Timberborn - A city-building game featuring ingenious animals

[jztemple2]

Hey JZ. I really enjoy your posts so please keep them coming. I've been excited about Timberborn but the bad water thing sounds kinda...bad?

The badwater/badtides was something added to give more challenge to the game. I'm playing right now on Easy so the effects are lessened. This is my first game with them so it's a learning experience. Be aware that badtides and badwater can both be turned off in the options when starting a game.

Badwater
Badwater exists on all twelve of the default maps. On my current beginner's map it flows out of the ground in one corner and meanders around the map. The concept of badwater is that it is one of the leftovers from the now-extinct humans (or "hoomans" as the beavers like to call them), toxic water.


Badwater is bad because it poisons the ground and prevents anything from growing. It also makes your beavers sick. The effect spreads out several squares away from the badwater, just like "good" water irrigates the land nearby. On this map the badwater is off to the side and doesn't really influence my early and mid-game growth. Badwater on the map like the image shown above comes from underground sources which can be capped.

However, there is one thing (at least one that I've found) that's good about badwater, you can make explosives from it. Those explosives are used to cut into the ground for various purposes, like canals. So there are things you can build that allow you to produce a usable extract from badwater to make the explosives.

Badtides
Badtides are something I haven't experienced yet, but from the patch notes I've deduced that instead of getting a periodic drought that cuts off the water source(s) and dries up any rivers for some amount of time, instead the "good" water is replaced with badwater for, again, some period of time just like a drought. And since it flows from the same sources as the good water, it will flow through those areas where you are using the water to irrigate, to power water wheels, etc. So you will be facing some contamination for awhile until the badtide stops and the good water returns.

You can mitigate the effects of badwater. For instance, once you have metal, you can build contamination barriers. This prevent the contamination from reaching any farther.


However, you also have to remember that for some amount of time you won't be able to draw water from the river for drinking, showering, etc. So you'll have to plan ahead for that. As I said, in this game I've yet to see a badtide so when I do I'll take a lot of screenshots and post some more info.

[WYBaugh]

Thank you! Reading and watching your various threads you have me looking at way too may games. The Workers & Resources looks really interesting as well

[Punisher]

Apparently I own this but have 0 hours played.

Is there a tutorial to walk you through all of this?

[jztemple2]

Apparently I own this but have 0 hours played.

Is there a tutorial to walk you through all of this?

Yes, the game does hold your hand for a while at first, giving you goals to accomplish and generally instructing you on how to basically play the game. After a while it does let you proceed on your own. There is an Easy difficulty setting and three Beginner maps so it's not going to kill you off if you don't play absolutely perfectly. I'm doing Easy on one of the beginner maps right now and it's almost too easy, but then it is a good learning situation.

Speaking of learning, I built two floodgate complexes so when the badtide comes I can divert it:


To make sure it works I diverted the regular river flow down this side channel to test it out after closing the main channel downstream floodgates to keep some water in the main channel.


Oops! I didn't build enough levee walls and I let the flow come in too fast:


Well, that's going to need to be mopped up! I've closed off the floodgates to the side channel and diverted the water flow back to the main channel...


...unfortunately I've left the downstream main channel floodgates closed . I quickly opened those downstream gates but it took a few hours for things to dry out.


Everything is fine now, I just need to pay more attention to all the floodgates .

[Blackhawk]

I'm reading them as well. I've had my eye on this for a while.

[jztemple2]

Timberborn tends to not release in dribs and drabs but as noted, does major updates. Since they just did Update 5 it will be some months before they add new stuff or change stuff around, so it's pretty stable right now. It's why I decided to jump back in.

My industrial complex. Four water wheels and a windmill feed five sawmills, two smelters and a paper factory. There are also two gravity batteries connected as well.


Better look at the gravity batteries, first with all the platforms and steps needed to build them, then with those removed since there is no maintenance in the game (yet! )

[jztemple2]

Uh-oh, badtide approaching in three days.


Everything ready? I have levees on my diversion channel:




And there it is, badtide started


Oh dear:


And I sent it down the diversion channel:




What's going to happen next? See the following post

[jztemple2]

This is bad, I didn't build the levee walls high enough.






