Blackwater gripes

[Cartlord]

I like the idea of Blackwater! However, it does have some issues, and I'm just going to list the ones I notice. -Farm has ten units of cable coil, but the biogenerator requires six (five to wire the frame, plus one as part of the machine itself), so you can't make both machines. -There is not a supply of metal or glass for the autolathe, and they don't have a smelter, so they can only fuel it via Stupid Game Tricks(T.M.) or Salvaging. -The geckos in the gecko cave near the farm are too close to the barricaded cave entrance, so they can be aggro'd by anyone who walks near the barricades - potentially spelling death. -despite using potbelly stoves, they can only actually light them by either using the welder or by going through the effort to make cloth to make a handheld torch (since firebrands, matches crafted with planks, have seemingly been removed) -Blackwater's location is actually so out-of-the-way that it's more like a base than a town, since nobody really passes through there - as opposed to how Town on most servers is located in the center of the map, so everyone can get to it. This is pretty bad for roleplay, since nobody wants to go so far out of the way to a place that really doesn't have much to offer. -holy shit why are there so many geckos -Their bar doesn't have a soda OR booze dispenser, making it the worst bar on the map and giving even less reason for people to actually go there.

[JustLoveBeingAnOwl]

to he honest I'd also like to add how the blackwater general store is kinda at a severe disadvantage from the get go due to Kebab merchant having cargo. Yeah, yeah it's me just coping because I honestly main general store merchant and like building it up to be a little personal thing, but honestly it kinda sucks not being able to match up through selling hunting rifles and 10mm pistols to someone who can sell R91s and Wattz Rifles

[Cartlord]

I think one way to MAYBE make that better might be to take the trade point vendor out from under Kebab and move it to Blackwater, that way people have to either go there or to the far-east vendor to sell shit - it gives people more reason to go there, and can give their merchant their own way to get caps (since i don't think you can give them BOTH cargo)

[HanSolo1519]

Thank you for the feedback, I'll respond to these as I can.

Farm has ten units of cable coil, but the biogenerator requires six (five to wire the frame, plus one as part of the machine itself), so you can't make both machines.

That is an oversight as my part, though I will admit the seed machine is redundant (There's a seed grinder there already)

There is not a supply of metal or glass for the autolathe, and they don't have a smelter, so they can only fuel it via Stupid Game Tricks(T.M.) or Salvaging.

The crate behind the bars' stairs, right next to the shops' back door, has stacks of metal, glass and a bit of titanium and salvage to start with. Players are free to build bonfires to cook ore, however, making a full-fledged quarry/foundry with a proper ORM seemed a bit much. The main source of metal being salvaging seemed fitting for the prevalence of prospectors in FNV goodsprings.

The geckos in the gecko cave near the farm are too close to the barricaded cave entrance, so they can be aggro'd by anyone who walks near the barricades - potentially spelling death.

Oversight aswell, I'll see about throwing a rearward barricade and/or deepen the cave to stop the geckos from wandering so close to the entrance. Being forced to clear out geckos to start farming does feel pretty authentic to FNV.

despite using potbelly stoves, they can only actually light them by either using the welder or by going through the effort to make cloth to make a handheld torch (since firebrands, matches crafted with planks, have seemingly been removed)

I thought about this, every potbelly stove starts next to a matchbox and a supply of starting wood.

Blackwater's location is actually so out-of-the-way that it's more like a base than a town, since nobody really passes through there - as opposed to how Town on most servers is located in the center of the map, so everyone can get to it. This is pretty bad for roleplay, since nobody wants to go so far out of the way to a place that really doesn't have much to offer.

I am aware, however, I didn't want to encroach on kebab and the shitstorm that I'd catch from the nukapopers for a slapdash "Kebab revert, readds eastwood/oasis" PR, hence me birthing knockoff goodsprings from my very own loins. The existence of Blackwater as a side town does have the positive that it's not in the center of conflict (most of the time). You don't have bearbull™ erupting from both factions using the general store, since neither desire varmint rifles and cowboy hats. It exists as not as much of the main server hub, but for a zone for chill passive RP.

holy shit why are there so many geckos

lmao it's just two nests guarding some melee spawns in the cave, and one guarding the matrix for the meme. I'll totally see about making it not an issue for farmers randomly aggroing it though, as funny as it is.

