Iggy from Pine here! Following our Magic DLC announcement back in December 2023, we now have an official release date!
âšMagic DLC is coming on February 22nd, 2024 âš
So gear up with your mystical apparatus, grab your enchanted broomsticks, and place magical hats upon your heads, for it is time to explore the magical unknown!
So here it is, dear esteemed practitioners of the mystical arts! The official release date has been set! Also, we're thrilled to share some exciting updates with you.
Check out the refreshed trailer, explore a collection of new screenshots, and don't forget to wishlist!
Additionally, make sure to join your fellow enchanters on Pine's Discord and become an integral part of our magical gathering!
Pine Team
Meet the Builders #3 - DUC
Welcome to our "Meet the Builders" series, where we delve into the creative minds behind some of the most remarkable room designers in Escape Simulator.
In our previous conversations we had a fun chat with Zesty and Cico, and now it's time for (drumroll.....) - Duc! Duc stands out as one of the crĂšme de la crĂšme in the realm of room building for Escape Simulator. His creations, such as The Projectionist, Under the Sea, The Clockwork Games (and more), rank among the finest available on the Steam Workshop.
Under the Sea
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into playing Escape Simulator?
My alias is Duc, Iâm 28 from the UK. During working hours, Iâm an air traffic controller that dabbles in IT. Other interests include motorsport, photography, and laying down.
The date is 16 Dec 2021 - Some friends and I had just finished Overcooked 2 and were looking for more co-op fun. We had completed some escape rooms in real life so Escape Simulator seemed like an ideal purchase. We binged through the developer's rooms in short order and dove into the community rooms.
The unhealthy obsession continues to this day! I used to play a serious amount of Rocket League in my spare time. As of the time of writing, Iâve played 2467 hours of it. Steam tells me I havenât played the game since Feb 2022 so escape sim has done pretty well to displace rocket league from my life.
What inspired you to start designing rooms in the game?
Riddles, Books and a Lab
A friend of mine, âTheChubbyWalrusâ created a room for our group of 4 to have a go at. As soon as we finished it, I knew I had to return the favour. That room became âRiddles, Books and a Labâ. I published it as public, but it never occurred to me that anyone else would play it. The next day it had 20 likes, a couple of weeks later it had 1000. And from that moment on it just got out of hand.
Can you walk us through your process of creating a room? (you sketch on paper, what tools, how you start)
Whatever you think my creative process is, it is far less sophisticated than that!
Rooms 3-8 were created around the same question. What interesting real-world environments can be feasibly created within the escape sim editor? Iâll crack open OneNote and brainstorm ideas with my partner. Before the model importer, skyboxes, and advanced lighting were added to the editor, outdoor environments were extremely challenging.
I have an old experimental room where I probably spent 30 hours playing around with various props in the editor trying to get it to work. But it never saw the light of day due to the editorsâ limitations. And these 30 hours arenât me trying to develop puzzles or playing with logic.
This is 30 hours of retexturing random props and rescaling them so that I can create whatever monstrosity it is I need for the environment to work. If there is a world record for the longest time spent rescaling a folded stack of clothes to turn it into a distant set of green hills, I am the record holder.
Once Iâve got an environment with a nice-looking floor and established a new horizon, then Iâll start planning out the total playable area in the editor. Iâll grab the nearest envelope and a biro and sketch a very simple plan. That envelope will then sit on my desk for the next for weeks/months whilst I clumsily place props in the editor.
Once the room is 60-70% physically assembled, then I will start thinking about adding puzzles. Generally speaking, the environment inspires the puzzles rather than the other way around. Now the editor has more tools, there are fewer limitations. The model importer being the big one.
Fortunately, the days of using random props to create things are over! Most of my time is spent in Blender having a crack at modeling things. Imported models are the best way of getting the most performance out of a room, so long as the number of vertices and the texture sizes arenât ridiculous.
You were one of the winners during last yearâs Build-A-Thon, for which you made a tiny room within only 48 hours. How was it to work under such pressure?
The Projectionist
Shockingly, the 48 hours was far less stressful than Build-a-room #2 & #3âs 2 weeks. And I would put this down to the scope of the room (The Projectionist) being relatively simple from the start.
