Not only by a border (marked a glowing green "wall") on the z and x axis is your settlement limited,
but also by an invisible wall in y (height) direction.

And most importantly by a part count.
I will referee to this by build or base points.

If you run out of those (bar in upper left is yellow and full) you wont be able to build anything else than power lines (only the cables, nothing else)


Glowing in your menu color (or in your pipboy color when in powersuit) means you can place it.
Glowing red means, you can't.


Boundary:
You can place things even if they partly out of the boundary as long as they mostly within.






All parts can be rotated by using the keys F and G or RT and LT (gamepad).
All parts keep their orientation relative to the camera (unless manually rotated) if you turn 180° so does the object.
All parts can be brought closer or further away by placing them somewhere and then picking them up again when you in a different distance to them.

Snap in:
Once you placed a structure it will create a virtual grid sufficient parts will snap in on to that part.[short video here]
If they are not try changing perspective. Or use one of the tips/workarounds in the sections below.

Turns out most parts are indestructible (Was fun running around the base wit a fat man and in god mode blowing ♥♥♥♥ up) with only a few exceptions. Walls however might let explosion damage through.

Destructible:

• Traps, but only through triggering.
  
• Turrets
  
• Generators (things that produce electricity)
  
• Water "generators" (things that produce water)
  
• Shops
  
• Crops. I wasn't able to, but seems crops can be broken, too (had some after an attack)

Only those can break and have to be repaired afterwards.
Though those facilities will slowly heal themselves. If situation is not dire (yet) you might leave them be. I noticed different self heal speed, but dunno what the difference causes.

Be aware that you cant jump while looking at something you can attach a wire onto, since that key is shared with jumping. You also can't jump while connecting a cable for same reason.

Building with gamepad can be actually be more easy, since you have finer control over your movement speed.

The AI sometimes has "their own ideas" of buildings (you see larger groups of NPCs not only assemble but constantly bumping into a wall trying to pass through).
Best solution often is when things don't work out (AI refuses to use the door where you build it) to build a (/ the) entrance where the AI wants to pass through.


Unfortunately the sorting of parts is not the best. And the functions are not as obvious as they should or seem.
You will find my part list near the end.

Before you start the first thing is save your game.
(Don't use quicksave, though. These are save we want to be able to go back any time. If you only quicksave you overwrite it each time making the undo impossible).
It is always a good idea to save often and many but even more in this case.

Remember what the name it got (so you can find it in need) or even better save while looking at the place you want to build it. Make sure you have the full view of that place and just don't stare at a wall.

Because you might go back there and start over once you got used to it ... or some ideas you had didn't worked out. That way you did not waste any material in process.

The 2nd thing you want to do is getting out of you power armor if you are wearing one. This thing make you movements more clunky. And make sure you don't park it where you want to build.

Make sure you save every time something feel like it works out really good, too. And don't forget to make the view so that it describes you building site.

Ok, now walk around ... and have a good 2nd look at your property in build mode.
Scrap all trees and broken fences.

You can scrap anything else if you want to, too.

But be careful when you scrap any furniture! If they have items int it you will not get those! They are lost then.
You also might want to keep some of them (some can't be moved, though. Even if you actually can build similar) for later use. Like chairs and benches. Which the AI seem to need. [citation needed]

Be beware that anything you can remove / scrap and don't will add to your base build points.

Don't forget to save after you done (and in middle, too just for good measures)

[to be done. sorry, But I am doing the part list first ... and I am not near half way through there]

Each part uses different build points, however I do not know how much each individual part uses only that metal walls need more than wood walls. (or at least those I usually use)
I will need your help to find out which part uses how many points.

Ready made, not much else to say to them. (I personally don't like them very much).
The consists at least out of a floor, a roof and walls (or pillars instead).
Some can be used as part of own buildings, up to ready to use shacks.

1. Structures:
   1. Wood:
      1. Prefabs:
         see above
         
      2. Floors:
         All floors are snapping onto other floors and walls.
         
         1. 
            Shack Floor (Nr.1):
            Normal floor. Size 2 x 2. Can be placed directly on ground and other structures given that there isn't something blocking the object.
            
            
            
         2. 
            Shack Floor (Nr.2):
            Only difference to Nr.1 is a different design. Not confirmed if there is or isn't a different collision box.
            
            
            
            
            
         3. Shack Foundation (Nr.1):
            Serves as a 2x2 floor. Can be place up to 1 wall height above ground. Good to be used to close uneven building grounds. and to wall off areas that normally couldn't be walled of because they are to uneven.
            
            
         4. Shack Foundation (Nr.2):
            Difference to Nr.1 is that it uses pillars instead of solid concrete. that makes it possible that settlers (or other NPCs can walk through). Also less expensive.
            
            
            
            
         5. 
            Shack Stairwell:
            Connects two levels on a 2 x 2 space. On upper side it snaps onto floors, roofs, and walls. On lower side it behaves like every other floor.
            
            
            
            
         6. 
            Shack upper floor:
            It is a roof floor combination and practical for a lot of building purposes. More expensive in terms of build points than a single floor. Snaps additional (to it normal floor behavior) also onto roofs, and on top of walls (like a roof). Size 2x2.
            
         7. 
            Shack Floor small (Nr.1)
            Normal floor. Size 1 x 1. Can be placed directly on ground and other structures given that there isn't something blocking the object.
            
            
            
         8. 
            Shack Floor small (Nr.2)
            Only difference to Nr.1 is a different design. Not confirmed if there is or isn't a different collision box.
            
            
            
            
         9. 
            Shack Floor small (Nr.3)
            Only difference to Nr.1 is a different design. Not confirmed if there is or isn't a different collision box.
            
            
            
            
         10. 
             Shack Floor small (Nr.4)
             Only difference to Nr.1 is a different design. Not confirmed if there is or isn't a different collision box.
             
             
             
             
         11. 
             Shack Floor small (Nr.5)
             Only difference to Nr.1 is a different design. Not confirmed if there is or isn't a different collision box.
      3. Walls:
         All walls snap onto other walls (but only if they are going in same direction), onto floors, and onto roofs.
         
      
      

Sometimes Search Lights don't show the light even is they are working.

Fix: move light or disconnect power (turn off near switch or generator for a short moment.)

Self healed turrets might move even if they don't have power. (laser and such)

Fix: move turret

When outside of a settlement they might show false values. If you haven't got a message that you have to help defend a base, then it is probably false.

Fix: ignore it or visit location

Note: If for once the numbers are right and you really have no, or almost no defense, then attacks of raiders might worsen the situation.

In Pipboy exclamation marks can be "sticky" . They show up when the settlement above or below had one, too and you where looking on that before.

Fix: ignore it or look on a different settlement first (one without a exclamation mark)

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
This Guide by Heiko Misselwitz aka. BiZZ Keryear is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.[creativecommons.org]

Special thanks to:

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