There is too much flow for the diversion channel, I've closed the floodgates there to half and opened the floodgates so the badwater flow will go down the main channel. Meanwhile it's a mess out there. The badwater has even flowed into my lake.




Meanwhile the badwater in the main channel has washed over some of my plants and trees.


But it's all not bad news. The badwater that spilled out of the diversion channel has very little depth where it flooded and it dries pretty quickly.

[jztemple2]

Finally, after a day, the badtide is over.


The good water returned and starts flushing out the badwater




In the end almost everything is OK. I have one lakeside shower that is still contaminated because of the badwater that spilled into the lake. And I have eighteen beavers who are "ill", they aren't showing the effects yet but soon will be, thankfully I've built up a stockpile of antidotes. The contamination barriers on the main channel have prevented any long term damage to my crops and trees. I'll raise those levee walls some more and be prepared for the next... BADTIDE

[jztemple2]

My new dam complex. Droughts are now lasting for three days and during the last one I ran out of water in the main channel after a day. These new floodgates are holding back a lot of water I can use to replenish the main channel through my city. The tricky part is avoiding sending a massive wave and flooding thing!


In case you were wondering, on Easy droughts can last 2-4 days, on Normal 5-9 days , on Hard 15-30 days

[Punisher]

Is there any way to store water to prepare for droughts?

[jztemple2]

Is there any way to store water to prepare for droughts?

Yes, that's in the post I made just above. I've added floodgates to trap water upstream of my colony. Where the pool of water was entering on the map at a depth of about 0.5, I've now held it back with floodgates till it is at a depth of about 2.5. That's stored water for use in a drought.

You can also added small, medium and large storage tanks for water or any other liquid, but the use of floodgates on the river is much more effective.

[jztemple2]

Thank goodness there are no frictional losses in gear trains

[jztemple2]

I've cut off the badwater river on my map. I capped one source and put a Badwater Rig on the other which allows me to take badwater for the making of explosives and extract

[jztemple2]

During a drought is a good time to get a look at how many buildings are being powered. All those red circles (33) represent a building needing power:


And how much power am I using? This screenshot, with all powered buildings enabled, shows the demand and the supply. Look to the box in the upper right.

[jztemple2]

Update 6 - now on the experimental branch!

The experimental build of Timberborn Update 6 is now live. While you have already heard about the wonders and the official mod support, we saved the most exciting stuff for today. Hop onto the experimental branch right now to also try three-dimensional water physics with automated sluices and new tools such as overhangs! We now also have customizable beaver tails, new animations, updated maps, three more languages, and more. Yee-haw!

[jztemple2]

Another of the great new features in Update 6, sluices!

Automated sluices
The new water physics system finally allowed us to add one of the most often-requested building blocks to Timberborn, the Sluice. And it’s automated!

• New building: Sluice (400 SP; 5 Planks, 5 Metal Blocks; Solid). This 1x1 building passes water through in one - unchangeable - direction. Notably, sluices may be used at the bottom of a larger dam. Adjacent sluices can be synchronized, just like floodgates.
• Sluices can be set to be open, closed, or automatically operated. The automation opens or closes the sluice depending on contamination levels and downstream water levels picked by the player. This should remove lots of typical micromanagement headaches!
• When synchronizing floodgates, all neighbors will synchronize to the same height.
• Floodgates’ height can now be adjusted accurately, with 0.05 increases.

[jztemple2]

A new update for the Update 6 experimental branch and this time it's not just hot fixes.

Vertical Power Shafts

The old way of running power between elevations was a little clunky - both in tight spaces and when you needed to cover a great height distance. Today, we're replacing the old High Power Shaft with three separate modules. Vertical Power Shafts stack vertically one atop another, and they can even power up buildings through the floor. There are also some other tweaks.

• New building: Vertical Power Shaft (40 SP; 2 logs, 2 planks, 1 gear; Solid; must be placed above ground). Use this shaft to build vertical power lines and, thanks to its integrated platform, to power up buildings through the floor.
• New buildings: Upward Power Shaft and Downward Power Shaft (20 SP; 2 logs, 2 planks, 1 gear each). These are used in connection
  with Vertical Power Shafts but since they’re separate buildings, power lines can now turn in any direction without wasting space.
• Updated buildings: Mechanical Fluid Pump and Deep Mechanical Fluid Pump. Power shafts can now connect from front and back (or even bottom!), and not just from the sides. Also, the Pump’s lower part now acts like a three-block levee, blocking water.
• Updated buildings: Windmills and Large Windmills. When placed on Vertical Power Shafts, windmills' power output is transferred directly downwards.

