Hello everyone!
It’s finally time to unveil that big (and futuristic) thing coming to Timberborn in the next patch. In Update 2, we will add a new category of advanced beaver dwellers, collectively called golems. These artificial beavers are mechanically unique for each faction, they use new buildings, and change how Timberborn is played, especially closer to the endgame. Dive in to learn more!
What are golems?
Golems are mechanized beavers that perform most duties of regular beavers. They’re very efficient and don’t worry about mundane things such as food or sleep. On the other hand, they need to be assembled, powered and maintained in special buildings. Golems of each faction have unique strengths and life cycles, and if not cared for, they pose a danger to their masters.
- Golems made by Folktails are called Barrelbots. They run on biofuel, a new resource created from spare food. They cook, plant and harvest crops at higher rates, and they move faster when wet. After reaching their lifespan, they start rotting and spilling toxic waste (*). You will need to dispose of (and recycle) the old golems fast. And yes, you’ll get some materials back.
Concept arts for Folktails' golems
- The Iron Teeth counterpart is a Coghead. It’s a clockwork contraption that works faster when placed in a factory but you should avoid exposing its metal body to water. To keep it operating efficiently, you also need to create a grid of Control Towers. Properly maintained, Cogheads work indefinitely, but neglected, they may break down and explode violently (*).
Concept arts for the Iron Teeth's golems
(*) We are still working on the end-of-life mechanics, and they're subject to change. We'll need your feedback on what works best here when the update hits the Experimental Branch.
Why golems?
We’ve heard your requests for a more engaging and branching endgame. Golems and related buildings are just that. We expect them to come into play in mid to late game. With their superior performance, golems are invaluable in the largest cities and during the harshest of droughts.
At the same time, they make Timberborn more sandbox-y. Want to build a dedicated district that specializes in metal production? Send your golem crews to the mines and see the production skyrocket. Do you feel like building a beaver utopia with maxed out well-being numbers? Let the golems do the hard work 24/7 while their beaver overlords just chill in the mud bath.
Concept arts for (left to right): Maintenance Station, Disposal Facility, Golem Factory
We’ve had a rough idea for golems for a long time now but their current form was shaped after the Update 1 release in December. In the end, golems turned out to be a larger feature than originally anticipated but it was made possible by gradually expanding our team. For context, while we shipped Update 1 as a team of six, Mechanistry is now a team of twelve.
A larger team means we could try many different concepts for this feature. We brainstormed and scrapped multiple ideas for golem-related features, such as the Tree-D Printer that would manufacture all types of resources (too OP), a farm where Barrelbot parts grew in garden-like vats (too elvish), or the mechanic with golem buildings draining the surrounding areas (too easy to avoid). What we have gone forward with feels much more coherent and fits the gameplay.
An early prototype for Folktails' Chassis Farm, later replaced with a Golem Parts Factory
What do the golems bring to the game?
You’ll learn more about the new buildings and golem mechanics when Update 2 comes to the experimental branch, but here’s a quick rundown of what to expect.
The main building additions are related to the golems’ life cycles.
- To assemble a golem, you need Limbs, a Chassis and a Head. All parts are made in a Golem Part Factory (using different recipes) and turn into a golem in a Golem Factory.
Golem Factory and Golem Parts Factories for the Iron Teeth
- You will need to take care of the power for your golem. Barrelbots are refuelled at Biofuel Tanks, smelling of a new resource produced from spare food at the Biofuel Refinery. Cogheads need to be wound up in Charging Stations.
Biofuel Refineries and a Biofuel Tank
- Barrelbots have a finite lifespan, and you need to recycle the worn-down ones at the Disposal Facility before they poison your beavers. And to prevent Cogheads from blowing up, ensure they can visit the Maintenance Station every now and then.
Disposal Facilities at work. Look how happy the Barrelbots are to be recycled!
Golems allowed us to add multiple new Science Point sinks to Timberborn. You need to unlock the new buildings (duh) but also only select workplaces are available to golems right away. Assignment slots in other buildings need to be unlocked first. Also, Control Towers – the buildings that allow Cogheads in range to operate quickly and efficiently – constantly consume the SP.
As soon as a Coghead enters the range of a Control Tower, its efficiency gets a huge boost
Golems themselves cannot work at the Inventor and the Observatory, which makes sense lore-wise. We’re giving each faction a new, golem-friendly way of generating the SP, though.
Needs rework, new effects, and more
We have mentioned that rotting Barrelbots spill toxic waste, making beavers sick. That’s yet another big thing coming with Update 2. We’re reworking some of the existing needs and expanding our system to include more temporary effects as well as ways to interact with them.
Multiple new beaver statuses are coming, and since Timberborn is a post-apo game, guess what, most of them are negative! For example, lumberjacks will break their teeth, bees from beehives will sting, and during a drought, overheating will become a real risk. Yay!
Broken teeth? Nothing a bit of grinding wouldn't solve!
Of course, there will be countermeasures to that… but if you think you can handle these new hurdles easily, think again. We’re also changing how basic needs (food, water, shelter, sleep) work. They will now hit negative values. No longer can you keep your workers hungry for extended periods of time and then magically fix that by tossing them a few leftover carrots.
The basic needs rework will go live on the experimental branch alongside the golem content. Additional statuses and related buildings will be added a little later.
When can I play this?
As always, we don't want to give any dates until we're sure the new stuff works but Update 2 is coming to the experimental branch soon. No, really, you’ve waited long enough. In the meantime, feel free to ask your questions on our Discord.
~Team Timberborn