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Timberborn Wiki

Multiplayer Guide: How to Play Online with Friends & Share Maps

Multiplayer lets players share custom maps, coordinate population across districts, and extend automation beyond a single machine using web APIs and community services. It’s useful for cooperative map design, distributing play (via shared maps and migration tools), and integrating external tools (dashboards, scripts) into colony automation.

Sharing and acquiring maps

  • Steam Workshop: Upload maps directly from the Map Editor by selecting Upload map while online and logged into Steam. Choose visibility (Public, Unlisted), edit description and changelog, and either update an existing entry or submit a new item.
  • Mod.io and Thunderstore: Maps can be exported from your Maps folder and shared on Mod.io (official Timberborn hub) or Thunderstore. Follow each site’s upload instructions when posting.
  • Community hubs: The Timberborn Steam Workshop maps section, the Mod.io Timberborn hub, and the #🔭maps channel on the official Discord are central places to browse and download community-created maps.

Community and support channels

Migration and multi-district population control

  • Migration Panel: A dedicated Migration Panel in the Settlement UI centralizes moving units (Adults, Kits, and Golems) between districts.
    • Manual migration: Pick two districts and transfer 1, 10, or all units of each category between them immediately.
    • Automatic migration: Set desired minimums for each unit category; the game will attempt to migrate units to meet those targets.
    • Immigration/emigration locks: For each district and unit type you can block immigration and/or emigration entirely.
  • District Center shortcut: The District Center’s migration button links to the Migration Panel for faster access.

Integrating external tools and automation (HTTP components)

  • HTTP Lever: An automation component that accepts external HTTP requests to toggle its state. Use it to let outside programs, dashboards, or scripts trigger in-game levers and thus influence your automation network.
  • HTTP Adapter: Exposes in-game automation signals as API endpoints and can send webhooks on signal changes. Use it to push notifications, feed real-time telemetry to dashboards, or trigger external systems when in-game conditions change.
  • Use cases:
    • Remote monitoring dashboards that display water, food, and population metrics.
    • Phone or webhook alerts when reservoirs run low or when migration thresholds are hit.
    • External controllers and AI agents that drive in-game automation decisions.

Faction-specific multiplayer considerations

  • Timberbots (Folktails): Timberbots run on Biofuel produced from crops and water, tying their uptime to agricultural output and seasonal growth. When planning cooperative maps or sharing resources between districts, account for Biofuel consumption competing with food production and vulnerability during droughts.
  • Ironbots (Iron Teeth): Ironbots recharge with electrical Energy at Charging Stations and receive passive boosts from Control Towers (and consumable Grease). Their recharging is faster and less season-dependent, but requires reliable surplus power generation. When sharing maps or coordinating district roles, Iron Teeth districts fit industrial, power-rich hubs while Folktail districts may specialize in agriculture and Biofuel.

Practical tips for multiplayer workflows

  • Designate district roles: Separate agricultural, industrial, and power-producing districts to reduce resource contention when using migration and automatic migration targets.
  • Share map versions deliberately: When updating a public Workshop item, use the update checkbox and provide a changelog so players know what changed.
  • Combine HTTP components with Migration Panel settings: Use the HTTP Adapter to report population shortfalls externally and the HTTP Lever to trigger migrations or emergency measures from outside the game.
  • Back up custom maps: Keep local copies of Maps folder entries before uploading so you can revert or resubmit variations.

This page covers the multiplayer-oriented systems: map sharing, community channels, district migration controls, and external automation integration. Use these tools together to collaborate on large colonies, automate cross-district workflows, and connect Timberborn to external monitoring and control systems.