Make beavers swim faster in water than walk on land
OK, I know the folklore that the water in the river is polluted and the argument that we need incentives to build bridges over the river.
But still, beavers should be able to swim faster.
Waterways in the city for transportation would be really great, but currently beavers move 30% slower in the water, so there is no benefit.
Even now we can lay a path over the dam or Levee so it can serve as a bridge.
It is still important to build platforms to build buildings on the water that will not function if they sink, and to build bridges for high-rise transportation.
I don't think the fact that beavers can swim fast will ruin the incentive to build bridges.
The animation of the swimming beaver is incredibly cute, and for Timberborn the water mechanics are essential.
Whether it's simply through balancing, or through a new faction, or through a game system change mod, or whatever, I would like to see something that would allow beavers to swim faster than on land.
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Comments: 13
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05 Oct, '21
sukunabikonaHighlighted comment
I came up with an idea.
How about adding about 50% Swimming Bonus to the Nutrition 3 buff?
This is offset by the 30% Swimming Penalty, for an overall +20% movement speed bonus.
Also, Awe 2 buffs should be applied to swimming too.
I think the 30% swimming Penalty is there to incentivize players to build bridges.
However, by the time players start making bread, building platforms is an easy task.
They will be at a point where they are thinking about how to expand their waterways,
so giving them an incentive to dig transportation canals would be a very good match.
I'm not sure about beavers, but considering that swimming is a very energy-consuming exercise for humans,
I think it makes sense that bread, a mass of energy, would boost swimming.
As an added benefit, it can also be used as a tutorial to show players that beavers can swim. -
30 Sep, '21
FuryoftheStarsI have to admit, with as little as they’re actually doing in the water, whenever I zoom out, I find myself seeing squirrels, not beavers.
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05 Oct, '21
Gin Fuyou Adminsukunabikona, yeah, I thought about adding a well-being bonus to swimming later as well. But I thought like maybe pools or leisure swimming zones for that.
Anyway I think it's not a bad idea at all. -
23 Oct, '21
Kenneth FerlandI think beavers should swim faster then they move on land, with the river as the primary arterial path of the settlment. Anything to get more aquatic and beaver like behavior.
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20 Feb, '22
TeralynaIn my district built over a resevoir, the beavers seem to prefer swimming over using the above ground paths, even if the underwater paths are precisely beneath the platform paths (and the stairs leading down to them should make the path longer.
I love this fact--seeing my little guys swim about like adorable and busy beavers is great. There shouldn't be a movement penalty though. -
22 Apr, '22
RayneI don't know why they don't.
Perhaps it is a pathfinding problem, where it is difficult to find the fastest path?
Many players who don't know that beavers can swim feel that this game is a human colony builder.
This game needs more beaver-ness. -
03 Jul, '23
John W BjerkOoh, I like it. It makes beavers more beaver-y, gives us a way to make high speed pathways, and interfaces with the games main thing— water management.
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01 Jul, '25
Dienstbier MergedI wish beavers could swim a little faster than they run, because they don't run all the time... At least, that's what I think.
In addition, the weight of the goods transported would be significantly lower.
This would make the construction of waterways worthwhile.
Of course, it's worthwhile anyway because it keeps their fur wet, but that's an additional point.
I've been told that they swim a little slower, but I don't know if that's true.
I would find it a real shame if it were. -
08 Jul, '25
Gin Fuyou System"Floating beavers" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2025-07-01), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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19 Mar
[UniR] SillyShibby MergedAs beavers in RL are much faster in water than they are on land, I’m suggesting to speed up the velocity whenever they are in a river, a pond or a lake. This way, you could use that game mechanic as an incentive to get water wherever you have important paths or people will focus their paths inside the river. And it would also promote creating living quarters closer to the waters edge or even inside it. (Even closer to real life ;)
357 Magnum Ace from Steam threw in the idea of a dedicated new faction with this feature! If you don’t want to change the whole gameplay after 1.0 ^^ -
21 Mar
Gin Fuyou System"Beavers swim speed in water should be higher than walk speed on land" (suggested by <Hidden> on 2026-03-19), including upvotes (1) and comments (0), was merged into this suggestion.
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08 Apr
BenA good balance might be to remove the speed reduction in water, but only for Forktails. With comparable speeds, there wouldn't be the tragedy of flooding every path for efficiency, and the Forktail faction could express their individuality more freely in terms of map design. This also aligns with the goal of making the game beginner-friendly.