockstar
Messages
255
I hope this is the best place to ask this;

Short version:
Want to know more about YOUR process for making a city plan in game, and what mods to include or not include.

Longer Version:
I have already read the wiki entries on city plans, and the pdf's on city building, and the tutorials on wsfw for exporting and converting.
I have some specific questions beyond the basic steps and mechanics; more about specific processes.

I am running in a test instance of F4 with a very simple mod list with mainly ss2 and its dependencies, wasteland reconstruction kit and place everywhere.



1 - Do you often include add on packs.
Do you include any of the most common add on packs?
I know SS2 will replace plots it can't find, and right now there are not a ton of addon's but just curious

2 - Scrapping and cleaning mods.
I am going to guess people build city plans for the vanilla game with all the clutter.
Personally, I use the clean and simple series, but have found very few plans that use it.
Do most City plan makers go vanilla?

3 - Settlement Size
I assume most people use standard settlement size, and not extended borders (man, some are just ...small...).

4 - How do you get to your settlement, and build things.
Do you use a clean save and just use COC to go to your target cell?
Do you use god mod or turn off AI so not to be bothered with area creatures NPCs?
Do you give your character local leader so you can build workstations?
You unlock all your plots in the holotape and building costs?

5 - When making city levels, can you have some plots NOT enforce designer's choice?
For example, yes, maybe thematically I want a specific building plan for a specific plot.
How do I specify that for the plot?
How do I specify that I don't care what the specific building plan is?

6 - Plots with SPECIAL stat requirements.
Should you place plots with special stat (str, end, etc.) requirements? Maybe only at later levels where it would be expceted?
What is the general feeling for this?


I really am looking for insights and feedback from other city plan designers on this one.

thanks in advance, and my apologies if any of this is specifically covered in the wiki or other documentations.
 
1 - Do you often include add on packs.
Do you include any of the most common add on packs?
I know SS2 will replace plots it can't find, and right now there are not a ton of addon's but just curious
Click to expand...
Addons give a lot of flavor when building a city plan as they focus on a particular look, style, faction, or whatever. So Addons can definitely help define what the city plan is all about. I include a lot of Addons in my city builds.
As a benefit to others that may use your city plan, present a list of all the addons that you used / recommend!

2 - Scrapping and cleaning mods.
I am going to guess people build city plans for the vanilla game with all the clutter.
Personally, I use the clean and simple series, but have found very few plans that use it.
Do most City plan makers go vanilla?
Click to expand...
For publicly consumed city plans, scrapping mods are verbotten (forbidden). There are 2 reasons that I'm aware of: they break pre-combines which makes loading the settlement even more machine-melting than ever and city plans use a scrap profile. Broken pre-combines + loading a scrap profile = hot mess (or so I've been told, believe, and follow).


3 - Settlement Size
I assume most people use standard settlement size, and not extended borders (man, some are just ...small...).
Click to expand...
Yes. Some are f-ing tiny.


4 - How do you get to your settlement, and build things.
Do you use a clean save and just use COC to go to your target cell?
Do you use god mod or turn off AI so not to be bothered with area creatures NPCs?
Do you give your character local leader so you can build workstations?
You unlock all your plots in the holotape and building costs?
Click to expand...
There are several saved games for city builders on the Nexus. MAKE A VORTEX PROFILE so that you don't pollute your saves / mods by mixing the streams.

5 - When making city levels, can you have some plots NOT enforce designer's choice?
For example, yes, maybe thematically I want a specific building plan for a specific plot.
How do I specify that for the plot?
How do I specify that I don't care what the specific building plan is?
Click to expand...
I got nothing. Dunno how to do that per-plot. Maybe just leave the plot as a 'class' rather than selecting a specific plan.

6 - Plots with SPECIAL stat requirements.
Should you place plots with special stat (str, end, etc.) requirements? Maybe only at later levels where it would be expceted?
What is the general feeling for this?
Click to expand...
New thing raises new questions and dunno!

I really am looking for insights and feedback from other city plan designers on this one.

thanks in advance, and my apologies if any of this is specifically covered in the wiki or other documentations.
 
Building styles are like play styles, there are so many. I myself build not by boilerplate but by feel. I have never built then same settlement the same way twice. I go with what muses me. Sometimes I Raze everything and start clean slate. Sometimes I try and build around everything. Just depends.
 
The one thing I for never do is put things in a settlement that wasn't there before. Like heavy machinery or large objects. Unless I can explain to myself realistically how 5-6 skinny wastelands were able to get it there.
 
Din'elen DarkStar said:
The one thing I for never do is put things in a settlement that wasn't there before. Like heavy machinery or large objects. Unless I can explain to myself realistically how 5-6 skinny wastelands were able to get it there.
Click to expand...
For a city plan like this, I grab the crane used outside vault 111 and place that in front of construction areas for a city as a staged item, moving it as stages progress to make it look like settlers are actively using the crane as part of their settlement build. Heavy objects are then lore friendly. :grin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top