Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about what the mod does, what it doesn't, and how safe it is. Something not working? Try Troubleshooting.
The basics
What does Persistent Work Areas do?
Timberborn normally shows a building's working-area outline only while you have that building selected. This mod adds a Keep working area visible checkbox to the building's panel. Turn it on and the outline stays on screen after you deselect, so you can plant crops, place trees or build with the boundary in view.
How do I pin a working area?
Select a building such as a farm or forester, click the Keep working area visible row in the WORKING AREA section so it reads ON, then deselect. Full steps are on the overview.
Which buildings can I pin?
Any building that shows a terrain or road-spill working range when selected in the base game, for example farms, foresters, lumberjack flags and gatherers. Builder's Huts are excluded on purpose (see below).
Can I pin more than one building?
Yes. Overlapping pinned areas merge into one outline, and separate areas are all shown.
How do I remove pins?
- One pin: select the building and uncheck its box.
- All pins: click Clear pinned areas (N) at the top right, or press the key you assigned under Settings > Key bindings > Persistent Work Areas.
- Deleting a pinned building also removes its pin.
Why does the building I'm selecting look the same whether or not it's pinned?
A selected building always uses the game's normal outline. The pinned outline takes over when you deselect it, which is the point of the mod. The ON/OFF badge in the panel shows the pin state.
Safety and compatibility
Which Timberborn version do I need?
Timberborn 1.1.2.4 or a compatible 1.1 build. It was built and checked against 1.1.2.4. A later game version could change the internal outline renderer the mod borrows. If that happens, pinning disables itself for the map, the panel says so, and nothing else is affected.
Is it safe for my saves? Can I remove it mid-game?
Yes. The mod never writes to your save files and doesn't change buildings, beavers or the simulation. Pins aren't saved at all. You can disable or delete the mod at any time and your colony loads as normal.
Does it work in multiplayer? Do both players need it?
It's designed for compatibility with the BeaverBuddies Stability Fork. The mod sends no multiplayer events and pins are purely local, so what one player pins never appears for another. It shouldn't need to be installed by both players, but installing it on both computers is recommended for a first session, because using it on only one has not been playtested.
Does it change gameplay or give an advantage?
No. It only draws an outline the game already knows how to compute for a selected building, using the same navigation queries. It doesn't alter what buildings can reach or do.
Does it need other mods, Harmony or BeaverBuddies?
No. It's standalone and uses no Harmony patches, so it doesn't rewrite game methods. It has no required mods.
Will it conflict with other mods?
Because it patches nothing, conflicts are unlikely, but it hasn't been tested against every mod. If you hit a problem, report it along with your mod list.
Features and limits
Why can't I pin a Builder's Hut?
The game attaches an internal road-spill range to every Builder's Hut, which is why the mod first offered a pin for them. It isn't a working area you'd want to keep on screen, so since version 0.1.2 the mod doesn't show the pin panel for Builder's Huts.
Then why does a Builder's Hut still show an outline when I select it?
That outline is drawn by Timberborn itself, not by this mod. It appears for the same internal range mentioned above. To check, disable the mod and select a Builder's Hut: you'll see the same outline. The mod doesn't change it.
Do my pins survive saving and loading?
No. Pins reset when you leave the map, load a save, or a multiplayer resync happens. That's deliberate, so the mod can never affect a saved colony.
Can it pin district road colors, effect radii or placement ghosts?
No. It supports navigation-based working areas only. Those other overlays aren't included.
Is it translated?
Not yet. The mod's text is English only.
Will it slow down my game?
It's designed not to. Outlines recalculate at most five times per second and only when something changes, all pins share one combined mesh, nothing runs while there are no pins, and the mesh is released when you clear. If you notice a drop in a very large colony, let us know.
The project
Where do I download it?
From the GitHub releases page. The install guide walks through the rest.
How do I report a bug or suggest a feature?
Open an issue on GitHub. For bugs, include your mod and game versions and any [PersistentWorkAreas] lines from your game log; here's what helps.
Can I build it from source?
Yes. Install the .NET 8 SDK and Timberborn, clone the repository, and run .\build.ps1 from PowerShell. It builds the mod, runs its checks and produces a zip. Game and Unity DLLs are used only as build references and are never redistributed.
Is this an official mod?
No. It's an unofficial community mod, not affiliated with or endorsed by Mechanistry, the makers of Timberborn.