Wood day, everyone! Here's what to expect from Team Timberborn in December. In short: there are more ways of snapping a closed beta key and the game will receive an update with droughts! 👇 [h3]IndieDB giveaway and voting[/h3] The first opportunity to grab a beta key is a flash giveaway on IndieDB, the go-to source of information on indie games. To participate, go [url=https://www.indiedb.com/giveaways][b]here[/b][/url]. Important note: the giveaway lasts until 23:59 GMT December 7th. That means there are about [b]8 hours left to participate[/b]! While there, [b]we have a request[/b]. IndieDB is running Indie of the Year 2020 Awards. Timberborn isn’t released yet, but we do have a shot in the “Best upcoming” category. We haven’t participated in any similar contests yet, so your vote would mean a world to us. The voting is open until December 10th, it requires [url=https://www.indiedb.com/games/timberborn]a single click here[/url] and no registration. [url=https://www.indiedb.com/games/timberborn][img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36026812/9ee85253a2cb5d600e2646ea5521b21a32da0222.png[/img][/url] [h3]Upcoming patch & regular beta wave[/h3] Of course, we will also have a [b]regular wave of beta invitations[/b] sent to those signed up via our [url=https://mechanistry.com/betaform]sign-up form[/url]. We want to match it with the [b]next important update to the closed beta[/b] – which should be deployed [b]before Holidays[/b]. Here's what's coming: [list] [*] You’ll notice there is a timer warning you about an upcoming drought that causes rivers to disappear for a while. You need to prepare for that by stockpiling food and water. It's a recurring event, and further droughts may be longer or more frequent. [*] Droughts are a danger because starting with the new update, forests and crops will need to be on the watered ground to survive (duh). You will have to dig canals! [*] While it's still an early iteration of the system, you will also be able to build a Scavenger’s Hut and extract metal from ruins (that are often scarce and remote). You need metal to build an engine, a carousel, the most advanced monument etc. [*] Allowing all beavers to play with dynamite isn’t safe, so we're also adding an Explosives Factory, a new building that handles the hazardous production (below). [*] There are other tweaks coming, including new desert visuals. Yay, post-apocalypse! [/list] [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//36026812/98c21cf7fc7f90c41e5a09fa441424cf13602679.gif[/img] [h3]Developer stream (and a bonus video)[/h3] We're still working on the update, and we'll let you know as soon as we have an exact release date. There will also be a [b]short developer stream[/b] on Twitch beforehand! By the way, our debut stream held on November 2nd didn't record properly. However, we have prepared a separate gameplay video with developer commentary. You can find it [url=https://youtu.be/Gf9HHsP0SLk]here[/url]. [previewyoutube=Gf9HHsP0SLk;full][/previewyoutube] [h3]Twitter beta key shenanigans[/h3] Before the patch hits, you'll be able to grab a beta key via [b]our second Twitter giveaway[/b]. It will go live this [b]Friday, December 11th[/b], and last through the weekend. It's a matter of simple “retweet & follow” – so you could already fulfil the second condition and [url=https://twitter.com/Timberborn]follow us there[/url]. When the giveaway post goes up, you’ll be the first to know! Finally, each day [b]from December 25th through December 31st[/b], we'll have a little Twitter challenge where you can get a closed beta key if you're quick and nimble as a beaver! --- That's it for today! Thanks for reading and until next time – we'll be even closer to the Early Access launch planned for Q1 2021. We should have some exciting news! 🤩