[jztemple2]

It's here, update 6

[jztemple2]

Oh, and this:

PSA - Upcoming price increase

Before we dive into the dam big patch notes, we’d like to announce that on October 24, 2024, we will increase the game’s base price from 24.99 USD to 34.99 USD. We believe that with how much Timberborn has grown since its Early Access release, after three years of development, this change is justified. Our team has also more than doubled in size, allowing us to pump out cool new updates - such as the one we’re releasing today - on our way to v1.0 and beyond.

At 7 PM CEST today, the game goes on a two-week 20% discount. Until October 24, this is your final chance to grab Timberborn at a lower price with a discount on top.

[Blackhawk]

At 7 PM CEST today, the game goes on a two-week 20% discount. Until October 24, this is your final chance to grab Timberborn at a lower price with a discount on top.

Currently 25% off on Fanatical. I have been holding off, but I'll probably pick it up while it's cheap.

[LordMortis]

Tempting but I almost always want to love builder games much more than I actually love builder games. I think Surviving Mars was the last one to get its hooks in to me (and Rim World and Factorio is those count). And then I have a fair amount that I bought and just did nothing for me. Aside from the obvious dam building, what sets this one apart? Or do I need to go back and read the whole jztemple narrative?

[Blackhawk]

Industrious beavers.

[jztemple2]

Tempting but I almost always want to love builder games much more than I actually love builder games. I think Surviving Mars was the last one to get its hooks in to me (and Rim World and Factorio is those count). And then I have a fair amount that I bought and just did nothing for me. Aside from the obvious dam building, what sets this one apart? Or do I need to go back and read the whole jztemple narrative?

It's just not dam building. Timberborn is focused on being a colony builder that relies on water for many thing... crops and trees need water, your initial power system needs water and your beavers need water to drink, to bathe in, to relax in, even just to take a shower. Each map has water, but as your population grows, you need to figure out better ways to contain and control that water.

That's why Update 6 is so important. Before this update, water was essentially 2D. You could dig channels to divert the water, but water couldn't cross water, as in aqueducts. With update 6 you can channel the water where you want, even pump it up to higher levels to provide more power to your water wheels. That one shot in the video above is really cool, stacking a set of water wheels above another set.

Timberborn is also about being an engineer, solving problems. Droughts come occasionally, you need to plan for them. All the maps now have badwater on them, not healthy for beavers but essential for mid- and late-game industries. That's another challenge to figure out.

Dam building is just the start in Timberborn.

[GreenGoo]

At 7 PM CEST today, the game goes on a two-week 20% discount. Until October 24, this is your final chance to grab Timberborn at a lower price with a discount on top.

Currently 25% off on Fanatical. I have been holding off, but I'll probably pick it up while it's cheap.

On my list, but not cheap enough yet.

[naednek]

At 7 PM CEST today, the game goes on a two-week 20% discount. Until October 24, this is your final chance to grab Timberborn at a lower price with a discount on top.

Currently 25% off on Fanatical. I have been holding off, but I'll probably pick it up while it's cheap.

On my list, but not cheap enough yet.

well, it's going up, and I'd be suprised it be lower than it is now for quite some time.

[GreenGoo]

I'm a patient man.

[TheMix]

I'm a patient man.

Contrary to your pic...

[jztemple2]

Update 7 First Look: 3D Terrain and Tubeways

A look at two major new features planned for early next year. Also the game is on sale now, but Steam isn't responding... I wonder why?

We hear you like to know what’s happening behind the scenes at our studio. So, as an early Christmas gift - on top of our largest discount so far, going live later today - we’d like to give you a sneak peek of some of the features coming to the game with Timberborn Update 7. Today, we’re proud to reveal the 3D terrain and the new transportation method, the Tubeways.

Please remember that what you’re about to see is still an early work in progress and only a part of the new content we’re working on. That means things will be added and changed before and after Update 7 goes live on the experimental branch.