Timberborn News

Hello, everyone!

Timberborn has been in Early Access for over three years now, and yet, 2024 saw two of our most significant updates ever! We’ve already shown you a little bit of what’s coming next, but before we jump into the Tubeway 2025, let’s look back at the eventful past twelve months.

We even brought a little infographic with some interesting Timberborn numbers. Have a look!



And now, let’s go over a few important milestones of the year.

[h2]January 18, 2024: Update 5 - Badwater released[/h2]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Update 5 - Badwater Feature Trailer

We kicked things off by releasing our most successful update ever. In this content patch, we implemented badwater, the second fluid to flow across the maps in addition to the regular water. With it, we added the new dangerous in-game season, the badtide. To give the player tools to fight (or use) badwater, we introduced several faction-specific structures, such as Contamination Barrier or Badwater Discharge, and the new resource, Extract. We added multiple new decorations and attractions, including the massive Wind Tunnels and Dance Halls, and reworked all maps. Rounding things up were the long overdue quality-of-life tweaks, such as customizable key bindings and flippable buildings.

[h2]February 15, 2024: Build-a-Map Contest 3 [/h2]

Badwater Ridge by jokimty, the winning entry in the "Large" category of Build-a-Map Contest 3

Matching the strong performance of Update 5, our most popular Build-a-Map contest went live on Mod.io a month later. Badwater sparked the players' creativity, resulting in over 400 quality submissions! Checking them all was a huge undertaking, and the results of the internal voting were extremely close, but in the end, both the team and the players liked the final selection. For the list of three winning entries and nine runner-ups, check out the winner announcement from March.

[h2]April 22, 2024: Earth Appreciation Festival[/h2]
Front page for Earth Appreciation Festival 2024

For the third year in a row, for World’s Earth Day, we joined our friends from Stray Fawn (The Wandering Village) and Slug Disco (Empires of the Undergrowth) to co-organize a very special Steam sale. For this dual-themed event, we gathered over 100 post-apocalyptic and nature-focused games, bringing attention to issues such as pollution and climate change while also showcasing our planet’s beauty. Among the involved games were gems such as Frostpunk, Rain World, Terra Nil, Eco, Ranch Simulator, Farm Together, and Dying Light 2.

[h2]May 17, 2024: Update 6 Preview[/h2]
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The first Update 6 video preview and its slightly cursed thumbnail

We continued working on Update 6 and it was becoming huge, so this time around, we tried something new. We created a sneak peek video covering one of the upcoming features, the wonders. The players were happy to get an early look at the end-game goals… while offering valuable feedback on the Earth Recultivator’s curious shape. Encouraged by the preview’s popularity, we followed up with another one a month later. This time, we revealed that Timberborn would soon get official mod support with the Steam Workshop integration.

[h2]June 25, 2024: Update 6 Experiments[/h2]
Isn't that hypnotic to watch?

The new update’s experimental period began, proving one of the most important in the game’s history. With the surprise inclusion of 3D water physics - which our programmers had been working on for almost a year straight and which almost didn’t make it into the game - we knew Timberborn would be changing significantly. We were also opening the game to easier modding, and we still remembered how we needed to rebalance badwater after the release of Update 5. The feedback from the experimental branch players was crucial here. Thank you for that!

[h2]August 5-9, 2024: Mechanistry’s Annual Meet-up[/h2]

There's nothing like seeing each other face-to-face.

Mechanistry is an all-remote studio, but every summer, we all gather for a week to see each other face-to-face and discuss the game’s future. This year’s meet-up was held in Warsaw, and you could already see some of its consequences come to light earlier this month. As for the rest… that will need to remain a secret for now. Also yes, if you remember similar meet-up photos from the past two years, the team does like motorsports very much.

[h2]October 10, 2024: Update 6 - Wonders of Water released[/h2]
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Update 6 - Wonders of Water Feature Trailer

We had wanted to see real 3D water physics - and aqueducts - in Timberborn for a long time, and we were very proud to make it happen in Update 6. Complimenting the new water physics was the expanded in-game verticality in the form of Overhangs and Vertical Power Shafts, and a dip into in-game automation - the Sluices. With the launchable wonders added, the game finally had tangible end-game goals. There were also many other nice-to-haves we squeezed into Update 6: a new map (Cliffside), customizable beaver tails, construction stages (and guidelines), extra animations, three additional in-game languages, and… oh, right, the official mod support!

[h2]November 29, 2024: More and more player-made content![/h2]
The most popular Timberborn mod of all time? Oh, it's a ladder.

Speaking of mods, we love how they took off. Over 1700 player-made creations are now live on Timberborn Workshop, with more added daily. We’ve seen all kinds of add-ons being made, ranging from quality-of-life tweaks to new buildings to entire new playable factions. It’s great to see how creative the Timberborn community is! And that includes other media too, such as the jaw-dropping 3D-printed creations shared by u/AgentHarm on Timberborn’s subreddit. And let’s not forget our latest Build-a-Map Contest that wrapped up yesterday with about 350 entries.

[h2]December 19, 2024: Update 7 Preview[/h2]

Coming soon to beaver settlements near you - 3D terrain and more!

Timberborn players are just the best, so we wanted to give back - hence the Update 7 First Look article we published earlier this month. We were very happy to see your enthusiasm after we revealed the 3D terrain is coming and that the beavers will soon get access to the new transport method, the Tubeways. Now, our work on the update continues, and we can’t wait to hear what you say after it lands on the experimental branch. That, however, is the story for the next year.

From all of us at Mechanistry - we wish you a happy and prosperous 2025! 🦫

Hello, everyone!

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.


