Timberborn News

The Experimental Branch is generating lots of feedback, and we thank you for that. Please keep it coming! Today, we’re fixing several bugs reported by our players while also making some other minor changes.



[h2]Misc.[/h2]

• Gravity Battery’s model was updated. It is no longer stackable as it allowed for some slightly too funky setups.
  
• Water Dump can now be placed under platforms.
  
• When saving the game, you can now browse earlier saves, for example to overwrite them easily.
  
• Settlement Panel icons are now highlighted when under the cursor.
  
• Need tooltips now update real-time.
  
• Added and updated several golem animations.
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Engine now correctly charges up Gravity Batteries when there’s no energy consumption in the network.
  
• Shrine’s flame no longer disappears after clicking the building.
  
• When trying to place an attraction in an unavailable area, AoE for all other attractions of that type is now still displayed.
  
• Fixed a bug with status icons always appearing in front of fire particle effects regardless of the actual distance from the camera.
  
• Updated the Numbercruncher’s model to lower the poly count.
  
• Fixed the not-so-great beaver colliders, making it easier to click them for example in a Medical Bed.
  
• Golem Haulers no longer misplace their backpacks.
  
• A beaver’s overall well-being is now correctly calculated.
  
• Fixed a bug that resulted in incorrectly calculated swimming speed.
  
• Medical Beds can no longer be prioritized by haulers.
  
• Injured beavers that are already resting in a Medical Bed no longer display the “Injured” status icon.
  
• Fixed a bug with the migration panel not updating correctly.
  
• A pop-up window used to rename a unit or a district now allows typing right away.
  
• Sliders in Settings no longer reset their position after clicking a different button.
  
• Switching a recipe in a building no longer causes its panels to temporarily break.
  
• Fixed several other minor visual issues across the UI.
  
• Fixed the visual bug with the water shader.
  

Hello everyone!

Today, we’re addressing two popular requests - to add the in-game batteries (with a lumberpunk twist!) and to make migrations between districts easier to handle. We are also tweaking some of the Update 2 content you already know. You’ll find the patch notes below, right after a little musical treat.



If you missed our special segment at the Save & Sound music festival, fret not. Here it is - a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Timberborn’s soundtrack and the world premiere of “The Shores of Beaver Bay”, a lumberpunk sea shanty recorded by Timberborn players and devs.

Spoiler: we like the song so much we’ll add it to the in-game credits (no ETA yet).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



[h2]Gravity batteries[/h2]
Wouldn’t it be cool to store the excess energy your settlement produces and then release it once the power consumption reaches its peak? Our beavers thought just that and after tinkering with the solutions for a moment, they borrowed came up with the idea for gravity batteries.

• New building: Gravity Battery (40 planks, 40 gears, 10 metal blocks; Solid; capacity depends on how high it is above the ground). The battery’s load automatically lifts using energy surplus and then lowers to release its stored energy back to the network.
  

[h2]Migration Panel[/h2]
We want to make districts easier to use, and the new tab in the Settlement Panel helps a lot in that area.

• New tool: Migration Panel. This panel allows you to manipulate population numbers for adult beavers, kits, and golems in all (or some) districts. You can set desired minimums as well as manually change the current numbers, all in one place.
  
• The game will try to keep the desired balance without you having to make manual adjustments.
  
• District Center button for migration now redirects to the Migration Panel.
  

[h2]Building changes[/h2]
The Water Jet’s role was not very intuitive, so we’re replacing it with a turbocharged version of a Shower. Also, Numbercruncher’s model should now be more appealing.

• New building: Double Shower (10 logs, 1 plank; 2 slots; Iron Teeth-exclusive). Not only does this version fit two beavers at once but also its pipe is 6-tiles long.
  
• Water Jet was removed from the game.
  
• Numbercruncher has a new look that’s also more appropriate to its current role.
  
• Power-generating buildings no longer animate based on the power grid’s efficiency (which was the most visually jarring in Power Wheels turning slooowly).
  

[h2]New player experience[/h2]
Here’s a small batch of tweaks to make the beginnings a little easier.

• Increased the number of carrots required in the “Plant some carrots” tutorial step from 70 to 100.
  
• Changed the default Farmhouse action to planting.
  
• Broken Teeth status now starts to trigger after an increased number of cut trees.
  
• Updated several tutorial tips.
  
• Updated the presentation of effects granted by satisfied needs.
  

