Hello everyone,
and welcome to the post-Update 6 world! Aqueducts grow all around, wonders call for celebration, beavers paint their tails… It’s quite lovely, isn’t it?

To make it even lovelier, we’ve got the first tweaks, now live on the experimental branch.

• It is now possible to have mods for different game versions in the Mods folder. For more details, check https://github.com/mechanistry/timberborn-modding.

• Added construction guidelines to the map editor.
  
• Changed the “KL. NA SEKUNDĘ” to “FPS” in the Polish localization. The old version screamed way too loudly.
  
• The font in the console is now slightly smaller.

• Fixed a rare crash occurring while using the layer tool.
  
• Vertical Power Shaft placed on a platform no longer displays the connector visualization on the building below.
  
• Fixed Badwater Source’s visualization ignoring water layers. For example, if you ran a “natural” aqueduct above a Badwater Source, it will no longer be visualized twice.
  
• Adding a new Natural Overhang no longer changes nearby water visuals for a moment.
  
• Fixed water below Natural Overhangs being visible through their "floor".
  
• The pump’s pipe no longer magically disappears for the first building placed after unlocking it.
  
• Fixed a bug with Power Shafts that would not turn even when there is power generated.
  
• Agora might be an essential building, but neither its model nor lighting should be visible through Overhangs. Fixed!
  
• Similarly, Engines and their particles no longer clip through Overhangs.
  
• Beavers’ and bots’ paws and robopaws no longer clip through carried goods.
  
• Fixed incorrect glyphs being used in Traditional and Simplified Chinese localization.
  
• Fixed parts of the main menu breaking on the Japanese version.
  
• In the Polish localization, fixed the incorrect string translation displayed in the mismatched mods warning.

Hello, everyone!

Our colossal content patch, Update 6 - Wonders of Water, is now live on the main branch. Update 6 greatly changes the game, so for a quick rundown, watch the trailer below.

As you can see, water physics is now 3D, allowing you to build aqueducts and underwater cities. Automated sluices make your beavers’ lives easier. With overhangs and vertical power shafts, your settlements grow taller than ever. Wonders add faction-specific end-game goals with tangible rewards. We’ve added a new map and reworked the rest. Official mod support is also in, with tons of player-made content already live on Steam Workshop. And how about customizable beaver tails? More animations? New in-game languages? Oh my!

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.

NOTE: Saves created on Update 5 will load fine. However, Update 6 replaces some buildings. This includes the old Metal Platforms or the deprecated High Power Shaft. If you load a save with those, they will be there, but you won’t be able to add more. The map you played on will not be updated. Also, if you started the save before the February hotfix, the flexible start won’t unlock.

One of Timberborn’s hallmark features is water physics. Yet, until now, we’ve used a cleverly designed 2.5-dimensional system. Our water had variable depths and formed waterfalls, but it was like a sheet thrown over the map’s topography. With Update 6, we’re finally implementing the real, three-dimensional system, which allows way more complex interactions with fluids.

Under the new physics, it is possible to run layers of fluids atop one another and over buildings. As Levees and Dams can now be placed everywhere, the most obvious application is the long-requested ability to build aqueducts. Thanks to the newly added Impermeable Floor, water can also flow over platforms or the roofs of all Solid buildings. Pair that with the new ways of building vertically, and you may even build an entire underwater city!

• Fluids now use three-dimensional physics. This, among other things, means it is possible to have horizontal layers of water or badwater atop one another, with buildings in between. Also, the new water physics respects the laws of communicating vessels.
  
• New building: Impermeable Floor (200 SP; 1 Metal Block). Put this on any Solid surface (could be a platform, a lodge’s roof etc.) and water will not pour through. You can still run your paths on the Impermeable Floor.
  
• It is now possible to build and stack Dams and Levees anywhere, for example on platforms or on top of buildings (think: aqueduct walls). This also means you can now form a wall with lots of Levees and a Dam block in the middle.
  
• Reworked the way water is rendered. Fluids now spill over more fluidly, and no longer look like their edges could cut through one’s tail. Falling water now looks better. We also removed these visible but not real “leaks” in the corners of dams and terrain.
  
• The layer tool now uncovers layers of water in addition to buildings.
  
• Water Wheels no longer slow the water flow. While this seemed a little more immersive, the water wheels would sometimes stop working as a result. This was causing way too much confusion.

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 or in the middle 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!

Three-dimensional water physics just asked for cool new toys! So, we’ve remade the existing Metal Platforms and added Overhangs - including natural ones available in the map editor. Use these tools to raise multi-layered airborne cities and save space on the ground.

