The Why
The theme of Fallout 4 has always been hope and rebuilding, but the effort to rebuild all of the settlements is gargantuan.
The How
Version 3.0 and Rise of the Commonwealth aim to give you more tools to act as the leader and free you up to get out and conquer the Wastelands.
Settler Constructed Cities:
You can now put others, such as your companions, in charge of running settlements. They will build them up so that settlers can move in and create a city. Much like plots, the cities will upgrade over time as they mature and are given enough time and resources.
Create your own upgrading cities with the upcoming City Designer's Toolkit which will allow you to release your own upgradeable city designs!
Interior Plots:
All 6 core plot types now support a new Interior version which are designed for placing inside of existing structures, or snapped inside of your own creations. They're even height capped so you can stack them as much as you like!
Dynamic Soundscape
The background and ambient noises will change dynamically to reflect the contents of your settlements so that Farms sound like farms, commercial hubs sound like busy markets, and industrial complexes are roaring with the sounds of industry.
Recruitment Control:
You can now take control of how settlers are brought to your settlement with automatic capping, and options to override the default Charisma limits.
Tax Overhaul:
[Optional] The tax system now has widespread effects on your settlements, touching everything from defense spending, to upgrade rates, to happiness, and production.
Donation System:
Donate all of your extra supplies, junk, and equipment to your settlement to boost your defenses, happiness, and temporary boosts to food and water.
Visitor System:
As your cities progress, visitors will be drawn to them to make your settlements feel more lively and generate extra income at your stores.
An In-Depth Series of Videos Will be released over the coming days describing all of the systems involved.
The Future
Rise of the Commonwealth greatly expands the framework for Sim Settlements and is just the beginning of much more to come!
Current plans include:
Built-in designs for all settlements (release version supports 24 settlements).
Unlockable city-service buildings.
Leadership trait system.
FAQ
Q - Will you release an all-in-one version with the main mod and the expansion packs?
A - Yes, after the bugs have been worked out of Rise of the Commonwealth, an all-in-one version will be released.
Known Issues
Occasional items will spawn in the incorrect place, please report them on the SimSettlements.com forum.