I knew that if I made the room too complex then any minor setbacks during creation would cause the room development to fall behind and eventually feel incomplete once the timer runs out. I made this mistake in Build-a-room #2 with The Virtual Prison. Learned from the mistake with The Projectionist. Then forgot the lesson again in Build-a-thon #3 with âRelativityâ...
The 48 hours even included a picturesque walk in the lovely British countryside to record the footage for the movie clips in the room. That being said, I must have gotten 6 hours sleep within that 48-hour period.
What are some of your favorite rooms you've created so far, and what makes them unique?
Let me out
Creating a room is a labour of love. It consumes a considerable proportion of your life. In a way, they are all my favourite for their own reasons. Let Me Out is probably my current favourite as Iâm a fan of horror rooms.
It was the first room (to my knowledge) to use a professional voice actor. Looking back itâs not the greatest and it doesnât even have many puzzles in it despite being in a game about puzzles! Nevertheless, I have a soft spot for it.
Aside from winning the Build-A-Thon, you also entered several other room-building contests. How does your room-building process differ when youâre creating for a contest as opposed to rooms that you are building in your âfree timeâ?
Pure chaos. Iâve entered 3 contests and the 2 build-a-rooms were just madness. Creative direction is constantly changing. Entire ideas evaporating or appearing out of thin air due to necessity. Iâd put this down to myself always wanting the scope of the rooms to be as large and impressive as possible.
At first, 2 weeks feels like an eternity. âOh yeah, I can get that done in a day. Oh that puzzle will be easy to sort the logic for.â Then you realise youâve got 2 days left, nothing is ready, and the original concept is a husk of itâs former self. Great puzzle ideas get ditched because the time to properly execute them no longer exists.
So yes. Chaos⊠But you better believe Iâll be doing the exact same thing in the next competition!
In my free time, ideas can come and go naturally. Assets can be created slow-time and if something is a creative dead end, it doesnât matter. Whatâs the rush? Ideas that turn out to not be fun or donât make sense can be deleted and better ideas have the time to be developed and sculpted.
Most of your rooms contain a lot of animations, visuals, and environments that exist outside of the puzzle room itself. How do you go about making these environments feel âaliveâ?
Relativity
All I try to accomplish is the same feat that all other games employ. If thereâs a window, you should be able to see something nice out of it. If you pour a bucket of water, the bucket should be animated nicely, make a water pouring sound, and have water coming out of it. Itâs fair to say I spend 80% of the room creation time on these finer details.
They often add nothing to the puzzles. But itâs these details that make a room more memorable and enchanting to me.
How do you come up with the themes and puzzles for your rooms?
Virtual Prison
The usual scenario is to pick a theme that hasnât been done before. A theme that is possible within the confines of the editor. A theme that has the potential to look pretty or striking or both.
As mentioned previously, the puzzles are centered around the environment. For example, in âUnder the Seaâ I was making a colourful animated fish as a background prop and thought âahhhh, I can use that!â
What do you think are the key elements to creating a challenging yet enjoyable escape room?
In my crazy dreamworld, I like to believe that itâs possible to create a room that everyone plays and has a fun time with. This is not what happens. Everyone has different tastes. And thatâs okay. The next best thing is to make a room that most players will enjoy.
That room has a difficulty that is easy/moderate. It might be challenging, but it most certainly will not be hard. A good room should not require the player to be very smart. But a good room should leave the player feeling smart.
What are some tips and tricks you can share with players who want to try their hand at designing rooms in Escape Simulator?
Virtual Prison
Do you have a best friend? Forget them. Your new best friend is the âemptyâ. It is nothing, yet it can do everything. It might not be today, tomorrow, or even next week. But one day you will realise that the empty is the most important thing in your creative life.
Most effects can be retextured for some pretty impressive and often chaotic results. Play around with the effects and let your imagination run wild. I was able to create a âbubblesâ effect by taking the âsnowâ effect, flipping it upside down and retexturing the snow particles with a simple bubble png.
What are some lessons youâve learned the hard way as a creator for Escape Simulator?
What I like isnât always what the rest of the world likes. And thatâs okay.
A great example is found within my Build-a-room #2 submission, âThe Virtual Prisonâ. In that room, there is a mini game which is essentially just basketball. Thereâs a little scoreboard and an announcer. I loved it.