• New buildings: Overhangs (available variants: 2x1, 3x1, 4x1, 5x1, 6x1; costs include increasing amounts of SP, logs, planks, and metal blocks). These platforms need to be supported from one side, similar to suspension bridges. You can build on them, and they’re not ground-only, which means you could chain them almost ad infinitum.
  
• Updated buildings: Metal Platforms. These are now equally available to both factions, and available in two sizes (3x3, 5x5; costs updated to 1000/2000 SP and 30/90 Metal Blocks, respectively). They now have much shorter “legs” but are no longer ground-only, so you could put them on platforms or even pile them one atop another, up to the map’s height limit. Just do not ask us how this doesn’t collapse. That’s beaver engineering!
  
• Updated buildings: Suspension Bridges. Because of the addition of overhangs, we’ve rebalanced costs for all six bridge sizes. In short, they’re all much cheaper than before, and they no longer use metal.
  
• Updated buildings: Mechanical Water Pump and Deep Mechanical Water Pump: max pipe length increased to 5 and 8 tiles, respectively. With all the aqueduct shenanigans now possible, it made sense to give beavers more freedom in creating their water transportation setups.

• New objects: Natural Overhangs (2x1, 3x1, 4x1). These are available in the map editor. It is possible to build on them, but crops won’t grow on them, and they do not transfer irrigation and contamination. Builders can destroy them, just like the Blockages.

No beaver city is complete without an efficient power grid. With the Vertical Power Shafts we’re adding today, you’ll save lots of space when connecting areas on different elevations. For extra efficiency points, you can even put a building directly on top of them.

• 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 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: Windmill, Large Windmill, Engine, Large Power Wheel. When placed on Vertical Power Shafts, their power output is transferred directly downwards. They can also directly power up Solid buildings placed below.

Timberborn is a highly replayable sandbox experience with self-imposed goals - and we stick to that! However, we’ve also heard your requests for more clearly defined end-game objectives. Hence the addition of faction-specific wonders - large, expensive buildings that can be activated to “complete” the run if you wish. Launching a wonder comes with a reward, too.

• New feature: wonders. These very advanced structures are larger and more expensive than anything else in the game, and because of that they even go through five visible construction stages. A finished wonder can be activated for an extra cost, resulting in “completing” the map. You can build multiple wonders on the map.
  
• After the first activation of the wonder on the map, the game displays a congratulatory pop-up with statistics of the current playthrough. After that, you can continue playing.
  
• When a wonder is activated for the first time, a faction badge is added to the current map on the map selection screen. The flexible start is also unlocked - see below.
  
• New building: Earth Recultivator. (20 000 SP; 2000 gears, 2000 treated planks, 1500 metal blocks; Folktails-only). Our expert farmers’ primary goal is to turn the entire planet green again - and this huge seed bank helps achieve that!
  
• Earth Recultivator can be activated for 500 Extract and 500 Paper. When activated, it sends out balloons with extra-durable tree seeds. This effect is visual and lore-bound only. On top of that, a huge boost to well-being is added to all beavers in a large area.

• New building: Earth Repopulator (20 000 SP; 1500 Gears, 2000 Treated Planks, 2000 Metal Blocks; Iron Teeth-only). Our industrious faction uses this war machine mechanized beaver ejector to rebuild civilization across the troubled globe.
  
• Earth Repopulator can be activated for 500 Treated Planks and 500 Berries. The building’s workers hop into gliders and fly away to start new settlements elsewhere in the world. This effect is visual and lore-bound only… but the pioneers are not coming back. There’s also a huge boost to the well-being of all beavers in a large area.

Your playing experience on a map may differ vastly depending on where you start. Now, after you complete a wonder, you can change the starting location for future runs on the map.

• Activating the wonder for the first time on a map on any faction unlocks a flexible start for both factions. Further playthroughs on that map will allow picking a different location for the initial District Center.

Update 6 adds official mod support and marks the public launch of Timberborn Workshop on Steam with the in-game integration. Find it here!

We’ve also remade the modding system to make the most common modding tasks easier to accomplish, less prone to errors, less prone to compatibility issues, and overall, make the game more fun to experiment with. If you’re a mod creator, read the documentation[timberborn.wiki.gg] on Timberborn Wiki and check out the GitHub repository[github.com] with some sample mods and tools.

Now that Workshop and the mod support are available to everyone, we’d love to hear your feedback - whether you’re a mod creator or a mod user.

• Launched Timberborn Workshop on Steam.
  
• Added new tools and made multiple changes to the game's architecture to make modding easier. If you're a modder, you can find the details in the documentation[timberborn.wiki.gg] and the GitHub repository[github.com].
  
