Fallout 4

[Dweller_Benthos]

Just wondering Fragger, how that keymapping came about. I thought mine was weird, but using the mouse buttons to move is something I've never heard of before. I don't recall the original Doom having that as a default, as I recall, it was the arrow keys to move. At least that's what I used and I don't think I was into remapping keys at the time as it wasn't something I would have known about. I do remember the CTRL key was the fire button, as I broke it once mashing it in that game. I don't even remember if there was mouse support at all, much less something that let you change from the arrow keys to the mouse buttons.

Just curious, as a fellow "odd config" player, I can relate entirely to your struggle to adapt games to a custom config when the options built in are sometimes.... lacking. There may be a way to remap your keys in build mode, as that's what I did with F4SE, but remapping to the mouse from the keyboard may be out of even it's reach.

[fragger]

Thinking back, it could have been Duke Nukem 3D or Quake where I first started using that config. It was like 20 years ago, or more, after all Whichever game it was, it was an early FPS.

As far as I know Dweller, remapping of Workshop keys apears to be limited. I remapped "V" to "W" to enter Workshop (and toggle third-person) mode, but that was it (MMB has a different use in my oddball setup). The mouse controls in WS mode appear to be set in stone, i.e. for rotating and zooming objects, no remapping available, at least not without a mod or something, maybe. Ditto the moving-around keys.

I find it much easier to map in the following way as I've always found the default WASD, left-end-of-the-keyboard arrangements for most games very uncomfortable for my left hand. So - with my right hand I have LMB to move forward, RMB to fire, and MMB for aim/ironsights (and in FO4, for Block Melee Attack). With my left hand, I use UP arrow to jump, DOWN arrow to move backwards, and LEFT/RIGHT arrows for strafing. Then I have R Ctrl for crouch, R Shift for sprint, ENTER for Bash/Throw, Num 0 for reload and SPACE for interact. It all feels way more comfortable for me to w0#k the game this way, with a minimum of key hunting. Only exceptions are things like TAB for Pip Boy functions, the default V.A.T.S. keys (which I seldom use) and a few other hotkeys. This arrangement has always seemed to fit my hands better and all the most-used controls are right under my fingers all the time (with my left hand I can hit R Ctrl, R Shift and ENTER with my pinky, other three fingers on the arrow keys and Num 0 with my thumb or index finger).

I actually got the idea for this setup from reading an article in a gaming magazine, many years ago. An article about LAN Deathmatch tournaments claimed that many competitors were using the mouse for look/move/shoot as they found it less cumbersome than keys only and it allowed for more immediate response times, so I tried it and took to it like a duck to water. It just felt, and still feels, more comfortable for me, and I never went back to WASD arrangements after that. Admittedly, most of those people had the L and R mouse buttons reversed (indeed, the default shoot button in most games is the left one) but for some reason the RMB always felt like a more "natural" fire button for me. I don't know why.

This arrangement works well for me, anyway

Getting back to FO4 for a tick, I have a bit of an odd stance with the BoS. I went about things totally differently this time around, and dealt with Kellogg before meeting Danse (who I still haven't met yet). This of course triggered the arrival of the Prydwen and subsequent buzzing around of BoS Vertibirds. But a curious thing happens. When some of the BoS jump out of their Vertibird, I never know how they're going to react towards me. Sometimes they just wander nonchalantly past me without so much as a by-your-leave, and if I talk to one they'll simply reply and then just move on. At other times they'll open up on me as soon as they see me. And sometimes, they'll be wandering around in full sight of me, within spitting distance, and all is cool, sometimes for a couple of minutes - but then, all of a sudden, they'll start attacking me. I never know what they'll do.

And if they attack me while their Vertibird is still hovering around, it will come after me as well, necessitating a shoot-down.

Maybe once I make Danse's acquaintance, this unpredictability will stop, but at the moment, I have to be wary of them as I never know from one moment to the next what will happen with them On the plus side, if I have to take them down, BoS Power Armor pieces sell very well

[Dweller_Benthos]

That is a really custom config and what I also hear from left handed players a lot, as they have the mouse on the left side of the keyboard and using WASD is uncomfortable for them as well. I think both of us, having been playing for so long, got used to a set of keybinds that are from the days of uncomplicated games, where the only controls needed were look, move and shoot. Now with games having so many more controls, having access to more keys or buttons is needed. I know of some players who use ESDF instead of WASD as it keeps that hand on the home row of the keyboard and for touch typers, that's the most comfortable spot. But they also have troubles sometimes with games that refuse to let you customize everything. Same with AZERTY keyboards over the more common QWERTY layout.

A mod is the only answer, and I think F4SE combined with this tool

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10106?

might let you do what you want. It looks like it can write a custom keybinds file to use with F4SE and you'll be able to use the mouse buttons in workshop mode just like you do in normal mode. You'll have to set all the commands you want in that program, as it overrides everything in the config screen in game. On screen prompts will still be the default though, I had to do some pretty heavy editing of the script files for my game to make the prompts match my key binds and at this point, I've forgotten how I did that. I could probably dig around my files and see what I changed and figure out how I changed it.