[h2]Balance[/h2]
Injuries are fun until they are not.

• Medicine now only takes 1 hour to create, requires 1 Dandelion, and the recipe has an output of 2 units.
  
• Increased Healer's storage capacity.
  
• Lowered the chance of receiving an Injury by 50% across all workplaces.
  

[h2]Misc.[/h2]

• Updated the presentation of resource consumption in buildings.
  
• It is now possible to empty a Medical Bed’s storage to free up some Medicine.
  
• Updated the Builders’ Hut description.
  
• Updated Control Tower's description.
  
• Added maximum depth information to Shower descriptions.
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Icons for buildings that are flooded and in need of water are now different.
  
• It is now possible to choose the Control Tower’s bonus boost by clicking anywhere in the boost’s line, not just on the button.
  
• Fixed a bug with attractions (including Charging Stations) connected to the Engine that wouldn’t accept visitors.
  
• Golems in the Settlement Panel are now correctly sorted alphabetically.
  
• Fixed a rare crash.
  
• Fixed the Medical Bed’s lights.
  
• Fixed the Medical Bed’s construction preview.
  
• Fixed a bug with beavers not distributing the Medicine to Medical Beds.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Beaver Statue and Roof 2x3 not providing their bonuses.
  
• It is no longer possible to ascend to the state of over 100% Adulthood.
  
• An animation of a beaver sleeping or resting in a Medical Bed is no longer PEGI-18 while the game is sped up.
  

Hello!

Big thanks to everyone who shared their opinion about golems in Update 2! Today, we’re making several changes to address your feedback. We also have the second batch of the new content, this time related to the needs system. But before you order an overheated beaver…





It’s a good moment for a follow-up to our developer’s log. Let us explain why we’ve decided to torment your already miserable-at-times beavers with more negative effects.

• It’s a tool to counterbalance overpowered mechanics, both existing ones and those that we will introduce in the future. Before, we had to shelve many cool ideas that, without any way to nerf them, could ruin the game’s difficulty curve.
  
• Keeping your beavers starved or dehydrated used to be a good strategy to reduce food and water consumption - and you could fix an excessive hunger with a few carrots. It did not have any bad consequences, except perhaps on the player’s conscience.
  
• Similarly, extended lack of sleep or shelter now meaningfully affects beavers’ behaviour. With overheating in place, droughts become a deeper threat that’s harder to ignore.
  
• The ability to add negative effects allows us to expand existing features when it makes sense, for example by adding stinging bees to Beehives, broken teeth for lumberjacks, and work injuries of varying likelihood and severity in workplaces.
  
• At the same time, we have another area where we can add more raw, lore-friendly content - such as teeth grinders, dandelions, medical beds, and healer huts.
  

We hope you'll like what we're adding today. Please let us know what you think!





[h2]Temporary statuses and where to find them[/h2]
You have already seen certain temporary statuses thanks to the addition of golems. Now, we’re expanding this system to cover the post-apocalyptic fate of regular beavers, too.

• New status: Overheated. After spending too much time in the heat of drought, beavers suffer from a heatstroke (read: -10% working speed and -10% walking speed).
  
• New status: Wet fur. For some time after leaving the water, beavers gain a 5% increased walking speed as well as immunity to Overheating.
  
• New status: Bee sting. Bees from Beehives will now sometimes sting nearby beavers which results in the beaver feeling unhappy, thanks to its swollen face.
  
• New status: Broken teeth. Lumberjacks will now occasionally break teeth, reducing their effectiveness. The more trees they cut, the more likely it is to happen.
  
• Every few hours, all beavers working in factories have a chance of receiving an Injury (a temporary status that had already been inflicted by exploding golems). Injuries decrease walking speed by 50% and cause the beaver to refuse to work until healed. The chance of receiving and the duration of a received injury differ between workplaces.
  

[h2]Temporary statuses - countermeasures[/h2]
Alright, alright, we don’t want your beavers to just suffer!

• New building: Shower (Folktails-only, 1 slot). Thanks to its long pipe submerged in water, this thing makes your beavers wet even if they’re working well above the water surface. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
  
• New building: Water Jet (Iron Teeth-only, 1 slot). Installed directly in water, this compact attraction ensures your beavers stay in water for a longer period of time.
  
• New building: Teeth Grindstone (1 slot). Beavers visit this to sharpen their broken teeth while hoomans squirm at a thought of how this torture device works.
  
