[2020] Are Bandits and Friendly NPCS still planned?

Still planned. Will be a key component to the story.

I meant story. As in there will be an actual main questline with a plot, and a full story.

The premise as I currently understand it is that you pissed off the casino boss, and he's kicked you out on your ass. Basically the casino boss and the bandits are the "bad guys", and then the other survivors are neutral/good. Traders are mostly out for themselves, but will likely have quests that tie into the story and support the settlements.

I believe the "win" situations will resolve to establishing peace between the factions, or destroying the casino boss and his army of bandits. Don't quote me on that though as this last bit is just me speculating based on bits and pieces I've seen over the years.

Only the Pimps know how they plan it currently. We've just been fed bits and pieces of it over the years. Plans can change too, so we'll see how it comes together when it actually happens.