Fallout 4 Settlements/Exploits



Settlement exploits and bugs allow for varied options in the management of settlements over and above normal gameplay

Overview
There are some ways to get around the clipping of settlement objects with each other and preexisting objects in the world to allow one to build more sophisticated structures. These can all be done without mods however some will require using the game console. See Mod:Console commands (Fallout 4) for the full list of console commands.

Mat exploit
This by placing a small doormat down and then placing a larger item like a chair on top of it (This will not work with snappable objects). When you select the mat by tapping down the select button it will also pick up the items linked on top; however, the collision will only be enabled for the floor mat (If you hold the select button it will use the collision of the thing you are trying to move), enabling you to potentially clip the larger object into other objects provided the mat isn't clipping with anything. To increase the distance that the mat can reach try stacking rugs with the base (the one you want to move with) at the bottom. This also works with wall decorations and conduits. (tested with vanilla wall decorations/signs).

Pillar exploit
This is achieved by using a concrete pillar (found in the Wasteland Workshop Add-on) and placing it next to a structure. By holding the "Place" button, the structure and pillar will be highlighted. If only the pillar is highlighted, move it closer to the structure. Doing this does not allow you to clip the structure but to sink it into the ground. If you don't have the Wasteland Workshop add-on you can use a concrete foundation.

Pillar and mat exploit combo
By using the two above exploits, you can clip and sink objects into the ground. In order to do this, use the mat exploit to get the object you want to do the glitch with. Then place the pillar down next to it, next hold down the select button and it will use the collision of the pillar and mat, not the object on top of the mat. This will allow you to clip and sink the object.

Electrical Connections without limits exploit
By starting with the cursor on the object you wish to connect an electrical wire from and slowly moving toward an already existing wire that bisects the object until the wire is highlighted, one can press the button associated with connecting a wire and hear the sparking sound. Going to another place the wire could connect to and pressing the connect wire button will place a wire that is not bound by object interference or distance. Once the wire is placed, one must exit using the previous menu button or anomalies may occur.

Infinite population exploit
With add-ons, the max population of most settlements can be increased indefinitely with tamed creatures from the Wasteland Workshop add-on, and with robots built from Robot workbenches in the Automatron add-on. Settlers that the Survivor meets in random encounters or during the Automatron add-on's radiant quest Rogue Robot can also be recruited and sent to any settlement of the player's choice in the Commonwealth, Nuka-World, or the Island (with the sole exception being Home Plate), ignoring the maximum population limit.

Console: TCL
The console command tcl will disable clipping to yourself. It will also turn off clipping for any objects you place down or select while in this mode, allowing you to put other objects inside of it. If you have an object placed that you want to put another object inside of you simply select that object then deselect it to disable its collision. You can then place down an object inside of it. Once you remove the collision you will also remove the ability to select that item. To restore collision simply enter tcl into the command again to reactivate clipping. You can enter tcl again to go back into tcl and begin removing collision again.

This command is best used for junk wall placement to allow you to join the sections of the wall together.

Console: modpos
Modpos will allow you to move any object in the game that is selectable within the console. To target an object, simply click on it when you have the console open. Modpos will require you to specify an axis and also an amount to move an object by. Because you are forcing the object to be moved through console this will ignore all collision and will allow you to move the object anywhere you wish. Each unit of movement is quite small and you can get a high degree of accuracy.

Some sample distances:


 * 1 full size floor object length = 256
 * 1 full size floor object height = 15
 * 1 upper shack floor object height = 22
 * 1 wall height = 202
 * Distance between floors (Z axis), non-prefab, using the standard 1 full square stair set = 224

Console: setpos
While Modpos moves a selected object a given distance, Setpos moves it to specified x, y, or z coordinates. Both ignore any clipping including the original environment. Setpos is most useful when dealing with an item that snaps to another and the game will preview the object in the correct position but will not place it there. For example, you can get the coordinates of a wall while it is in the preview location, then place it on the other side of the floor in an allowed location, then use Setpos to move it back to the preview location already placed.

To use it, open the console while the object is snapped into the preview position. Click on the object and get its x, y and z coordinates in that location with:

Close the console. Now place the object elsewhere in the same orientation, parallel to the final destination. With the object placed, open the console again, and with the object still selected use the following, replacing # with the number shown by Getpos for that axis.

If you need to scroll back up in the console to get the coordinate, the PageUp and PageDown buttons may be used.

Note: Fallout 4 uses the "Left-hand" coordinate system, where X is East/West, Y is N/S, and Z plus is up (world coordinates).

Console: Building all objects at internal workshops
It is possible to build all settlement objects at certain internal workshops which limit the items one can build, such as Home Plate and The Mechanist's lair, by opening the console, clicking on the offending workbench so that its reference is displayed and then entering and.