As for your BoS troubles, that does seem weird that some might aggro on you and others don't, you'd think that condition would depend on your standing with them and since you haven't met them, they should be neutral to you, as long as you don't attack them, they should leave you alone.

[Art Blade]

what the.. weird, those BoS. They don't have any reason to be angry at you.

[fragger]

Thanks for the offer to rummage D_B, but that's cool, I'm okay with the way things are I've sort of gotten used to how I have to operate in WS mode now, so I'd have to get used to a new arrangement all over again

With the BoS, I can't confirm but it seems related to what I've recently been doing. I think that the times when they attack me are when I've just been involved with a fight with Raiders or some other group of outlaws. Maybe they're annoyed at me for stealing their kills. Well, now they know how I feel

On one occasion, I fought with a couple of Mechanist robots, a Tankbot and an Eyebot. I took them out, then a Vertibird came along. Two BoS in PA jumped out (one landed right on top of the still-burning Tankbot) and they just stood there for a bit. I was well within sight of them the whole time and nothing happened. Then the BoS guy in the Tankbot wreckage started forward a few steps, then stopped. So I went right up to him, until I was about the game equivalent of ten feet away, and we just stood facing each other for a good ten seconds or so. Then he abruptly drew his laser rifle and started shooting, and a red ID tag appeared above his head It is odd. We'll see if it stops once I meet Danse.

And yeah, sometimes I'll run into the BoS and everything is peaceful, so who knows. There's a spot near Sunshine where a Vertibird will land, a motley assortment of BoS types will get out, then go on a long foot patrol down to the dam, across that, then on along the road that passes to the south of the Abernathys. On those occasions, I can walk right along with them without incident. So maybe they only turn on me if I've taken out bad guys that had already been earmarked for them to deal with.

Incidentally, because the Prydwen has arrived before I've met Danse (or even tuned in to the "Military Frequency AF95" radio signal), a quest called "Reveille" has appeared in my list, which requires me to "investigate the Brotherhood of Steel airship". So I guess I have the choice to either go to Boston Airport, or meet Danse at the Cambridge Police Station. Given my run-ins with the BoS, it should be interesting to see what happens if I go to the airport first... I'm guessing that there will be no trouble and they'll just send me to Danse, since you have to first do that Arcjet mission with him to gain his trust, then meet up with him again later to get aboard the Prydwen. At least, I think that's how it goes.

[Dweller_Benthos]

Yeah, weird BoS, so who knows? I would definitely go to the airship first now, just to see what happens.

[mandru]

I've been experimenting with some building techniques I've been aware of but haven't tried until recently (i.e. the wire glitch, rug glitch and the post glitch).  The videos I've been watching are from a gamer who is playing on one of the game consoles so all of his instructions have been aimed at using the console game controller. 

I finally figured out that when in build mode pressing and holding the Select key (for me on PC the "E") on part of something that has several assembled objects executes a Group Select and once the entire assembly highlights as selected you can move it around as a complete unit. It's a good idea to make a save before utilizing this ability as in the case where the assembled group is too close or resting on something else that you have constructed, it will grab the whole damn shebang and you may not be aware that you are thrashing a lot of your careful placement of things you would prefer to keep intact.

Having maxed affinity with Cait I had in mind to build a gun tower at the Starlight Drive-In using a 4 floor elevator as the core of the structure and using the fourth level to set up a fully furnished Rapunzel style studio apartment to make a sequestered home for Cait once I'd dismissed her.

To amuse Mrs. mandru (when showing off this build) I kind wanted to be able to at least once say:

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair,
That I might climb... Oh Wait.  Eleva-tair!" 


The reason I suggest making a save for this function is I accidentally uprooted and tore out the placement of my settler's sleeping barracks at Starlight in one of my early attempts to prebuild Cait's tower top cottage on the ground for later placement atop the elevator shaft.  Fortunately I caught the damage and Tab keyed out of the group select before making it a permanent mistake. 

The first three floors of the tower have a single floor panel with four heavy machine gun turrets defending one of the directions where enemies spawn at Starlight and as it turned out (after almost an hour's worth of struggling with it) Cait's cottage was too complex to Snap into place at the landing on the fourth level and needed to be rebuilt from scratch where I wanted it.

The wall facing the enemy spawn point of Cait's cottage was open air with three of the small guard posts so she could get in on the fun of attacks but in the end I had a change of mind.  Thinking the place was so nice I got greedy and decided to keep it to my self and dumped Cait into the general population.

I ended up assigning her to patrol a circuit of small ground level guard posts covering attack hot spots plus a bed in the barracks and set about mounting (in two locations leading to the cottage) electric switch doors to keep intruders out of my new private lair.  I installed and wired one electric door at floor #1 to block access to the elevator then a second electric door blocking access to floor #4 when getting off the elevator.

