[WIP] A Definitive Guide to Townscaper

Overview

A Work in Progress guide that aims to display as many generation triggers, AI Behaviour and tips as possible.

Introduction

Welcome to the Definitive Guide to Townscaper. This is VERY Wip.

If you have suggestions for this guide, please comment them!

—– MISCELLANEOUS —–

The Grid

The grid is the framework upon which you build any structures in Townscaper. Every town has a different grid which moves if you place structures near the edge of the current grid space. there is a maximum size for the grid however, shown below with platforms as size reference.

The Grid Segment Size (Abbreviated GSS) is defined by the number of intersecting segments at a specific vertice on the grid. Listed below are some common grid sizes in ascending order.

GSS 3 Is the smallest possible size for a single foundation. Placing a foundation on a GSS 3 Segment will create a trilateral shaped structure. GSS 3 allows for some extremely small buildings, shown below.

A GSS 3 foundation and building.

GSS 4 is the “normal” grid size. Placing a foundation on a GSS 4 Segment will create a quadrilateral shaped structure. GSS 4 can be used to make relatively even buildings or islands.

A GSS 4 foundation and building.

When you place structures on a GSS 5 space, it ends up having a star-like shape. This can cause relatively large buildings in a single grid space.

A GSS 5 foundation and building.

GSS 6 is the largest possible grid space. Structures placed on them resemble the Star of David from above. A single foundation/building on a GSS 6 space is the largest possible structure in a single space.

Stone Walls

Stone walls are made when there’s an empty gap between two buildings on grassy lands. As of writing i’m not entirely sure how they work, so if anyone could tell me in the comments I’d add that to the guide and credit you!

Sometimes Gates and small Arches can be added to Stone Walls.

Stone Paths

As I’m writing this these have been in the game for about ten minutes, so excuse me if I get something wrong.

Stone paths can be created in grassy areas by having parallel Garden Doors. Stone paths can only be straight, so no twists or turns. If you have an X shaped path, it creates a monument in the middle (shown below.)

—– AI —–

Bird Behaviour

If you want birds to appear in your town, you have to make sure that there are roofs or scaffolding as these are the only places they can land (as of writing.) They will not go on balconies.

Birds will land on roofs and scaffolding seemingly at random, and sit down on them. They will move around at odd frequencies. Once you build over or destroy the surface they are sitting on, they will fly away.

Butterfly Behaviour

Butterflies can only appear in grassy areas. If you make the remove the grassy area they are in, they will immediately despawn.

“Butterflies fly quite different from birds. Mine loosely orbit a potential landing spot, and drift by randomly switching that spot. Additional world space noise adds variability but also coherence (without boiding)
-Oskar Stålberg, Townscaper Developer

—– DECORATIONS —–

Boots

Boots are a decoration that can sometimes appear in front of doors.

Chair

Chairs are a decoration that can appear in many places around your town, such as:

(UNFINISHED LIST)

• Next to doorsteps
• At the bottom of scaffolding

Mailbox

Mailboxes are a decoration that can appear next to Doors or Ladders.

Binoculars

Binoculars are a decoration that appear on the edge of balconies.

They can only appear if there is a door somewhere on said balcony.

Bin

Bins are a decoration that sometimes appear next to benches.

Beehive

Beehives are a decoration that can appear near doors.

Wall Light

A Wall Light is a decoration that can appear on the walls next to doors.

Clothes Lines

Certain combinations of buildings that have a one-wide gap between two walls will create hanging clothes between them. The color of the clothes change depending on the color of the building(s) that they are between. Some colors of building Cannot have Hanging Clothes.

—– DOORS —–

Fancy Doorway

You can make a fancy doorway by having a one-long dent in a wall.

You can add a lamp on the roof by making the dent two-long, as shown above.

Door Tunnel

I’m not sure what to call this, so i’m gonna call it a door tunnel. A door tunnel is created simply by making a- well, tunnel, in a building at least 1 taller then the height of the tunnel.

Door Tunnel Interior

Door to Garden

The only currently known way to have a hole in a garden wall without destroying the garden is to make this door. It must be a two tall, three wide wall with the bottom middle missing.

—– BUILDINGS / STRUCTURES —–

Archway

Archways are very easy to make, simply make two buildings where you want the archway to start and end and add a roof. Archways can be any size. If an archway is two or more wide, there will be scaffolding at the top.

Hooks

Hooks can be made putting a building floating in the air above a one-wide gap between two foundations that stick out. The building the hook appears on cannot be at the back end of the foundation (demonstrated below.)

Garden

Gardens can be made by surrounding a patch of land with a building. If there is a hole in the wall, the garden will be destroyed. There is only one exception to this rule, listed below.

Grassy Island

Grassy islands can be made by surrounding an entire island with one building. Very useful for building lush scenes.

Overhanging Balcony

Overhanging balconies are very easy to make, as you only need to put a building above sea.

Bridges

And last but not least, bridges. They may be simple but they are extremely important in segmenting your town and making it feel like a real place.

Large Staircase

In order to make a large staircase, the area directly behind where the staircase is going to be must be a Plaza. To the sides of where the staircase is going to be, there must be buildings at least Two tall. See the image above for reference.

Small Staircase

To make a Small staircase, you must have a wall at least 2 tall and 2 long on each side of where the staircase will be. On the bottom half of where the staircase will be, add 2 walls. There is a Youtube video showing you how to make this below, as I am bad at explaining.

Stairway to Beach

A stairway to the beach can be made simply by making an archway on the edge of a platform.

Spire

A spire is made by making a building with an uninterrupted one-wide two-tall tower at the top

X-House

To make an X-House, you must make a house in the shape of an- well… X. This will cause it to have a spire top where the intersection is.