BeaverBuddiesStability Fork

Install guide

From download to your first co-op session. Every player follows the install steps; only the host needs to load a save.

Before you start

  • Timberborn on every player's computer. This release is built and tested against version 1.1.2.4 on Windows with the Steam version of the game, and everyone must run the same game version.
  • The Harmony and Mod Settings mods, which this mod needs. Get Harmony from the Steam Workshop and Mod Settings from the Steam Workshop or mod.io.
  • For Steam invites: both players online in Steam and both owning Timberborn on Steam.
Important

Every player must install the exact same download. The mod checks the game version and its own files when someone joins, and it refuses mismatches. This is the most common cause of trouble.

Install the mod

  1. Download

    Go to the latest release and download BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork-1.1.10.zip. The release also has a 1.1.10-SHA256SUMS.txt file if you want to check the download.

  2. Close Timberborn

    Make sure the game is not running while you replace files.

  3. Extract and copy

    Extract the zip and copy the BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork folder into your Timberborn Mods folder:

    Documents\Timberborn\Mods

    You should end up with Mods\BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork\version-1.1\manifest.json. If you already have a BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork folder, replace it.

  4. Keep only one BeaverBuddies

    Unsubscribe from or remove the Workshop BeaverBuddies and any other copy, including an old BeaverBuddies-StabilityPreview folder from an earlier download. They share the same mod ID and will conflict.

  5. Start Timberborn and enable the mods

    Open the mod manager from the main menu and enable Harmony, Mod Settings and BeaverBuddies - Stability Fork. Restart the game if it asks you to.

  6. Make sure your friends do the same

    Everyone needs the same zip, then a full restart of the game.

Updating from an earlier download?

Earlier downloads used a folder named BeaverBuddies-StabilityPreview. Delete it from Mods before you copy in the new folder. The two share a mod ID, so having both would conflict.

To check the download, open PowerShell in the folder you saved it to and compare the result with 1.1.10-SHA256SUMS.txt:

Get-FileHash .\BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork-1.1.10.zip -Algorithm SHA256

Check it loaded

  • The mod list shows BeaverBuddies - Stability Fork with version 1.1.10.
  • The main menu has a Join co-op game button.
  • Your game log, %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\Mechanistry\Timberborn\Player.log, contains the line BeaverBuddies v1.1.10 is loaded!

If it is not there, see The mod does not load.

Host a game

  1. Load the save you want to play and choose Host co-op game.
  2. Bring your friends in with one of the three ways below.
  3. When your friends appear in the connected-player list, choose Start Game.

Nobody can join after you choose Start Game. Friends who arrive late need you to save and host again.

If a warning appears saying your mods and a friend's mods differ, fix that before you start: see Troubleshooting.

Option 1: Steam invite (easiest)

Make sure Enable Steam Networking is on in Mod Settings (it is by default), choose Invite Friends, and pick your friend in Steam's overlay. No port forwarding or extra software is needed. If nothing happens the first moment after hosting starts, click the button again: the Steam lobby is still being created.

Option 2: Direct IP

Give your friend your IP address. The default port is 25565, and your router must forward it to your computer. Direct IP is offered at the same time as Steam invites.

Option 3: Hamachi or another virtual network

A virtual LAN such as Hamachi avoids port forwarding, and has been tested and works. Give your friend the address the virtual network assigns you, then join by direct IP.

Join a game

With a Steam invite

Accept the invite from the Steam notification or overlay. If Timberborn is closed, Steam launches it and joins for you. If the host has Allow Friends to Join Directly via Steam on (it is by default), you can also use Join Game from the host's entry in your Steam friends list.

With an IP address

From the main menu choose Join co-op game and enter the host's IP address or domain name.

Guests receive a copy of the host's save. It is kept under Online Games.

While you play

  • The connection panel shows who is connected, their ping, whether you are in sync and the tick rate. Click its title to collapse it.
  • Teammates' cursors and selections appear on your screen. Change how each looks in Options (Esc), Player cursors.
  • To ping a location on the map for everyone, bind a key for Ping Location in the game's keybinding settings.
  • Set your own Ping Display Name and Ping Color in Mod Settings so your friends can tell you apart.

If a desync happens

A desync means the players' games have drifted apart. The game tells you, and the host should:

  1. Choose Save and Rehost.
  2. Steam guests accept a fresh invite; direct IP guests reconnect.

If the game says multiplayer has stopped because an action could not be completed, return to the main menu and reload a known-good save. Do not overwrite your good save with that session. More help is in Troubleshooting.

Settings

Open Mod Settings from the game's mod menu and choose BeaverBuddies.

SettingDefaultWhat it does
Enable Steam NetworkingOnLets players join your games through Steam.
Allow Friends to Join Directly via SteamOnFriends can join from Steam's friends list without an invite.
Player activity indicatorsOnShares your cursor, selection and recent edits and shows other players'.
Ping Display NamePlayerThe name others see next to your pings, cursor and edits.
Ping ColorYellowThe color of your pings on everyone's screen.
Connection panelExpandedExpanded, Collapsed or Hidden.
Connection panel positionTop leftTop left, top right, bottom left or bottom right.
Always Use Detailed LoggingOffRecords extra detail for diagnosing desyncs, but costs performance. Leave it off unless you are hunting a desync.

There is also an optional Toggle connection panel key under Options, Bindings, BeaverBuddies. It is unbound until you choose one.

Update or remove

  • Update: download the new zip, close the game, and replace the BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork folder. Everyone updates together, because different builds will not join each other.
  • Remove: disable the mod in the mod manager, or delete the BeaverBuddies-Stability-Fork folder from Mods.