But this is Escape Simulator, not NBA 2k23. People hopped into that room and got frustrated that they were having to throw basketballs into a moving hoop. And I completely understand. This is a puzzle game after all, and I handed the player something that isnât a puzzle. That room also contained a frogger rip-off. Iâm now asking the player to do some âaction/platformingâ in a puzzle game.
I was hard on myself for months after this room was released due itâs less than favourable reception. It wasnât until Dr_Poly played through the room on a stream that I decided to play it again myself⊠And I loved it!
It sounds horribly narcissistic, but I had a great time throwing balls with an over exuberant announcer and dodging cars like an 80âs frog.
Itâs important for creators to understand that you should create what makes you happy. If you have fun playing it, thereâs a good chance that most others are going to enjoy it too!
Can you share any memorable experiences or funny stories that have happened while you were designing or playing your escape rooms?
Under the Sea
I was putting together the layout of âUnder the Seaâ in the editor and realised I had backed myself into a corner. I had accidentally placed all the assets in such a way that it wouldnât be possible/make sense for the underwater facility to route where it needed to. I certainly didnât want to undo hours of work.
Then my partner said to me, âwhy donât you just go underground?â And I thought, âNah thatâs mad. Iâd have to cut out a hole in the mesh of the sea floor and build an entirely new section off to the side to create an indoor space. Crazy. Too much workâŠâ
Hours go by and I thought, well actually she is right. Going underground whilst underwater sounds quite fun and unexpected. Youâre at the bottom of the ocean and you end up going even lower! It started as a simple ladder down into a basement.
Somehow that morphed into creating some sort of London Underground ripoff with a moving train section. I wouldnât have even attempted a moving train section because I wouldnât have considered it possible. Then I remembered towards the end of Zestyâs Ominous Obelisk; he had a moment where all the players move vertically in an elevator in a very convincing fashion.
So why wouldnât it work horizontally?
In summary, Under the Seaâs most memorable section only exists due to my poor planning and a bit of lateral thinking from my partner.
What are some of the nicest reactions or interactions youâve had with people who played one of your rooms?
Clockwork Games
Itâs difficult to narrow it down. Iâm grateful to have received a lot of positive support over the past 20 months (at time of writing) of this escape sim journey I find myself on. The comment section for Under The Sea is a great place to start.
Actually, scratch that. I know what it is. After the Build-a-room #3. Mumbo said this to me on the Pine Studio Discord regarding Relativity.
"Duc I think you are the number 1 greatest 3d environment artist escape simulator has to offer and this is the number 1 most beautiful room in ES."
There was plenty of helpful constructive criticism in there as well but the above comment has always stuck with me.
What do you feel has been your greatest âEscape Simulator accomplishmentâ so far?
Pine choosing me for this!
Are there any features you would like to see added to the room editor in future updates?
True 2D sprites. We have transparents which is incredible. (RIP Space sticker.) But a transparent that rotates itself to always face the player would be neat.
Having more animation keyframes. The current workaround for fancy animations is to stack parented empties or whip out LUA. But itâs a bit cumbersome and certainly a roadblock for newer creators. More animation curves. Linear and smooth are good, but it is not enough for all purposes. For example: an object falling off a shelf and hitting the floor. I challenge someone to animate that in ES and make it look realistic. I know how I would do it and it would be such a pain to put together.
Blender allows you to hold shift while interacting with an object to adjust it in finer increments. Having that in escape sim would change my life. And would save me needing to change the numeric values each time I want something lined up with something else. Having granular control over minute distances would be excellent.
Stairs. Stairs. Please.
Are there any other room designers in the game whose work you admire or draw inspiration from?
The creators that stand out are the ones that are doing things that nobody had done before them. Pioneers. Visionaries. The list is colossal. I believe there are least 20 creators whose rooms Iâve played and gone âWow, what a fantastic idea!â Sadly, I didnât write down every time that happened so apologies to those not listed.
Cico: The OG pioneer. Those who have been playing workshop rooms from the very beginning will remember âA Pirates Legend.â A Cico room which is no longer available today. However, it was the first true example of a very well executed outdoor environment. Before this, I had no idea the editor had the capability! If Cico hadnât made that room, itâs a fair shout to say I probably wouldnât have created 8 rooms by now. But this is surprising to no one. Iâm certain every creator looks up to Cico in the same way as I do.