Unlimited size
When you're building big settlements, often you are confronted with a full-size bar. This means that, according to the game mechanics, you can't place another item in your settlement. A quick workaround can help you to easily reduce your settlement size, which enables you to place more items.


 * 1) Place the weapons in the workbench
 * 2) Remove the weapons from the workbench
 * 3) Drop the weapons on the ground
 * 4) Enter workshop-mode
 * 5) Click on the weapons and store them in the workshop

Doing this will reduce your settlement size, and enables you to build bigger settlements.

With the Contraptions Workshop add-on, vacuum hoppers can be used to automatically drop weapons from the workshop inventory onto the ground.

Alternatively, on PC, it is possible to increase the build limit using console commands. The build limit is calculated using two actor values: triangles and draws. The following commands can be used to change these values:


 * displays the current number of triangles
 * displays the maximum number of triangles
 * changes the maximum number of triangles to the specified amount
 * displays the current number of draws
 * displays the maximum number of draws
 * changes the maximum number of draws to the specified amount

Using an amount of -1 disables the limits entirely.

Moving build structures
Objects that are joined into the full structure can be moved as one object. Example: If you have built a shack on one end of a settlement (walls and floors with lamps, desk, etc.) you can move it as one item. In build mode, you hold your select button ('e' for PC) on one element (preferably you choose wall from outside) and the whole structure will be selected. Now you can move your shack on the other side of your settlement.

Bugs
This is a fundamental limitation of the simulation engine, so there are no methods to permanently prevent this from occurring, though several workarounds and temporary fixes exist:
 * When away from a settlement, the Pip-Boy's workshop section on the data screen may show incorrect values for a settlement's statistics, such as water and beds. This occurs when the player character enters an exterior cell close enough to a settlement such that only a subset of the settlement's exterior cells are loaded into the simulation engine. The result is that only those objects in the loaded cells are included in the statistics. Unfortunately, the settlement will experience the expected negative consequences of this, such as the happiness score dropping, and settlers may become unassigned from their beds. The effect will be more noticeable in larger settlements, such as Sanctuary Hills, which are composed of a larger number of exterior cells, and in the case of Spectacle Island, this can occur without even leaving the island. It will not affect settlements which only consist of a single cell, such as County crossing.
 * Returning to the affected settlement and opening the workshop should correct the statistics. In the case of Spectacle Island, you may have to travel to the center of the island to ensure all the cells have loaded.
 * Replacing all pre-existing beds in a settlement may prevent settlers from becoming unassigned from or not assigning themselves to these beds. On PC, if scrapping is not possible, select the bed to be removed in the console and using commands and then  will permanently remove the selected beds.
 * One can fix this by group selecting preexisting beds and moving them onto a floor. Scrapping or storing the floor will then delete the bugged bed. This feature is disabled after 1.6 patch.
 * Manually assigning all settlers to a bed using the command option in the workshop menu may prevent settlers from becoming unassigned from their beds.
 * If a distress pulse is dropped on the ground in a settlement and then scrapped using the building screen it will permanently emit a distress signal.
 * After choosing 'barter' at a user-created settlement shop, the trade window may open to two blank lists (player character and settler inventories are empty), where the settler has 0-6 caps and nothing can be done except exiting.
 * Exiting the trade menu, selecting the 'all items' category in the Pip-Boy, and then retrying barter may resolve this bug.
 * Settlers with a coded routine may continue it at the expense of an assigned job. This occurs mainly with original settlers from before a settlement is unlocked and some named settlers. Examples include Sturges or Marcy Long rarely being present at a store if assigned (though still bartering from wherever they are), robots at Graygarden tending plants regardless of assignment, and original settlers in Greentop Nursery assigned to guard posts spending time sitting in chairs inside the house, while new settlers assigned the same roles do not. For assignments like guard duty where being in the correct location matters, a new settler may be a better choice.
 * When fast traveling to a settlement, settlers may be seen standing on the roofs of natural or player character-built structures with no way of getting to the top of them.
 * Fast-traveling to the settlement again should make them return to the ground.
 * Beds that are under a cover (even in an entirely enclosed building) may not be recognized as such, impacting settlement happiness.
 * If a switch or generator is stored or scrapped when the wire is being pulled out, sparks may remain hovering and cannot be removed.
 * Settlers assigned to stores (except clinic) placed above the water at Nordhagen beach, refuse to engage in dialogue. Moving those emporiums away from the water and placing them on a dry surface resolves this.
 * Moving the stores closer to the fog condensers resolves this issue.
 * Sometimes, if a settler is re-assigned from food production to a new task, all other settlers doing food production stop working on food, and food production drops to zero.
 * Normally, when assigning a settler to a crop plant, the game will automatically assign the settler to any other untended plants at the settlement. Sometimes this does not happen, and only the individual plant is assigned. Restarting the game (not reloading a save) will fix this.