Thanks to your overwhelmingly positive reaction to 3D water physics, we follow up with a truly three-dimensional terrain. “Wasn’t the terrain always 3D?”, you may ask. Well, yes and no. While the in-game terrain has always been made of the little 3D cubes, they could only be placed one atop another. This applied to both the map creation in the editor and the in-game terraforming. With Update 7, terrain blocks go on all Solid surfaces - natural and beaver-made overhangs, platforms, and building roofs.

In Update 7, your builders can place terrain blocks on all Solid surfaces. So efficient!

This change gives you much more flexibility in reshaping maps and choosing where to grow your fields and forests. You will finally be able to cultivate crops on top of lodges and warehouses. You could create extra-compact hanging gardens where plants grow on multiple levels. And if the underwater cities of Update 6 were not enough, you might hide your beavers’ settlement in an artificial cave, with a river irrigating its green dome.

Work progresses on what will eventually become an underground shelter. Image courtesy of Beaver-tec.

When placed on beaver-made objects, the new terrain blocks act like regular terrain, transferring irrigation and contamination. And just like before, to put them up, you need to spin up your Dirt Excavators to gather Dirt. Then, you send in your building crews.

According to Ma' Ngonel, compact hanging gardens will revolutionize the farming industry. "I don't like that", she says.

We are looking into other possibilities the 3D terrain opens up. As long as it doesn’t break the game, we want to give you as much building freedom as possible.


What if there was a way to make long-distance travel far more effective for your beavers? In Update 7, there is. Your population will soon be able to cover the map with a modular network consisting of Tubeways and Tubeway Stations. Like in modern transport, you must decide where you want your Stations (the network’s end-points) to be. Then, you connect them with Tubeways. Beavers and bots treat them just like paths, but moving through them is much faster. Extra benefits include being water-sealed - even submerged in badwater, Tubeways ensure your beavers travel safely.

Beavers and bots go in, beavers and bots emerge. Wait, where's the guy with the log?

Tubeways are adaptive instead of using fixed shapes. If you attach a new line to an existing line, you don’t need to demolish an old module first and break pathing. Instead, the connected module simply becomes T-shaped.

Your beavers will quickly learn how to find the way home during late-night commutes, right?

In addition to the regular modules, there are also Solid Tubeways. By stacking them, you can make the routes go straight up and even cross vertically. You could also place some buildings directly over the line… or maybe even use the new 3D terrain to turn parts of the route into a subway!

There's more than one way to connect... a Tubeway.

Similarly to 3D terrain, the “better transport” feature is a work in progress. Most notably, we’re still exploring if and how we could make the feature more distinct between the two factions.


As usual, we won’t share any dates until we feel the new features are ready for public testing. Keep an eye on the Steam page and our socials (including BlueSky) to be the first to know when Update 7 goes live on the experimental branch!

In the meantime, remember to participate in Build-A-Map Contest 4! You still have time - until December 29 - to submit your custom map. Three 1000 EUR prizes and Timberborn merch await.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1062090/view/4488495635124716402

And finally, from all of us at Mechanistry: we wish you all happy holidays!

Hello, everyone!

Update 6 - Wonders of Water has been out for over a month now, and it seems everyone loves the new water physics, expanded verticality, and the official mod support. So why not combine all that in a new map contest? Three 1000 EUR prizes and Timberborn swag are on the line!


The goal of the contest is simple. You need to create an original, playable, and pretty map that makes good use of Update 6 features. As always, that’s open to your interpretation. Whether you stack layers of water thanks to 3D water physics, expand the initial verticality with Natural Overhangs, prepare extra flexible start options, or do something entirely different - it’s up to you.

The only formal requirement is that the map features at least one Natural Overhang of any size.

Once finished, add a description to your map and back it up with at least three screenshots, including one showing the entire map. This helps both us and the other players who will check out your creation.


There are three size categories in the contest:

• 128x128 and lower
  
• 129x129 through 255x255
  
• 256x256 and higher
  

In each map category, the winner gets 1000 EUR and merch (Timberborn mug and T-Shirt). Winners will also be added to in-game credits and granted an exclusive rank on our Discord.

The three honorable mentions in each category also get the merch.


First, check out the Terms & Conditions and make sure you understand and accept them.

Then, upload the map onto our Mod.io hub by December 29, 2024, and tag it with the Build-a-Map Contest 4 tag.

We strongly encourage you to also submit your maps onto Steam Workshop. This way, your submissions will reach the largest possible audience, helping you gather valuable feedback before the deadline.

We’ll announce the winners by January 29, 2025.


Again, please check out the updated Terms & Conditions before participating in the contest.

For a list of commonly asked questions, check out the FAQ on Steam or on Mod.io.

If you have further questions or want to talk with fellow participants, join us on our Discord!

GL HF

Hi, everyone!

The recent experimental patch is now live on the main branch for everyone to enjoy.

[h2]Bugs[/h2]

• Upon starting a new game, the camera is now correctly focused on the District Center.
  
• Upon starting the game, the tutorial window is no longer visible while entering the settlement’s name.
  
• Fixed freezing caused by an unusually high number of power shaft intersections.
  
• Fixed some crashes related to water, moisture, and contamination simulations.
  

Hi, everyone!

Thank you for your ongoing feedback and reports. Here’s the new experimental patch, addressing several outstanding issues.

[h2]Bugs[/h2]

• Upon starting a new game, the camera is now correctly focused on the District Center.
  
• Upon starting the game, the tutorial window is no longer visible while entering the settlement’s name.
  
• Fixed freezing caused by an unusually high number of power shaft intersections.
  
• Fixed some crashes related to water, moisture, and contamination simulations.