Zesty: He showed the community that escape sim can be far more than just a series of connected rooms. Devilish Diorama was a fantastic idea fantastically executed. A feat unmatched until he brought out a sequel. The game design in these rooms is so intelligent and intuitive. The player is transported into the mesmerising world that Zesty has created. Iâve spent the past few months continuously pressing refresh on Zestyâs workshop page hoping for a 3rd installment. Any. Day. Now.
Robin: In every Build-a-room competition Iâve entered, Robin has finished 1 place ahead of me. This is no accident. I remember playing those rooms and being overwhelmed with amazement. Immortal Canvas stands alongside the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Machu Pichu. Absolute perfection in every regard and I have no idea how it was made. No doubt during my next room, Iâll be looking at Immortal Canvas and trying to capture a glimpse of its excellence. Shout-out to Spellbound.
Franch: Because audio is vital to creating a complete game experience. INSIDE, The Bastet Cat, and This Way Up are all auditory treats! No creator has put as much dedication into sound as Franch. Iâm hardly scratching the surface here. The community is rich with talent, and I would need a few thousand more words to give the credit where it is due.
What are your future plans for designing rooms in Escape Simulator? Do you have any big projects in the works? ;)
I like to think that Under The Sea was a spiritual successor to Clockwork Inc. This next one is a spiritual successor to Under The Sea. Itâs still early in development but the scope is very large. Far larger than Under The Sea.
Do you often collaborate with other creators?
The Collab: Museum
Beyond contributing towards the incredible Collab 2 Museum project. My main collaborator is my partner, Haze. Every room Iâve created has contained ideas, puzzles, concepts from Haze.
Even voice acting on occasion! Many of the rooms would have been completely different if it wasnât for Hazeâs influence. TheChubbyWalrus and AngryLasagne joined the team during The Virtual Prison for Build-a-room #2. Without their combined efforts, that room would have been an absolute shambles!
Thank you, Duc!
Thank you, Duc for taking the time to respond to our questions!
Interested in chatting with other room builders from our community? Or perhaps you've been contemplating becoming a room builder but aren't sure where to begin?
If that's the case, make sure to hop on over to our official Discord server or join the conversation on our subreddit.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Pine team
Our top community room: Winter Edition
Hello everyone! Iggy from Pine here!
It's that time again! We're on the lookout for the top Community Rooms of the last month, and this time around, we're extending our search to cover the winter season. That means we'll be selecting outstanding rooms from both December and November!
This is also the first time I'm doing Community Picks, so I would like to give a big shout-out to our Discord gang who helped me with putting this together. Hope I did well! đ
Also, just a tiny reminder â we've recently unveiled our latest addition to the Escape Simulator series: a Magic DLC! Don't forget to hit that wishlist button and stay in the loop!
A Medieval Adventure - In this visually unique and stunning room you'll find yourself wandering through enchanting woods, encountering a jewelry merchant in need of your help. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, this room created by two authors; Elkondo (responsible for story, dialogue & puzzle mechanics) and Zweetkonijn (who did models, environment & music) will take you on quite a journey filled with fun and engaging puzzles, as well as inventive twists on, well, let's call it "battle planning"?
The Puzzler's Dungeon - This room is a treat for all you mystery and (light) horror lovers out there. Clears throat and starts talking in that dramatic movie trailers guy voice: "The day was going so well. Birds were chirping. Grandma's pie was smelling so good. But then, all of the sudden, you find yourself in a dungeon. Puzzler's Dungeon". Ok, we went a bit overboard here. It's a fantastic room filled with great and intricate puzzles; created by Easter.
Puzzles Galore 3: Sign Clutter âđŠđ§
Puzzles Galore 3: Sign Clutter - Ah, traffic â the driving experience that can either be a breeze or the most stress-inducing day of your life. Enter our esteemed room builder, Wollo, who has crafted a room tailored for everyone who loves traffic - SIGNS. So, no worries, no rush hour here. This cleverly designed room invites you to clear out those pesky road signs by solving their puzzles.