• New building: Medical Bed (1 slot). Injured beavers go here to be healed. And if you have an access to Medicine, it is super effective!
  
• New building: Healer (1 worker). A good doctor working here produces and distributes Medicine to beavers resting on Medical Beds.
  
• New resource: Dandelion. Found in the wild or grown by Foresters, and cut by Gatherers. Used as the primary Medicine ingredient.
  

[h2]Needs system rework - cont’d[/h2]
Food and Water (previously: Thirst and Hunger) were updated in the initial Update 2 release, now Sleep and Shelter get a similar treatment.

• Sleep and Shelter can now also reach negative values.
  
• Sleep-deprived beavers fall unconscious when the bar reaches its minimum value. (It works the same as it used to, but it’s now consistent with other “bidirectional” needs).
  
• Shelter no longer provides any stat boost when fulfilled.
  
• With Shelter below 0, beavers suffer from -20% Life Expectancy. Base life expectancy has been increased, so if Shelter is above 0, the average lifespan remains the same.
  
• Beaver needs that had a boring “no effect” tooltip have received short descriptions.
  
• Needs are no longer equal in the wellbeing scores - harder-to-fulfil needs give more wellbeing.
  
• Wellbeing score required to unlock the Iron Teeth has been adjusted but still requires a similar amount of progress.
  
• Need bars now have a small area that’s always displayed to better communicate that the need has a non-zero value.
  

[h2]Control Tower[/h2]
Yeah, the first Control Tower turned out pretty bland. We’re giving it an ability to add a specific AoE boost instead of being a simple SP sink and a “do Cogheads in this area suck” check.

• Control Towers now allow you to pick a specific work speed boost (to Construction, Cooking, Woodworking, Metalworking, Assembly, Farming, and Forestry). The boost applies to all Cogheads operating in range (on top of the Tower’s regular bonus).
  
• Activating that secondary boost costs between 1 and 2 extra SP per hour, depending on the boost.
  

[h2]Balance[/h2]
Everybody loves playing with numbers!

• Workplaces now only consume energy while actually operating.
  
• Engine will no longer consume logs while there’s a zero need for energy in the connected power grid.
  
• Disposal Facility’s capacity is now 5 times larger.
  
• Broken golems will no longer leave the Disposal Facility or the Maintenance Station when these buildings become unoperational.
  
• Changed Barrelbots’ lifespan to 70 days.
  
• Broken golems now wander for 2 days instead of 1, which should lower the rate of spontaneous explosions.
  
• Golem wreckage now disappears faster.
  
• Lowered base Control Tower cost from 2 to 1 Science Points per hour.
  
• Adjusted Inventor and Observatory output numbers slightly to get rid of decimals.
  
• Engine now uses 0.2 logs per hour, down from 1, and its internal storage has been lowered to 10 logs. (Translation: the full storage now sustains the engine for 2 days, up from 1).
  
• Increased the weight of Scrap Metal from 9 to 11.
  
• Increased the weight of Golem Chassis from 10 to 11.
  

[h2]Iron Teeth science production changes[/h2]
Costs related to the Numbercruncher were too high so we’re tweaking them… but we’re taking it one step further. To further differentiate the factions, we’ve removed the Observatory from the Iron Teeth building pool and pushed the more-effective and worker-less Numbercruncher to be available at a similar stage.

• Observatory can no longer be built by Iron Teeth.
  
• Numbercruncher now uses 500 HP, down from 1000,
  
• Numbercruncher’s SP unlock costs is now 1500, down from 10000.
  
• Numbercruncher’s building cost has been reduced to 30 planks, 100 gears, and 25 metal blocks.
  
• Numbercruncher’s SP output has been lowered from 12 to 10 per hour.
  

[h2]Model changes[/h2]
When creating the new buildings, we missed our chance to add more stackability to the game. We’re making some fixes today, and we’ll be more mindful of that in the future. Also, you can now better see how the wasteland life treats your beavers.

• Golem Part Factory (both factions) received a new, stackable model.
  
• Golem Factory models (both factions) have been updated to allow easier clustering and shaft connecting.
  
• Added some heart-wrenching visuals to beavers suffering from pollution, injuries, broken teeth, or those stung by bees. Yes, more than one effect can apply. F
  

[h2]Misc.[/h2]

• All included maps have been updated to feature wild dandelions.
  
• Beavers and golems are now always able to carry at least one good, even if it exceeds their maximum carrying capacity. If it does, they will move slower.
  