• Added a built-in mod manager accessed via the main menu that allows you to turn mods on and off, and to rearrange their launch order. If you have any compatible mods installed, the manager also launches before the game.
  
• Added an in-game console. By default, it’s accessed with Alt+`.
  
• It is now possible to upload maps to Steam Workshop directly from the map editor.
  
• The built-in mod manager also enables uploading mods to Steam Workshop directly from the game.

• Added an official sample mod to the Workshop called Shanty Speaker. This is a simple, not-very-serious Iron Teeth building that continuously plays “Shores of Beaver Bay”, the song we recorded with our community back in 2022. Find it here.

High fashion finally arrives at Timberborn thanks to the most punny building, the Detailer! You can pick from a few default faction-specific designs and have them temporarily tattooed on the visitors’ tails. Or, you can add your own custom images! (Just the SFW stuff, please).

• New building: Detailer (1000 SP; 15 gears, 5 treated planks, 10 metal blocks). This new attraction satisfies Fun while making your beavers’ tails prettier with floral-ish designs.
  
• Custom images can also be used in Detailer. Transparent 1024x1024 PNGs are preferred, but the game also accepts JPGs and lower resolutions.

Beavers like mud, but some more than others. We’re giving Folktails a larger new building, the Mud Pit. The Iron Teeth retain the old Mud Bath. There are also quite a few other changes to buildings and their construction.

• New building: Mud Pit (1800 SP; 60 logs; 40 treated planks, 20 wheat; Folktails-only). This 3x3 building allows Folktails to chill out even more, with a larger leisure area and several comfy spots to choose from.
  
• Updated building: Mud Bath. This building is now Iron Teeth-exclusive. They just don’t mind being squeezed in like that.
  
• When synchronizing Floodgates, all neighbors will synchronize to the same height.
  
• Floodgates’ height can now be adjusted accurately, with 0.05 increases.
  
• Beehive is no longer a Ground-only building.
  
• It is now possible to build dynamite on paths. This is a quality-of-life feature, and NOT a way to play whack-a-beaver, you psychos.
  
• When placing multiple Levees at once, you can now draw rectangles rather than just lines. Go crazy with the aqueducts!
  
• Updated the Large Windmill’s model so that it now actually uses the Paper it was built with. Conversely, the (small) Windmill no longer uses Paper in its model.
  
• Updated terrain blocks to look better with the new water.
  
• Updated buildings: Mine, Efficient Mine, and Underground Pile. These buildings’ entrances are now at the ground level.
  
• Tweaked the Blockage’s model to be a little more rockish, less contrasting, and using fewer polygons. We now expect them to be used in higher numbers, for example when placing “natural aqueducts” on Natural Overhangs.
  
• Pines no longer scale up to the point where they clip through bridges etc.
  
• Simplified the model for crop leftovers (a.k.a. these little crates sometimes left next to harvested crops).
  
• Slope now needs to be demolished by builders rather than with a single click.
  
• Added a warning text when trying to build something beyond the map’s height limit.
  
• Removed tile highlights under selected buildings.
  
• Some small textures are no longer compressed, resulting in better looks on Low graphical settings.

• Each building in the game uses a custom construction model, with monuments getting extra construction stages!
  
• Added construction stages to all in-game buildings. A building-specific construction model appears after materials have been brought to an empty construction site. All non-wonder, non-monument buildings in the game receive one such extra construction stage before they’re finished. The regular monuments have two.
  
• Updated the initial construction site for Dynamite (all types) so that it doesn’t cover the path underneath as much.
  
• Extended building times for most buildings a little so that you can enjoy the view of beavers hammering away a little more often.

With the addition of overhangs, aqueducts, and increased focus on vertical building, it was time to implement a new quality-of-life feature. When constructing new buildings, it is now possible to toggle the construction guidelines view. This view helps you align new buildings correctly despite height differences or large distances.

• New feature: construction guidelines. This view can be toggled with a new button added to the top right corner of the screen (default key binding: Shift+X) or by holding X.

Beavers, bots, and their animations have received extra love from us!

• Farmers (both beavers and bots) now don cute little hats.
  
• Farmers now use new farming animations.
  
• Builders (both beavers and bots) now carry hammers.
  
• Builders now use new, hammer-y building animations.
  
• Builders and Foresters now also use hammers to demolish, um, whatever they demolish.
  
• Kits are now slightly smaller compared to adults.
  
• Backpack straps now use textures rather than 3D models.
  
• Spadderdock now has a smaller range of possible height so that it looks better at certain depths.

