Timberborn News

We have just released a patch to Timberborn Closed Beta. Features:

• You can now change the names of individual beavers to whatever you like. Such as the names of your favorite football players. Or your favorite species of microlepidoptera if that is your thing.
  
• Jobless beavers automatically move to a different home if that allows them to get a job.
  
• Critically hungry or thirsty beavers now search for food and water sources within the range of their current location, including ones that are outside the range of their homes.
  

Bug fixes:

• Building descriptions now correctly report their power requirements. Additionally, buildings that need power but are not connected to a power source now have a warning icon above them.
  
• We have fixed a bug which resulted in negative jobless numbers.
  

For those of you curious about what's changed since alpha, here's a list:

• Most of the graphics including the terrain and all buildings have been redone.
  
  
• Buildings can now be stacked atop each other or built on the water, forming multi-storey complexes.
  
• You can create custom maps using the built-in map editor.
  
• The game features three totally new maps.
  
• The path finding algorithm has been replaced, which fixed a lot of the old pathing bugs and improved performance.
  
• We significantly increased the tempo of the early game, most stats have been rebalanced.
  
• Laborers now work in Labor houses and Labor flags, unemployed beavers do nothing.
  
• Forester can now automatically mark mature trees for cutting.
  
• Homeless beavers set up sleeping mats on the street.
  
• Laborers and Haulers automatically distribute goods throughout the settlement. The process can be controlled by setting “desired amounts” in warehouses which replaces “stockpile limits”.
  
• Paper can be used to produce Books which satisfy Knowledge.
  
• Wooden paths are replaced with free dirt paths.
  
• Workplaces and homes now have a limited range that can be extended by building paths.
  
• Power can be connected to a building from (almost) any direction. Adjacent buildings form clusters which share power.
  
• Scaffolding can be walked on and can support almost any building.
  
• Twigs from Birches have been replaced with Berries produced by the newly added Blueberry bush.
  
• The load save and load map screens feature a handy “Browse directory” button which opens the File Explorer.
  
• Most warning icons are now grouped in an alert panel in the bottom left corner.
  
• You can locate unemployed beavers using one of the new alerts.
  
• After selecting a house, you can assign a dweller to move in.
  
• Homes can be paused, causing dwellers to move out and seek new shelter.
  
• The maximum height of a map has been increased from 9 to 16.
  
• The map file format has changed, but it should be relatively easy to convert any existing map generators or editors. Talk to our team if you need help.
  
• Finishing a building requires a small amount of a Laborer’s time in addition to materials.
  
• We’ve added a lot of new sounds.
  
  
• Many, many bug fixes and performance optimizations.
  

And here's a couple of features that have been added during the beta:

• We added Preview Building Mode: When you place a new building or select a construction site, you see gray previews of the unfinished structures. You can now place a new construction on top of unfinished buildings. That effectively allows you to design whole complexes of buildings before you spend any materials or your beavers' precious time.
  
• We added a Population wellbeing panel which gives you a high-level overview of how you're doing in terms of satisfying your beavers' needs. You can access the panel by clicking the average wellbeing counter in the top-left corner.
  
• The game now warns you if something is obstructing the entrance of the building that you are placing or if the building will obstruct another building's entrance.
  
• Added a welcome popup explaining the current status of the game.
  
• The walking range of all buildings has been increased by 10%.
  
• Stairs now extend the walking range by the same amount as flat paths. That makes vertical structures more efficient space-wise.
  
• Also many, many bug fixes.
  

Thank you to all our wonderful beta players for the invaluable feedback. We couldn't have done it without you!

Timberborn Closed Beta has officially started! The first batch of beta keys is being sent out now so check your Discord inboxes. The number of keys is limited but if you don’t receive one today, don’t fret, we will be sending them in rounds over the coming weeks. And if you haven't signed up for the beta yet, you can do so here.

Our goal for the beta is to hear your honest feedback about the game in its new incarnation. Timberborn is still far from the complete experience we have in mind but we strive to make Timberborn the greatest beaver builder of all time. And that is only possible with your help, so please join the discussion on Discord and on the forums. Discord is also the best place to find the latest streams and videos.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]What has changed[/h2]
Almost every aspect of the game has been redesigned since the alpha. The game looks and plays differently.
[h3]Graphics[/h3]
Most of the graphics including the terrain and all buildings have been redone in some way. Our focus was exploring the best art style for the new architecture system. Let us know what you think!
[h3]Vertical building[/h3]
Buildings can now be stacked atop each other or built on the water. Homes and warehouses in particular can form multi-storey complexes.
[h3]Map editor[/h3]
You can create custom maps using the built-in editor. The game also features three totally new maps. Also, the maximum terrain height has been increased to 16 - check out the Canyon map for a glimpse of the possibilities that it brings.
[h3]Optimizations[/h3]
This consisted of tens of smaller changes but the biggest one by far is the new path finding algorithm which fixes a lot of the old pathing bugs and improves performance. More optimizations will come in future updates.
[h3]And more...[/h3]
...you can find the complete list here.

[h3]How do I follow the beta[/h3]
Join our Discord channel to get up-to-date development news, streams and videos and to chat with the community.

Hello, all you beavers out there!

Are you eager to get back to work? Since open alpha proved to be a huge success in developing Timberborn and your feedback has been super valuable, we would like to continue getting you involved in the further development of our game.

We decided to launch a time-limited closed beta. We have upgraded our game with a number of new features, improvements, art, and more cool beaver stuff. If you played alpha, it will be a completely different experience. You can get a sneak peek of some improvements in our short trailer.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The closed beta will take place from June 18th to July 16th. If you wish to participate, please go over to our Discord where you will find a sign-up link. Alternatively, you can sign up here to get on the closed beta list.

Hi beavers!

Our open alpha stage is finished and we want to give huge thanks to everyone who participated.

During the alpha testing, we had received tons of highly valuable feedback. We have implemented so much of it, that the game is now completely different from its alpha counterpart. Virtually every core mechanic has been revamped based on player feedback including the completely redesigned art style and a much more elaborate architecture system.

Here are the most requested features (we implemented or are currently working on implementing):

• Dams god dam it! No true beaver game can do without them, and we’re gonna make Timberborn the greatest beaver game of all.
  
• Support for higher population… the more beavers the better, obviously.
  
• Automated tree cutting - it’s a small thing but one of the most commonly brought up PITAs.
  
• Population growth is out of control, too slow in the early stages, and too fast in the end game.
  
• More warehouse management features - we’ve added a number of features during the alpha, but you asked for more.
  
• More production chains, more challenges such as fires or weather conditions, more everything - alright, you ask, we code.
  
• More beaverness. We kept hearing that the settlements look too human-like, we are addressing that in multiple ways.
  

It’s important to note that now the alpha stage is over, alpha Steam keys will no longer work and everyone who had one will find themselves unable to play the (alpha) game.