Science Points

Science Points are the currency of technological progress in Timberborn, used to unlock new buildings, workshops, and capabilities for your colony. Unlike physical goods, Science Points do not require storage space and have no storage limit, accumulating invisibly as your science buildings produce them. The Inventor is the first science building available in any new colony, generating 1 Science Point per game hour with a single beaver worker. As your colony grows, more efficient science buildings become available.

The Folktails faction can construct the Observatory, a powered science building that produces Science Points at a higher rate than the basic Inventor. The Iron Teeth faction has access to the Numbercruncher, which generates an impressive 10 Science Points per hour when fully powered. Both factions need to balance science production against the labor and power costs of running these buildings. Early-game unlocks cost around 250 Science Points, while mid-game buildings range from 500 to 2000 points, and the most advanced structures (like the Bot Assembler) require up to 10,000 Science Points.

Beyond unlocking buildings, Science Points are also consumed by Control Towers at a rate of 3 points per hour to maintain the Control Tower Need for Bots within a 10-unit radius. This ongoing consumption means that late-game colonies with many Bots need continuous science production even after all buildings have been unlocked. Prioritize building your first Inventor immediately and keep it staffed at all times. As resources allow, upgrade to faction-specific science buildings and consider running multiple science facilities in parallel to accelerate your technological progression.