Timberborn now has 13 built-in maps! In addition to the pretty new map, Cliffside, all previously available maps have been updated to better work with the features of Update 6.

• New map: Cliffside (100x50). Do you like the challenge of growing a settlement on a narrow scrap of land? This one is for you.
  
• Updated all other 12 maps to a varying degree to make them work with 3D water physics better, use the Natural Overhangs, and accommodate more flexible start options. While at it, we also solved many minor issues with their older layout.
  
• Added faction badges to the map selection screen to show the “completed” maps.
  
• Added separate tabs for official and custom maps to the map selection screen. Within the Custom Maps tab, maps are marked as local or downloaded from Steam Workshop.
  
• With the Natural Overhangs added to the map editor, it is possible to put Ruins on them.
  
• In the map editor, hidden plantlife no longer reappears when it changes its state, for example when irrigation reaches it.
  
• In the map editor, it is now possible to flip Blockages and Water Sources. By default, these objects are now randomly flipped and rotated upon placing, but you can disable that behavior with a checkbox.

Our water physics rework as well as several other optimizations resulted in more gains on the performance front.

• Added support for VSync and the ability to set a frame rate limit.
  
• Decreased loading times thanks to fixing a certain well-hidden bug.
  
• Reduced VRAM usage, especially on larger maps.
  
• Revised all in-game particles to improve the game’s performance.
  
• Optimized water and beaver simulations to slightly increase the game’s performance.
  
• Optimized textures for some crops and buildings.
  
• Significantly lowered saving times, especially on larger settlements.

We want to better understand how you play the game, and descriptive feedback is much more useful when paired with some hard data. That’s why when you open the game after the update, we will ask you to agree to the collection of data from your playthroughs. This helps us a lot but it is optional - and if you change your mind, you can always withdraw your consent and delete your data via the in-game settings. You can review our updated privacy policy here[mechanistry.com].

• Added optional analytics to the game. The first time you launch the game after the update, a prompt is displayed asking you to agree to data collection.
  
• Added a checkbox to settings that enables analytics.
  
• Added a button to settings that deletes all your collected data.

Timberborn is now available in a whopping 15 languages - and the original localizations should be improved. Let us know if you find any gaffes!

• Added Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Thai language versions.
  
• Made a quality pass across all existing in-game translations, fixing multiple errors and inconsistencies across all languages.
  
• Updated the fonts in Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Korean to make them always legible.

• Added a game over screen, displayed after the population dies.
  
• Decreased the tolerance for slight mouse movements with the RMB pressed down before the camera moves. This is to eliminate the annoying camera delay while also avoiding the equally annoying camera jerk with the tiniest of movements.
  
• Information such as unlocked factions or completed maps is now synchronized with the cloud.
  
• Removed the Unlock camera checkbox from settings. The camera is now always unlocked.
  
• The camera now also follows units vertically.
  
• Updated the default clipping plane to reduce the camera’s clipping through objects and terrain.
  
• The layer-switching tool’s UI is now more prominent when the tool is in use.
  
• When using the layer hiding tool, hidden layers of terrain are now covered with a diagonal pattern so that it's easier to notice the tool is active.
  
• Beavers are now granted a slightly randomized life expectancy at birth.
  
• Forward compatibility for saves was limited. This is mostly to prevent a surge of crashes when players try to load their new experimental saves on the older main branch build.
  
• Marking an area with a tool no longer marks areas at different levels.
  
• Dandelions swapped places with Blueberries on the toolbar.
  
• Icons in the Power category on the toolbar are now more consistent color-wise.
  
• Made some other minor UI tweaks.
  
• Added mouse wheel zoom speed slider to the settings.
  
• Floodgates’ key binds can now be held so that changing the height values doesn’t take forever!
  
• Added a tooltip to the grayed-out “Delete” icon in the building that can’t be removed that way because of other buildings placed on top of it.
  
• Tweaked the way the game state and maps are saved. We hope it will result in fewer broken save files.
  
• To prevent some possible crashes, only a single instance of the game can now run at the same time.
  
• Changing key bindings no longer triggers related actions (for example, changing a screenshot key binding no longer takes a screenshot).
  
• Added the winners of the Build-a-Map Contest 3 to the credits.
  
• Added new Eager Beavers to the credits.
  
• Added the game’s translators to the credits.
  
• Added the new studio member to the credits. Hi, Scott and Michal!
  
• Added new names to the game, chosen in cooperation with content creators who finished our toughest DareDrops challenge around the release of Update 5 - Badwater. As a reminder, the Update 6 campaign is live on DareDrops now[daredrop.com]!