Tax Evasion đđž
Tax Evasion - The first-ever room made by GeriHatrick is also one of the very best among our Winter Season picks. What it is about? Well, this isn't a how-to-evade-paying-taxes-simulator even though the room title could suggest that đ Imagine finding yourself in a tax office that you can't exit from. We are pretty sure this would be a horror scenario for most people, but this room is far from it. It is an incredibly well-designed escape room filled with some very clever and challenging puzzles.
The Hacker: matrix meltdown đšđ»âđ»đŸ
The Hacker: matrix meltdown - In case you've watched that Hackers movie from 1995, you'll know the drill. You find yourself on a super-important mission where your job is to investigate the apartment that belongs to a teenager who's a suspect in strange signals which may have led to a security breach of one of the biggest space stations. The room itself is somewhat medium-hard, but at the same time incredibly well put together. Great work, Dr Krank!
The Puppet Master đ€„
The Puppet Master - One of the most unique rooms our community has favored during this Winter Season is certainly The Puppet Master. Your task is to finish the work of the old puppet master who has passed away. We won't spoil what exactly you have to finish in this great room by Brengo. But you'll certainly find it most amusing đ
Secrets & Alibis đ€«
Secrets & Alibis - For our final pick, this one is a treat for fans of books and movies based on Agatha Christie's work. In this room, you have to solve the mystery of Madam Green's murder by investigating the Royce Manor. This great room has been masterfully put together by Brush$troke, but the author is also crediting Robin, Chazzy B for making some of the assets, as well as k8sparrot, GG3L, Wollo and Autumnlight91 for playtesting. A prime example of a fantastic community collaboration.
Happy New Year to our incredible community!
We are wrapping up our Winter Season community picks and would like to seize this moment to extend our warmest New Year wishes to our incredible community. We truly appreciate the time and effort you invested in creating these fantastic rooms for Escape Simulator.
If you would like to become a part of our community and reach out to some of the amazing builders featured here, then be sure to join us on our official Discord or come talk to us on our subreddit.
Pine team
Winners Build-a-room #5: Cozy Edition!
Hi all!
Today weâre announcing the winners of the final Build-A-Room contest of the year! Your goal was to channel all the cozy and comfy vibes into an âescape roomâ, worthy of the holiday season.Which, now we think of it, would just be a âroomâ you donât want to escape from at all!
Weâve had a total of 34 submissions, however, in the end there can only be one winner. Scrap that, twelve winners! So, without further ado, letâs go to the winners!đ
Rookie Builders Category (RBC)
Weâre starting with the first timers! This category is meant for everyone who submitted a room for the first time in a Build-a-Room contest! đ„ Green Ribbons by ChazzyB - won a Meta Quest 3 and the Magic DLC đ„ Transportation by CuberToy/Cub - won a 100$ Steam gift card and the Magic DLC đ„ Maggie's Cabin by Ryan - won a 100$ Steam gift card and the Magic DLC
Before we go to the Experienced Builders Category, weâd like to first let the community speak. The community voted and together theyâve chosen their winner. The Community Award winner gets a 100$ Steam gift card + a surprise gift The Community Award goes to The Enchanted Snow Globe by Clomar and won 100$ Steam gift card and The Magic DLC!
Experienced Builders Category (EBC)
And at last, but not the least, weâre moving on to the Experienced Builders Category winners. These are the veterans of our community whoâve built the coziest of the coziest room of them all, and it will probably not be their last. A room no one wants to escape from. đ„ The Art of Being Cozy by MelonVerse - won 1000$ in cash + Meta Quest 3 + The Magic DLC đ„ Cats & Christmas by Bartololomeo - won a 100$ Steam gift card and The Magic DLC đ„ Home Alone by med1nh0 - won a 100$ Steam gift card and The Magic DLC
Did you already know we announced the Magic DLC yesterday? Always dreamt of embracing your magic potential, and follow in the footsteps of great witches and wizards? This is your chance! Grab your equipment in the magic shop and then go onward to the school of magic, where three magical classes await your mastery.âš
A big shoutout to everyone who participated. You've outdone yourselves with creativity and ingenuity, and we couldn't be prouder.đ
Winning Ceremony Recap đș
Missed the live ceremony? Don't worry, catch the replay here:
Have a great holiday season and a happy new year!
Cheers,
Pine Studio <3
Magic DLC is coming to Escape Simulator!đ§ââïž
Hello everyone!
