1 I just can't get interested in Fallout 4. Every time I play it, I end up loading up Fallout 3 so I can have some FUN paying Fallout.

2 Uptown Spot is actually pretty impressive.  It would not surprise me to see some very interesting artistic exploration with robots in the next decade or so.
I didn't get into Fallout, maybe starting with Fallout 4 was the wrong choice?

3 David, you can get Fallout 3: GOTY edition for $11.99 on steam right now.  For a game that good, it's a ridiculously low price... and yeah, it's a MUCH better game, I think, than F4.

4 I don't think I've ever had Preston Garvey as a companion. I spend most of my time avoiding him since puts "Cleanup on aisle 3" quests in my quest bucket.
The settlements are kind of fun once you get the hang of it, and they provide caps; quite a lot of caps if there is standing water. They do so directly as well as indirectly if you get the Local Leader perk. Depending on your crops they can also provide resources for crafting.
The reporter, the detective and the robot with the sexy sexy voice are actually fun, and the latter has an awesome questline associated with her. 
OTOH... You need to play the game a while to get to them though. (and the robot is not on anywhere near the main quest)
I think that despite its dumb as a box of hammers (and contra canon) storyline, Fallout 3 is much more fun at the beginning  and better designed for roaming and exploring. 

5 People.
People are why we can't have and enjoy nice things.

6 Fallout 4 has a good -game- in there. The shooting feels a lot more solid than in 3 or NV. The crafting works with my pack-rat instincts instead of against them; I'm picking up stuff and dismantling it to make more stuff and improve the stuff I have, not going with the same handful of cookie-cutter weapons because everything's lasted through 200 years of post-nuclear apocalypse just to fall apart as soon as I picked it up.
3 and NV are chock full of traps in character development - things that you COULD improve and put a lot of effort into, only to discover that you've created a high-level gimp that can't stand up to the tougher enemies that show up once you've increased your level. 4 mostly avoids this. Of course they did it through simplification, but it works.

Shame about the story, though. (Although the story in 3 was crap too!) And I don't really like the Mass Effect conversation wheels. Since 80-90% of them don't have any effect, why are you putting in the choices? I don't need a "but thou must" response - if I'm going to be on the rail anyway, just take me there, don't ask me to steer the train!

The trick to enjoying 4 is to quit worrying about the stupid procedural busywork. There's no point running the quests when Preston says "hey, do this", or saving a settlement every time they stub a toe. Strap on a suit of power armor (another thing 4 did very well) and go explore and kill stuff.

7 Av, I kind of agree with you about F4's Power Armor.  The armor itself, yes, much better than in F3.
But in F3, Power Armor felt like an accomplishment, something you worked towards.  When you finally got a set, you knew you were something badass indeed.
In F4, you get a set during your very first quest.  From then on you can't swing a dead mirelurk without hitting a new set of power armor.  I just reached Level 9 with my character, and she's got SIX FULL SETS standing in the baby's room.  I think I stashed another set somewhere too, but I can't remember where. 

8 While playing Fallout 4, I often found myself wishing I could transport my character to Skyrim and go questing in that world instead.

-j

9 Count your blessings J.

10 I've seen that before... I so wanted Liberty Prime to show up to take on the dragon.

11 By the way, I just got invited to the WoWS New Carrier beta test. First reaction? Still not thrilled with it.

12 What's the difference, Mauser?