• Fixed a memory leak caused by warehouses.
  
• It is now possible to place the Underground Pile on terrain blocks that are still under construction.
  
• Stumps are no longer highlighted instead of trees when unmarking the tree-growing areas.
  
• Metal Platforms no longer unmark areas marked for planting.
  
• Fixed some erratic behaviors seen in beavers reaching ruins and construction sites.
  
• Fixed water wheels that would not stop during a drought. No more free power!
  
• Fixed a bug with some buildings not blocking in-game tools such as the demolish tool.
  
• Builders should now correctly build off bridges and corners.
  
• Builders should no longer build from within buildings.
  
• Paths drawn on yet-to-be-built terrain blocks now correctly display as connected.
  
• Scavengers should no longer pretend they have nothing to do when there is something to do (just very little).
  
• Fluid Dump’s bored workers no longer play hide and seek.
  
• Fixed badwater that would turn into clean water on evaporation. Talk about miracles!
  
• Newly built Breeding Pods should no longer start with negative progress in the Settlement Panel.
  
• Removed zombeavers from the game status icons such as “Hungry” displaying over beavers that had already dropped dead.
  
• Dead beavers are no longer resurrected assigned to districts upon loading the game.
  
• When the game is out of focus, it should now correctly pause water simulation.
  
• Having the game paused in the map editor no longer prevents auto-saving.
  
• Units should no longer enter the idle animation in between other animations.
  
• Fixed a bug with incorrectly displayed custom unit names.
  
• It’s now more difficult for the builders to get stuck in place.
  
• Plants and trees that died will now correctly include the cause of death in their status. ;(
  
• Fixed the Dirt Excavator drill that was sometimes unattached from the shaft, threatening structural and emotional damage in the area.
  
• Fixed the incorrect door shape in the Iron Teeth’s Badwater Pump.
  
• Fixed a ground tile sticking through the Underground Warehouse’s floor.
  
• Fixed the tiling on the badwater texture.
  
• Updated Slope to not stick out on the terrain’s edges.
  
• Patched up a small hole in the Slope.
  
• Fixed the beavers doing a little shuffle dance when entering and leaving buildings.
  
• Fixed the notifications wrapping incorrectly on some non-standard UI scales.
  
• After unlocking bot worker slots for a building via the Settlement Panel, all other buildings in its category will now correctly also appear as unlocked.
  
• Inventory percentages should now be correctly calculated.
  
• Selecting a save in the Save Game window now correctly updates the name field.
  
• It is now possible to build a working Badwater Pump directly over a Badwater Source.
  
• Underground Ruins should correctly block units from happily prancing over them.
  
• We heard you like to send crash reports when you crash, so the crash screen should now open more reliably when you crash.
  
• Updated water particles for the Fluid Dump and the Mechanical Fluid Pump.
  
• Fixed the incorrect construction site for the Badwater Rig.
  
• Aquatic plants exposed to a fatal badwater wave now display a correct obituary. ;(
  
• Fixed the lag caused by highlighting lots of objects, for example when using the Mark trees for cutting tool.
  
• Fixed the selection collider for Mine and Efficient Mine.
  
• Campfire’s light is now emitted at the correct height.
  
• Platforms no longer clip through the dirt on construction sites.
  
• Tweaked Levee and Dam to display construction sites for buildings constructed on their top correctly.
  
• Fixed a rare crash caused by the settlement panel and dead beavers... again.
  
• Adult beavers no longer become a little too floaty after entering water directly from the stairs.
  
• The “Hold LMB to place multiple objects” tip now appears even for buildings yet to be unlocked.
  
• Wind Tunnel’s particles no longer pause along with the building. Mother Nature won’t be tamed!
  
• Upon loading the game, particles such as smoke are now visible right away, not after unpausing.
  
• Hiding the UI no longer leaves some status icons invisible but clickable.

Will you use your wood to build a Viking longship or a beaver aqueduct? Will you smelt the iron to craft a broadsword or build a steam engine? Why not both!

We love bundling up with fellow studios, and for Update 6, we're proud to join the Vikings of Northgard. Grab the Vikings and Beavers bundle for lots of city-building goodness and an extra discount!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/45817/Vikings_and_Beavers/

[www.makeship.com]In other news, we’ve just launched our first campaign on Makeship[www.makeship.com]. We’ve heard the requests for beaver plushies, and now this handsome Folktails Farmer can be all yours!

Also, the stock in our merch store has also been updated. Go here[merch.mechanistry.com] to pick up the poster featuring the gorgeous Update 6 key art by Manuel Castañón, new mugs, and more!