• Implemented several new sounds for golems and their buildings.
  
• Cleaned up the order of ingredients displayed in buildings.
  
• Added a new “Swimming speed” bonus, currently provided by Lido.
  
• “Water handling speed” is no longer used when calculating swimming speed.
  
• “Advanced production” has been renamed “Assembly”.
  
• Each “X efficiency” bonus has been renamed “X speed” (for example: “Cooking efficiency” became “Cooking speed”) to be consistent with the universal “Work speed” bonus.
  
• “Strength” bonus has been renamed “Carrying capacity”.
  
• Some older tooltips, notifications, and status texts have been cleaned up.
  
• Added an additional tooltip to better explain why it’s impossible to migrate the population.
  
• Updated the Beaver/Golem switch and several other elements across the UI.
  
• ISpecificationService has been added. If you’re a modder, you may know what this means.
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Fixed framerate drops caused by marking tress for cutting.
  
• Fixed several weird golem behaviours.
  
• Floodgates can now be synchronized in the Construction site stage.
  
• It is now possible to pause the Numbercruncher without pulling the plug.
  
• The productivity of paused buildings is now correctly calculated.
  
• After you dispose of all your golems in the settlement, you can now switch back to beavers on buildings that used to be set to golems.
  
• Fixed a bug with trees getting their preview and regular models blended together, as well as some other minor visual bugs.
  
• Fixed a broken animation of a broken golem.
  
• The farming speed bonus no longer applies to kits.
  
• Fixed an incorrect warning on flooded Breeding Pods.
  
• Fixed a rare game crash.
  
• Charging Station now correctly appears in the Population Panel.
  
• Fixed a bug with golem wreckage resetting its remaining duration upon saving and loading the game.
  

Hello everyone!

Starting today, you get to test the next big thing in Timberborn - the mechanized beavers, a.k.a. golems. If you want to know more about how they came to be, why we’re adding them, and what else is coming with Update 2, read Developer’s Log #5: Golems first.

If you need a refresher on how to play on Experimental Branch, check this thread.





Update 2 adds an entirely new in-game system and with the reworked needs, this might turn the balance upside down (hi, Vecna). Please start a new game and share your opinion! During the Update's experimental phase, expect us to make numerous changes based on feedback from players.

[h2]Golems - general notes[/h2]
Golems are super-efficient mechanized beavers that perform most duties of regular beavers. Faction-specific features and buildings are described further below.

• New dweller type: golem. Golems work at all available workplaces with an exception of Inventor, Observatory, and Power Wheel. Golems are not affected by working hours and regular needs but they need to be manufactured and taken care of.
  
• Only select workplaces are available to golems right from the start. The rest needs to be unlocked with Science Points.
  
• Windows and entrances of buildings where golems are employed light up in light blue rather than normal yellow.
  
• New building: Golem Parts Factory (1 worker, powered). It uses faction-specific recipes to produce Limbs, Chassis, and Heads. Iron Teeth also have access to a Golem Repair Kit recipe.
  
• New building: Golem Factory (2 workers, powered). Assembles a golem from 4 Limbs, 1 Chassis, and 1 Head.
  
• New hazard: if golems are not properly maintained or disposed of, they will explode and leave behind wreckage that negatively affects beavers and other golems walking by.
  

[h2]Golems - Folktails[/h2]
Barrelbots are limited-lifespan golems that help Folktails with their favourite jobs so that their chonky overlords can spend more time enjoying life in the wasteland.

• New golem type: Barrelbot (+25% Farming efficiency, +25% Cooking efficiency; +25% walking speed when wet and for some time after leaving water).
  
• When a Barrelbot’s durability drops to zero, it starts wandering around before exploding and leaving dangerous wreckage.
  
• New building: Biofuel Refinery (2 workers). Creates Biofuel from Carrots, Sunflower seeds, Potatoes, or Spadderdock seeds.
  
• New building: Biofuel Tank (unmanned). Barrelbots stop here to refuel.
  
• New building: Disposal Facility (1 worker, powered). Recycles expiring Barrelbots before they explode. You regain some resources in the process.
  

[h2]Golems - Iron Teeth[/h2]
Cogheads aid the Iron Teeth in hard industrial labour. Properly maintained, they will do that indefinitely, but their delicate metal parts require carefully planned out areas of operation.

