NPCs are generally regarded as mentally challenged, but they still can do things : from what have seen they can choose the best weapon and they pick up stuff on the ground.
At this point in the devlopment what can they do by themselves ? Can they feed themselves ? Can they reload their filter/gas/hazmat mask ? Can they dress themselves ? etc …
If they have food and drink in their inventory they will consume it when needed, or if you have them guard a spot they will tend to their own needs without needing to give them resources. I think if you allow them to pick stuff up they will eventually grab weapons and clothes and will swap to it, if it’s better than what they currently have on. Couldn’t tell you about reloading their masks, never bothered to give them one, always assumed they would be just fine breathing in smoke and other fun pathogens, they do absorb radiation however.
If you ask nicely they’ll read you bedtime stories and cuddle you on the couch in a totally platonic way since you’re both monster faced freaks.
I want to know if I can install my spare CBMs on them. I’m sitting on a scrooge mcduckian pile of the damn things that I dont know what to do with.
You can install some passive CBMs into them with an Autodoc. Check the description on the CBM, it will say if you can install it into your NPC or not.
I basically use them as decoys and meatshields. Until the great NPC AI overhaul happens, they are really too dumb to be of much use for anything else. Well, I guess they (can) assist you when crafting if they have the skill(s).
Bit late to the party, but the wild ones are basically just good for getting eaten by things and occasionally mugging you with a steak knife.
Or burning down the neighborhood you were about to loot…
Or the refugee centre! I was really mad when that happened…
I know you can use the NPCs in your party to start a camp and use them like that. NPCs also refuse to fire weapons at a human character unless they are within a certain area. They will also use mutagen if they are that kind of character(slime mutated NPCs will look for more) they don’t have pain when not in your party(this is more noticeable in hostile NPCs) and don’t have moral either. They can be set at guard but be careful with that as one they can die when left alone and two they might run after that fleeing dog because fleeing is apparently a hostile setting for enemies. NPCs will also take damage more often than not to their arms and legs before anywhere else if they are hostile(not sure why) and NPCs will steal all the shot out of your house. Also they don’t despawn or leave your area outside of your reality bubble they will just stop at that point(helpful if you get a quest from one and he runs off).
All in all NPCs can be useful as they add another friendly attack turn so against a horde it’s another salvo before they get to move which might just save your ass.
How are hordes btw? I’ve never tried them. Would my tank be a good distraction while I pillage nearby buildings? Right now I usually just drive to wherever I plan to scavenge, honk the horn and let the 4 lascannon turrets service the locals until they quit showing up. I’ve only had to break out the big guns once, when I turbolasered a playground packed wall to wall with evolved zombie children until the pavement glowed.
Oooooh can you inject allied NPCs with serums? In addition to the flu shots, cybernetics, and power armor I’ve been hoarding, I’ve got the recipes for Prime and Medical serums.
And right now NPCs don’t know how to retreat either, so they apparently know no fear, which means…
Without hordes enabled the game is ridiculously easy, they do a good job at cranking up the difficulty and make it so that you can’t just camp in a perfectly cleared reality bubble next to town lest the horde comes knocking on your door. I highly recommend to anyone has got the hang of playing the game to turn them on.
Only of they trust you enough (which usually requires you to a good deed for them, like running through a giant town to rescue their pet dog).
Sadly, NPC’s refuse to wear power armor because they deem it too encumbering. Currently they would rather charge at a horde naked than even consider equipping any kind of power armor.
What about RM-13 Combat Armor? I’ve got 3 suits of that.
I forgot how encumbering RM-13 Combat Armor is so I can’t say for sure but I think it isn’t encumbering enough for them to reject it. Although even if they can wear it I’m pretty sure they aren’t smart enough to be able to turn it on/off.
You can just toggle it before you give it to them, and check every now and then to see if they need a refill.
Thats an option too, although IIRC that thing eats plutonium like there is no tomorrow. So you will probably be refilling it regularly.
With the Salvaged Robots mod, plutonium is EVERYWHERE. You get 10 cells (full charge) by disassembling an integrated reactor from a single robot.
Whoops forgot about that mod. Then I guess you can send an army of NPC’s in fully powered RM-13 Combat Armor to take out almost any threat. I should probably try that mod now 
Yep. I’ve got a military bunker with an Autodoc in it which I’m packing full of supplies for my future NPC army. I currently have enough weapons and ammo to conquer a small country if I only had the manpower. Planning to supplement it with robots too, got a bunch of manhacks I’ve disabled with the Directional EMP CBM, among other things.
In preparation for Horde Mode, I’m planning to renovate the bunker entrance into a killbox and line it with turrets, among other things. On that point, a couple of questions:
1.) Can I lock NPC’s in a perimeter around the building with a pulley door, and build a sandbag wall to let them shoot out, while prevent them from charging after enemies? Or will they try to path to the nearest area or doorway and act retarded?
2.) Do you know if you can build and fill a moat? Like with concentrated acid or something? Will NPC’s try to avoid it?
3.)Will allied NPCs avoid landmines I’ve planted? Will landmines set off other landmines? I have a couple hundred of the things that I could plant around the perimeter after I burn down the surrounding foliage to allow for clear lines of sight.
Hordes can be anywhere from nonthreat to OH DEAR MOTHER OF GOD WE ARE DOOMED. That and any enemy in game has a horde even animals to a limited degree at least according to the debug information on them. Also they are determined based on the size of the letter so a small z is like 10 zombies a huge flickery bold one could have hundreds. Also hordes make forestry impossible as chopping a tree makes so much noise that you can hear it from halfway around the map apparently as I was chopping trees and a horde of boomers hulks hazmat zombies and necromancers walk onto shore from the town across the way which was out side the reality bubble by a good bit so hordes can be a bit too dangerous depending on what you do. Also they spawn more based on city size and spawn levels so cranking the spawn all the way up and the cities are filled and hordes are massive.