As our last announcement of the advent calendar weâre glad to announce a new Magic DLC will release for Escape Simulator in 2024! Always dreamt of embracing your magic potential, and follow in the footsteps of great witches and wizards? This is your chance! Grab your equipment in the magic shop and then go onward to the school of magic, where three magical classes await your mastery.âš
With the upcoming Magic DLC, four new rooms will be available for you to explore. Where each room tells a story in your magical journey to become a great sorcerer! Be sure to pay attention or everything might become abracadabra to you, and that will make escaping a lot more difficult as well.
Magic Shop đ
Be it a young student of the arcane, or a seasoned sorcerer, everyone knows that all their wizarding needs can be met here at the Magic Shop. The latest in wizarding fashion trends, ancient tomes, finest wands and floating candy - this magic shop has been the first stop on each and every adventure.
Chronomancy Hallâł
A symphony of ticking echoes in the marble halls. Clocks of all shapes and sizes count every moment that passes, for most people, irreversibly. But for a sorcerer, the past can not only be observed, but brought back. Control the flow of time, and uncover secrets hidden in the timeline. As the age old saying 'time is just an illusion'.
Greenhouseđ±
Tucked away in the castle grounds, the sunlit greenhouse hosts a myriad of plants and mushrooms which are happily growing. Learn the strict art of potion making - pick the right plants and read the instructions carefully, lest you lose your eyebrows or grow a tail! But hey, maybe it will great on you!
Divination Towersđź
For many, the future is uncertain, but for students of divination, it is only a matter of understanding the signs. High above the land, in two spires above the clouds, you will find many methods for seeing the future. However, you will have to make sense of these glimpses, to find a way to ultimately escape.
Advent Calendarđ
With this last announcement we conclude the advent calendar. The past month has been loads of fun with the surprise launch of the free Among Us update, build-a-room #5, Escape Simulator VR demo , loads of giveaways and now concluding with the announcement of 'Magic DLC'. We at Pine Studio hope that everyone enjoyed the past month and in extension the past year.
We want to thank everyone in the community that's played or build in the past year and welcome all the new players that have joined. Be sure to join our Discord if you haven't already!
See you next year!
Pine Studio <3
ES: Among Us DLC - Hotfix #1
Dear players, Thank you so much for the positive feedback and reactions for the Among Us DLC! We heard your feedback and already addressed some of the issues in today's hotfix:
Enabled tokens in the Among Us DLC. Good luck hunting!
Simplified the circuit puzzle
Changed the wording of the Specimen puzzle hint
Fixed turnables in some community rooms
Fixed minor alien hat issue
Fixed some other minor issues
Thank you for all the feedback! It would mean a lot to us if you could take the time to write a review on the Among Us DLC steam page, or the base game if you already haven't.
Pine team <3
Free Among Us DLC is out now!! đš
Attention Crewmates!
Weâve received an emergency call from The Mini Skeld! They seem to be running into some issues with the ship. Could there possibly be an Impostor amongst the crew? Time to board the ship and help the crew escape in this new official Among Us-inspired room, available now for everyone!
You and your Crewmates have to work together, solve puzzles and make your way out. However, now that youâre stuck in space, the stakes may be even higher! Or, maybe you and your friends are all just hard-working, puzzle-solving, qualified space adventurers and you have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Taking care of a spaceship is never easy. Especially when you have a lot of things to worry about such as the O2 running out, reactors in meltdown or the worst of all, no internet connection. For the Crewmates that want a real challenge, if youâre able to escape from the ship within an hour, youâll win a special trophy!
Non-suspicious Steam Sale đž
To celebrate this Among Us DLC release, both the base game and soundtrack of Escape Simulator are on sale with a 25% discount. If you want more Escape Simulator after playing this free one, you can get the Steampunk & Wild West DLC with 10% off and try our other free branded Portal Escape Room.
No escape from the festive seasonđ
December means festivities and holidays! The Among Us DLC is already a lot to celebrate, but weâre not stopping here! Weâre counting down to Christmas on Twitter and revealing something every day, so be sure to follow us and keep an eye out. đ
Join our dedicated community
That's it for today's announcement! You can come talk to us and other community members on our official Discord server or on our subreddit. We hope to see you there!
<3 Pine Studio
Escape Simulator VR demo is live now!
