Floodgates

Floodgates are manual water-control buildings used to block or allow flowing fluids in a specific channel or gap. They appear in landscapes where water management is required, most commonly to divert Badtides, create reservoirs, or temporarily reroute rivers during construction. Floodgates are a basic landscaping and dam component available from the game's Early Access launch and remain a primary early-game solution for deliberate flow control before automated options are unlocked.

Floodgates occupy a single gap and present a height slider that determines how much of the opening is closed. Height values range from fully open (height 0) to progressively higher closure; higher settings reduce or stop flow. By default, floodgates have "Synchronize with adjacent floodgates" enabled so that adjusting one gate will make neighboring floodgates copy that same height setting. Since Update 6, the height can be adjusted in increments of 0.05, allowing finer control over flow rates.

There are three sizes of floodgate, which differ in the height they provide and in construction cost:

• Floodgate: closes a vertical space of 2 blocks, adjustable by 1 block. Cost: 10 Logs, 5 Planks.
• Double Floodgate: closes 3 blocks, adjustable by 2 blocks. Cost: 20 Logs, 10 Planks.
• Triple Floodgate: closes 4 blocks, adjustable by 3 blocks. Cost: 30 Logs, 15 Planks.

Practical notes and tactics:

• Use floodgates to stop incoming Badtides or to isolate areas for draining and terraforming. They are especially useful early in the game before Metal Blocks are available.
• Place floodgates directly in the path of flowing water where you need manual control. At height 0 a floodgate is fully open and allows maximum flow; raise the gate to reduce flow progressively.
• The synchronization feature is convenient for long lines of gates; turn it off on individual gates when you need different heights in a sequence.
• Floodgates are a manual alternative to Valves. Once the colony can produce Metal Blocks, Valves perform similar functions but operate automatically and integrate more readily with complex hydraulic setups.
• Fine height increments (0.05) introduced in Update 6 let you tune flow precisely to balance reservoirs, prevent unwanted overflow, or trickle water for slow-fill systems.

Floodgates form part of the Landscaping/Floodgates/Dams categories and are a foundational tool for water engineering in colonies that must contend with changing tides and engineered waterways.