Their bar doesn't have a soda OR booze dispenser, making it the worst bar on the map and giving even less reason for people to actually go there.

They do actually! There are boards (though not components) for both of those in the back inside a crate. I wanted the bartender to have to jump through a couple of hoops to get both as to not make it a carbon copy of the kebab bar. To compensate for this, I gave them bottles of every single booze and juice sprinkled between the bar and overflowing into crates outside. (alongside an industrial quantity of bottled beer and sasparilla)

to he honest I'd also like to add how the blackwater general store is kinda at a severe disadvantage from the get go due to Kebab merchant having cargo. Yeah, yeah it's me just coping because I honestly main general store merchant and like building it up to be a little personal thing, but honestly it kinda sucks not being able to match up through selling hunting rifles and 10mm pistols to someone who can sell R91s and Wattz Rifles

That is intentional. Kebab still has its' use in the grand scheme of things. Factions can come trade with the merchant, Church retains their gimmick while there is now a place for doctors that won't kill you outright. Blackwater's main point is as a spot for roleplayers (and mechanically, maybe, the fact you start with like 8 brahmin and extra wheat to make more)

Admittedly, the shop in BW did lose its niche when citizen loadouts got guaranteed guns (other than like the 30% chance to spawn with a police or .38 revolver). I may remove that so the store can go back to selling low tier guns to otherwise unarmed townies, then give the generic, otherwise armed roles (prospector, poacher and gambler) ammunition instead (Most merchants apparently don't know how to craft handloaded ammo)

The trade point vendor may be a good idea. Go to Blackwater to sell things, go to Kebab to buy things.

[JustLoveBeingAnOwl]

I appreciate you responding to these gripes and explaining them, as for the general store one, yeah I did have some good RP moments as Blackwater Store, and even if civilians have guns they're still typically just revolvers and not the rifles and such the store owns at the start, so I think general store still has a place in being an unofficial armory for the settlement.

I do like the idea of moving the trader to Blackwater, though, since people usually go to Kebab for the merchant itself or church's services anyways so it doesn't seem like a big effect on the town and it'll at least direct minor traffic Blackwater's way

[Cartlord]

Thank you very much for responding and correcting the things I got wrong, it shows you care. I apologize for getting the part about not having dispensers wrong - I didn't think to check every crate. As for not noticing the matchboxes, that's because the plank sprite totally covers them.

[HanSolo1519]

Oh yeah, the matchbox layer, I forgot to define that.

I'll add that to the list for when I get around to it, it won't be immediate (too busy IRL), but I do plan to get around to these issues eventually.

[Cartlord]

Thanks! Another issue I'm noticing is that many Settler loadouts have money stashes, despite you already spawning with one in your pack. There's also the part where the clinic has a duffel of low-grade tools, even though the lathe one building south can make all the regular medical tools (if memory serves).

[HanSolo1519]

Various amounts of extra cash. I used the existing settler/waster/raider caps stash subtypes since they already have random amounts of extra starter caps. Merchant gets a lot, bartender and gambler get a medium amount, and farmer gets little. I could go around and add subtypes of these subtypes with different names to make it obvious they contain caps, that might be worth doing, it is kinda scuffed as it is right now.

low grade tools are all renamed existing tools, except for maybe the straight razor. It's not a big issue.

[Cartlord]

Oh, I figured the tools were subtypes with reduced success chances or somethin'.

[Cartlord]

To provide a more succinct summary of my main issue with the town - Blackwater's far enough out of everyone's way that you have to go out of your way to be there, but there's nothing to actually GAIN by doing so due to how little it has going on, on top of the Settler role having no direction due to effectively being "Wastelander+" - not even having a faction ethos or a convenient gimmick to play into.

[Yobrocharlie]

Black water is extremely redundant