Are you ready to get fully immersed? đ
Wait, has it really been six months since we officially revealed Escape Simulator VR? Well, guess we owe you an update on how the development is progressing, right? Luckily, we bring good news as the development on this VR version of Escape Simulator is going smoothly and hopefully the wait for its full release will be over sooner rather than later!
VR When? đ
Well, now, but not entirely. So, 'not yet' is the best answer. However, we do have a nice surprise as Escape Simulator VR is part of the Steam VR Fest. Which means you can actually play the demo RIGHT NOW!
The demo is available till December 11 as part of Steam VR Fest! Since this is our first VR game ever, we are treating the demo more like an open beta. We're curious to hear your feedback, as it will greatly help us in making the final game the best VR experience it can be.
Be sure to download the demo via the store page by clicking the link above and definitely share any feedback you might have about the demo over on our official Discord server!
Escaping the simulator; for real! đ±
As for the VR devices supported, the demo will be playable through Steam VR (or the new Steam Link App) on the most popular devices like Meta Oculus Quest 2, Meta Oculus Quest 3, Steam Index, HTC Vive and more.
Additionally, we aim to support as many VR devices as we can in the future after the official release of Escape Simulator VR. Any feedback and suggestions to improve the player experience on your headset of choice is highly valuable to us and would be greatly appreciated!
You can share any comments and feedback over on our official Discord server or our subreddit.
Advent Month đ
We're not even 4 days into December and we already announced two surprises! With the opening of the advent calendar (and our first surprise) we announced the build-a-room #5 contest, where rookie builders and experienced builders can compete with each other by building the coziest escape room of them all!
You can read all about the build-a-room #5 contest here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1435790/view/3814047346173395597?l=english
See you in another reality!
Pine Studio <3
Pine Festive Month & Build-A-Room #5: Cozy Holiday Edition! đ
Introducing⊠the Pine Festive Month!
The holiday season has arrived, and here at Pine Studio weâre celebrating with a special Escape Simulator advent calendar!
On the days marked on the calendar weâll be opening each door to reveal surprises that could range from giveaways to exciting special events. To find out whatâs behind each door as it opens, follow along on our Discord and social media channels!
As you can see, the door for day 1 is already open, revealingâŠ
Build-A-Room #5 - Will you build the coziest room of them all?
It's time to get festive, room builders!
With holidays approaching, it's the perfect time of the year to get nice and comfy. Whether that means you'll be spending your time reading a good book by the fireplace or by getting together with your friends and family, December is the perfect month to kick back and relax a little!
Now, we know the room builders from our community have been eagerly awaiting the next contest, which is why we are pleased to announce the final Build-A-Room of the year! This time round, we want to challenge the builders from our community to channel all of their coziest vibes into a room worthy of the holiday season. Think fireplaces, hot cocoa, warm blankets, wooden cabins, comfy easy chairs and extremely good gameplay of course! Doesn't that just sound wonderful? đ
Since it's the season of all things cozy, we wanted to shake things up a little for this Build-A-Room and introduce some new prize categories with a special place for new builders to get comfy.
For Build-A-Room #5 there will be: 2 distinct prize categories and a community award:
Rookie Builders Category
Experienced Builders Category
Community Award
đ Prizes
As always, we will be rewarding the greatest creations (and their creators) with some astonishing prizes! This time around, room builders will get a chance to win the following rewards in the new categories:
Rookie Builders Category (RBC)
Is this your first Build-A-Room competition? Then we have some great news! A special set of prizes reserved exclusively for first time competitors!
BC first place winner gets a Meta Quest 3 + a surprise gift
RBC second and third place get a 100$ Steam gift card + a surprise gift
Fourth and fifth place get a surprise gift
Who is eligible for this category? This must be your FIRST submission for an official Escape Simulator competition. This means any of the four Build-A-Rooms or the Build-A-Thon competition. You can have other workshop submissions for Escape simulator under your profile. You are automatically qualified for this category if you meet the above standards, in addition to being entered into the Experienced Builders Category. You donât have to choose which category you want to enter.
Experienced Builders Category (EBC)
This is the main set of prizes. Every submission is qualified for this category and will be taken into consideration. Note that you cannot win in both categories - if you win an EBC prize, you wonât be eligible for any RBC prizes even if youâre a first time competitor.
