I analyzed 28,937 Timberborn reviews to see how player sentiment developed over time and what players think of the Bad Water and Wonders of Water updates. Here are the results. I started playing Timberborn in late 2021 as a huge Banished fan. Fell in love with the game straight away and the unique setting and mechanics.
Ever since then I've been following the game's developer and have seen positive and negative feedback come and go as the updates rolled out. As a business analyst in real life, I was curious to experiment with Steam Reviews to see how the sentiment of Timberborn has developed over time. This is a short publication of my results.
TLDR; sentiment dipped around the Badwater update to its lowest point in the game’s release, but climbed back up shortly after. Wonders of Water update was really well received (highest sentiment since release). Also AI can make freaky podcasts (listen below).
Getting and preparing reviews
I extracted the reviews from Steam and translated them by installing and using a local translation model. I used Google Translate before but for another game I did something similar for this took a whopping 6 hours because of rate limits. Only 60% of the reviews were written in English and I needed the English version to measure sentiment per review hence the translation. Total reviews used is 28,937 reviews, written in 30 different languages, distributed as follows:
As a sample period I took all reviews from the release date, 15 September 2021, until the 5th of February.
Measuring sentiment
I used machine learning libraries to measure sentiment per review, which I could then later aggregate to measure over time. On an individual level there is an error rate and the sentiment doesn’t always correspond to recommended or not recommended rating of the Steam Reviews, but on an aggregate level it does the job.
Here’s the result:
Blue line is average sentiment on a daily basis. Red is a moving average, painting a clearer picture. Sentiment was positive and around 0.6, except for one particularly bad in May of 2022. I tried finding out if this was review bombing, but that day doesn’t have a particularly higher number of reviews submitted than other days.
Keep in mind that sentiment typically ranges from -1 (very negative) and +1 (very positive. Average sentiment for the entire time period is 0.47, which is very positive, which I think also reflects what I seem to read in the subreddit and what is reflected in the Steam score. Sentiment scores are always a bit lower than the Steam scores in my experience.
There’s still a lot of noise in the data though, even the moving average doesn’t really help. So here it is aggregated by month:
When we add reference lines for the updates that came out for Timberborn, things are becoming a bit clearer:
Sentiment has been positive all around, except the Badwater update didn’t perform really well compared to other updates, dropping sentiment to its lowest point. Wonder of Water performed really well, making sentiment climb higher than it has ever been. People also seemed to like the Golem/bots update in September of 2022, which caused sentiment to rise sharply.
Extracting more useful info
I've found that AI performs pretty well at processing large amounts of text and other Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. I therefore used this dataset to try and extract more info from it. This is based on the reviews since the Badwater and Wonders of Water updates, which consisted of 6,356 reviews in total.
Reactions to the "Badwater" Update in Timberborn
The Badwater update introduced a new challenge that requires players to manage and mitigate the effects of contaminated water sources. Reactions have been mixed, with some praising the increased complexity and others criticizing the disruption to established gameplay.
Overall Impact
- The update significantly changed the game by introducing badwater mechanics, requiring new strategies for survival.
- Some players feel it shifts the focus from a "happy" city-building experience to a more stressful, crisis-management simulator.
- However, newer players who experienced the game post-update describe it as "amazing" and an "absolute modern classic."
Positive Feedback
- Many appreciate the added complexity and the need for strategic water management.
- The update adds a "spicy twist," encouraging the use of reservoirs and partitions to protect beavers.
- Higher difficulty settings now feel like a true survival challenge.
- The inclusion of badtides and badwater clarifies the game’s direction and enhances gameplay depth.
Negative Feedback
- Some players find the badwater mechanic tedious and disruptive.
- Many felt their saved games were broken, forcing them to focus entirely on badwater mitigation.
- Fans of the pre-update, more relaxed gameplay disliked the forced change, with some even quitting the game.
- The inability to toggle off badwater mechanics is a common complaint.
- Some view the update as an artificial crisis that adds frustration rather than value.
- The increased difficulty, especially early on, has led to frequent colony collapses.
- Beavers' AI is criticized for entering badwater despite alternative safe routes, and decontamination technology is seen as too expensive.
Specific Mechanics & Features
Badtides
- These events, where the incoming water supply is periodically replaced with badwater, are highly divisive.
- Some players find them overly punishing, while others enjoy the challenge.
Water Filtration
- The ability to purify badwater using pumps is seen as a "genius" mechanic by some.
- Others find it too costly and resource-intensive.
Vertical Construction
- Some players enjoy the new vertical building options, allowing creative water management solutions.
Map Design
- Certain maps are now considered unsuitable for badwater seasons, making survival nearly impossible.
Conclusion
The Badwater update has divided the Timberborn community. While some players enjoy the increased complexity and survival challenge, others miss the original relaxed gameplay. The ability to disable badtides in custom games provides a partial compromise for those who prefer the pre-update experience.
Player Reception of Update 6: Wonders of Water
The Wonders of Water update (Update 6) introduced major changes to Timberborn, including 3D water physics, vertical construction, and Wonders as end-game goals. While many players praise the improvements, some have reservations about specific mechanics.
Positive Feedback
- Overall Improvements – Many see Update 6 as a massive upgrade, with one player calling it “Timberborn 2” and another saying the devs “knocked it out of the park.”
- New Challenges – The update adds depth and complexity, making gameplay more engaging.
- Vertical Construction – The introduction of pipes, aqueducts, and platforms allows for new building strategies.
- 3D Water Physics – Players love the enhanced water mechanics, which improve resource management and enable creative builds. One player joked that they finally understand why beavers are obsessed with dams.
Mixed or Negative Feedback
- Game Evolution – Some players acknowledge the game is improving but still feel it has limitations.
- Specific Criticisms – While many enjoy the new features, some dislike particular additions:
- Robots – Some find them unnecessary, though they appreciate the new water management tools.
- Badwater – Even with the improvements, some players still dislike the mechanic.
Conclusion
Overall, Wonders of Water has been well received, with 3D water physics and vertical construction being standout features. However, a few players remain critical of specific mechanics, particularly badwater and the addition of robots.
I did torture AI with more questions about most mentioned bugs and technical issues and any funny or stand-out reviews, but for the sake of example and not being sure I have enough potatoes to apologize for the long post I’ll stick the reception of the latest updates.
Asking AI to make a podcast
Also, just for the heck of it, I used AI to create a podcast out of all the reviews and this actually pretty scary. It resulted in a 15-minute podcast with two hosts going back and forth about the general consensus of the game. I’ll let you experience it yourself, you can hear it here:
At one point the female podcast host starts talking about how this game offers a sliver of hope in the world we live in today, which I thought was really funny.
That's all for now, happy dam building!
Game feedback analysis at Resonate
Here at Resonate, we provide tools and insights to help game developers and community managers effectively manage player feedback. By using advanced sentiment analysis, Resonate enables teams to understand the emotions and priorities behind player comments, uncover patterns in feedback, and identify actionable improvements.
This structured approach helps developers balance player input with their creative goals, leading to better decision-making and more engaging games. With improved feedback processes, developers can enhance player satisfaction, foster stronger community relationships, and ultimately boost retention rates.
You can request a free demo sentiment report here.