Considering it a job well done and after dragging Cait around for so long getting her affinity maxed I decided to make a solo run going back to the Rust Devil lair at the Fort Hagen satellite array to gather scrappable junk and weapons to top off the resources I'd burned through building the cottage topped gun tower at Starlight.

When I returned with my fresh haul of loot I first thought of checking in to see if Cait had settled in well but it was early evening (arriving back at Starlight) so I first went to a bed near the one I'd assigned Cait and grabbed a 10hr nap expecting to wake up to Cait's providing me with the Lover's Embrace perk.  When morning came Cait wasn't there.

I visited her three ground level guard posts and she was not at any of them nor was she making a patrol leading from one to another.  I figured I'd have to look up where Cait would return to if she wasn't assigned a settlement properly so I could drag her back.  Before setting off for my next bit of thrashing and scavenging I decided to pay a quick visit to admire once again my tower top lair and there was Cait.

She had fully taken possession of the cottage.  Somehow she'd switched her bed assignment as well as her guard post assignment to the three posts located on the cottage balcony.  Having slipped through my locked double door access she was standing there like red headed eagle keenly scanning the horizon for any sign of trouble and tossed me the greeting over shoulder "Where are we off to now my love?"

She lives there now.  I guess I'll keep her. 

[T.V.]

Then he abruptly drew his laser rifle and started shooting, and a red ID tag appeared above his head

Where You wearing PA when this happened?
If You wear PA with a Targeting HUD modified helmet, You might "piss off" some NPC's...:
http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Targeting_HUD#Bugs

[Art Blade]

cool, TV, I was thinking the same. Anything that detects targets may cause that type of weird glitches.

[Art Blade]

mandru, not sure whether I got that right but I read it that Cait wasn't your companion when you expected her to wake up next to you. Which a companion would have done what you were expecting. As far as I know, they only do that when not assigned anything because companions can't be assigned jobs. So they can erm, give you that companion perk.

And the rest, she being in your secured place, I suppose you didn't have any unused guard posts which is why you created three for her. So logically, she has no choice and the game beams her close to the guard posts you had assigned her to. And that is when she conquered your bed because she's too lazy to walk to a far-away bed.

[Art Blade]

fragger, deffo go for the Airship without meeting Danse first

[mandru]

Yes, Cait was dismissed and assigned to security At Starlight.  Long ago I likened Cait to a willful Cocker Spaniel.  Difficult to get her to obey and near impossible to keep her out of water if there's any nearby.  Which made the stint of getting her affinity maxed while she was equipped with non-swimming PA and the stealth skills of a frisky milk cow wearing several brass bells made this play through (with her in tow) pretty frustrating at times explaining my eagerness to place her at Starlight.

I'd read that there was a bad glitch that frequently occurs when there's more than one companion able to give Lover's Embrace present when the player sleeps in a settlement.  So while I may fly through and defend or build in a settlement occupied by a dismissed Lover's Embrace provider with another companion capable of the same perk I've never slept there with both present and tempted fate.

In my prior play  through I kept dismissed female companions (Cait, Piper, and the human Curie) that offer the Lover's Embrace perk (on awaking) at different settlements so that where ever is closest to one of the perk providers when I wanted to sleep I'd go to them and bed down near where they are assigned and (in my experience) have almost always received that boost even after dismissal.  Sleeping through the middle of the day while they are working their assignment is the only thing I can think of that may have thwarted that expectation.

Which was why I was surprised that I didn't get it from Cait as I described.

I know that companions can basically teleport to catch up with you if you get too far away but finding Cait back in the cottage in spite of two locked doors and an elevator also with the power turned off surprised me. 

[fragger]

T.V., good suggestion, but no, I was just wearing plain old Combat Armor over my Vault-Tec jumpsuit. I rarely use PA unless I know I'll be going into a particularly heavy fight, or some nasty place like the Glowing Sea, in which case I take a lead-lined suit.

Regarding the BoS turning aggro, kind of the opposite thing happened yesterday. From a bit of a distance I saw some BoS engaged with a trio of Gunners, and when viewed through V.A.T.S., the BoS guys had red tags above them. But after the last Gunner died, the BoS tags turned into friendly cyan (would have been green, but I changed my HUD colour). I was then able to hang out with them and talk, no probs. Maybe they turned friendly because I stayed out of the fight and didn't try to muscle in on their kills. It was odd that they were red to start with, though.

mandru, funny story, and thanks for the tip about group-movement of objects in WS mode I'm gonna have to try that - after a save, natch

I haven't gotten around to the airship yet because I'm still in the process of maxing out Curie's affinity and I want to meet up with the BoS without a companion in tow. Well, I could anyway, but I'd rather get Curie maxed out first. As soon as I've done that, I'll be off to the airport

[Art Blade]

might be fun to bring Curie. She's a synth and BoS hate them.

[fragger]

Actually, that's not a bad idea. I'll still wait until she's maxed though, but I think I'll try that and see what happens. Probably nothing except some disparaging remarks, if that.