• New golem type: Coghead (+25% Woodworking efficiency, +25% Metalworking efficiency; -25% walking speed when in water and for some time after leaving water).
  
• When a Coghead’s durability drops to zero, it starts wandering around before exploding and leaving dangerous wreckage.
  
• New building: Control Tower (unmanned, uses SP to operate). Allows Cogheads in range to operate efficiently. Outside of the Tower’s range, Cogheads suffer from -75% Working speed and -75% Walking speed.
  
• New building: Charging Station (1 slot, powered). Cogheads need to visit this building to be wound up.
  
• New building: Maintenance Station (1 worker, powered). Using repair kits produced at Golem Parts Factory, Stations restore Cogheads’ durability and prevent them from exploding.
  

[h2]Science Points[/h2]
In addition to implementing multiple Science Points consuming unlocks, we’re adding new ways of generating SP.

• New building: Numbercruncher (Iron Teeth-only; unmanned, powered). Running endless calculations to predict all 14,000,605 post-apocalyptic beaver futures, this automated structure generates SP for everyone to enjoy.
  
• New recipe in the Mine (Folktails-only). Instead of digging up hooman junk, Folktails can search for underground traces of human civilization, learning a lot and earning SP.
  

[h2]Needs rework, part 1[/h2]
As explained in the Developer’s Log, what you see below is just a part of a larger update. We’ll deploy further changes, new statuses, and related buildings onto the experimental branch later. Also, we’re aware that today’s changes may result in a difficulty spike, especially if you load a pre-patch game in progress, so be prepared, start a new game, and share your feedback!

• Hunger and Thirst needs have been renamed Food and Water, respectively.
  
• Food and Water needs can now reach negative values which are displayed on the new bidirectional status bars. The longer a need remains unsatisfied, the longer it takes to recover.
  
• When Food and Water needs are below 0, negative effects kick in. Hungry beavers suffer from lower carrying capacity and work speed, and thirsty beavers both work and walk slowly. Extensive periods of hunger and thirst still result in death.
  
• The “Work Speed” bonus is now split into general Work Speed (increasing all work speed) and separate “X Efficiency” bonuses, applying only to a certain group of jobs (for example, Woodworking).
  
• Building panels now contain information about which effect (for example: Cooking efficiency increased by Roofs) affects that building’s operations.
  

[h2]Balance[/h2]
We’ve tweaked some numbers, and we’ll tweak more after we hear your golem- and needs-related feedback.

• Gear Workshop: Gears now take 3 hours to make, instead of 6; storage space for Gears and Planks has been expanded from 8 to 10 to compensate for the larger output.
  
• Large Metal Platform: now costs 1000 SP to unlock.
  

[h2]QoL and UI[/h2]

• All workers and dwellers assigned to a building are now highlighted on the map after selecting it (and vice versa).
  
• Range lines are now always displayed outwards from the District Center.
  
• Added “blocked entrance” warnings.
  
• Updated several status and building icons.
  
• Unavailable workplaces and dwellings are no longer counted in the free slot numbers.
  
• It is no longer possible to build dynamite at the map’s lowest possible level. A beaver is not a mole, m'kay?
  

[h2]Misc.[/h2]

• Updated smaller buildings (Bench, Beaver Statues, Scarecrow, Bell) so that they can be built under platforms.
  
• Fixed the Observatory’s erroneously huge hadron collider.
  
• Iron Teeth Haulers now also provide nutrient delivery services as part of their already exhausting jobs.
  
• Left-handed mouses are now supported.
  

[h2]Bug fixes[/h2]

• Engine no longer burns logs when paused.
  
• A Certain Building We Tried To Rework But Failed (For Now) no longer uses water when paused.
  
• Fixed a bug that caused stairs to limit ranges.
  
• Tribute to Ingenuity no longer works at full efficiency when not fully powered.
  
• Construction sites can no longer reach over 100% progress. No, not even the Iron Teeth ones.
  
• The number of vacancies can no longer reach negative values.
  
• Removed the flame from Shrine’s construction site preview.
  
• Fixed a visual bug in the Distribution Post’s model.
  
• Fixed a bug with the “Migrate” button getting blocked in the District Center panel.
  
• Fixed a bug with shafts not rotating.
  
• Fixed a bug with the “Paused” status icon not appearing immediately.
  
• Status icons no longer appear above beavers’ heads after clicking them while they’re inside buildings.
  
• You can no longer catch your beavers in inappropriate positions after loading the game.