Fallout – How to enable Survival Mode in Fallout 1.4 Patch

I have noticed this as well, and I have (more or less) proof: Try to uncap frame rate and enter a new area. The loading time will be significantly lower. As OP says, when capped to 60fps, the loading screen (and its animation) will be much slower and wait so you have time to read the tips. Uncapped, it's almost impossible to read.

The reason for this is because the game speed is related directly to frame rate in this engine, which means going 120fps will double effective game speed. Since the loading screen itself is a very simple animation, it can reach 240+ fps easily, resulting in lower loading times.

Of course, the the same is also true for regular gameplay: NOT capping the game to 60fps will sometimes suddenly make the game speed up and make certain mini-games (like the lockpicking one) a lot more difficult. It's a shame we can't have both, but it seems we're stuck with either unnecessarily long loading times, or sped-up gameplay.

Hopefully, someone will mod this out as soon as possible.

Patch 1.4 has changed how defending settlements against attacks works (even if slightly). You will now receive a notification showing the result of the attack if you decide not to participate in the battle. I usually participate in all battles so I have yet to see a notification like this.

I was once stuck in the middle of a long quest when Sanctuary got attacked, I received the FAILED message (this was pre 1.4) approximately 1 hour after the attack began, so could this be the standard?

I also never use fast travel as, in my opinion, I make many more discoveries and pick up tons more valuable loot when moving along the map myself. And as I said, the only times I miss settlement battles is if I'm stuck in a long quest.

By the way, I have 14 settlements so far, all with 80+ happiness. Just make sure you're producing enough resources (food, water) and have enough beds and turrets and the settlement should grow nicely without much intervention on your part. Make sure they are all connected with Supply Lines so you can share building materials between them in case you do have to stop by and build more beds, crops etc...

Don't forget that you can check on your settlements using the PipBoy in the DATA section under WORKSHOPS I believe (although it is a little buggy at the moment, it will give you an overview of what needs fixing and where).

Settlements are a great part of the game in my opinion, they give you places across the map to dump your junk, fill up on purified water (excess water produced will end up in your workshop) and when Survival Mode gets released, you'll have save points as you will only be able to save progress when sleeping in an owned bed.