First place winner earns 1000$ in cash + Meta Quest 3 + a surprise gift
Second and third place get a 100$ Steam gift card + a surprise gift
Fourth and fifth place get a surprise gift
Community Award
After the submission deadline has passed, we will open a poll containing all rooms that were submitted. Voting will last until the Winners Announcement Stream on December 21st.
The Community Award winner gets a 100$ Steam gift card + a surprise gift
Everyone is eligible to win the community award. Vote for the map you had most fun playing, the one that charmed you and stuck to you the most.
đ Rules
Other than the new prize categories, the rules for Build-A-Room #5 are the same as usual. Entries must have a cozy theme.
Create a cozy escape room that's worthy of the holiday season in the Room Editor.
To submit a room for the competition, post a link to your room in the #đchallenges channel in the Pine Studio Discord.
You can only submit one room. Multiple submissions will not be counted.
Multiple builders can work together on one room, but there will be only one prize for them.
It has to be an escape room.
The gameplay should ideally be under 30 minutes, but it can be longer.
You can make your room as big as you wish.
You need to record a video walkthrough and post it on YouTube or similar video sharing site.
You are allowed to bug fix your room after submission, but can not resubmit an entirely different
All references to existing IPs (including names, images, models and sounds) must be edited, parodied or otherwise modified to infer a likeness to the original IP without directly copying it.
Use models, textures, sounds and other assets that are either Creative Commons (CC0) with attribution, that are from the ES library, or that you have paid the license for.
Copies of other players' rooms are not eligible.
Keep it fun/clean! No profanity, racism, hate speech, sexually suggestive content, etc.. Rooms that might be considered offensive in any way or form will be disqualified.
The Pine team will choose the winners for the Rookie and Experienced Builder Categories this time! The Community prize will, naturally, be decided by community votes.
Dates:
Submissions are open until December 18th 8PM CEST / 2PM EST
We'll play and review all the submissions before December 21, which is when we will host a stream to announce the winners. More info about the stream will follow later!
General guidelines for your submission
Less is more. Keep the map short. 15 to 30 minutes is ideal. If you arenât sure if a puzzle is good or not, redesign it, or even better, cut it from your room. Itâs better to have 3 amazing puzzles, than 10 mediocre ones.
Test test and test. Join the community in discord. Share your room and test it before submission.
Less is more considering size. Walking simulators arenât preferred. This is a puzzle game after all. :)
Try to gear your map towards the average audience.
Donât forget to create a good looking thumbnail and room description.
Ask for help on discord. Most builders are willing to help.
Donât forget about color blindness and hearing impairment when designing your puzzles.
Try to show what happens when you solve a puzzle in the immediate vicinity. If you solve a puzzle, and a door opens in the other room - thatâs bad design.
In the end itâs all about fun. Your room can have the most complex puzzles, or the shiniest graphics and amazing sound design, but if itâs boring it wonât work!
These are only guidelines that might help to make your room better. You can choose to ignore them all and go with your own flow.
It's to time start building your cozy rooms! â
We hope you are excited about this final Build-A-Room contest of the year and we canât wait to see all of your cozy creations! Don't forget to join us over on our Discord or our subreddit where you can talk to other builders and exchange tips. Our December Festivities will be shared across our Discord and social media channels, so we hope to see you there!
đ Pine team
Steam Awards 2023: Nominate Escape Simulator for Labor of Love! â€
For your consideration! âïž
The end of the year is approaching fast, which also means the Steam Awards 2023 are just around the corner! Even though Escape Simulator has been out on Steam for more than two years now, we have been adding as much interesting content to the game as possible and we aren't planning on slowing down any time soon! Just this year alone, we released 3 room updates for free and of course, the Portal Escape Chamber DLC, which is also available free of charge. Additionally, we are still improving on the in-game room editor by offering even more tools and utilities to the community room builders!
With that in mind, we would like to bring to your consideration that Escape Simulator is still eligible for a nomination in the Labor of Love category! If you want to show us some additional love and support, please consider nominating Escape Simulator for this category. You can cast your vote by checking the box at the top of this announcement. It would truly mean a lot to all of us here at Pine Studio!
Start escaping today! đ
Don't own Escape Simulator yet, but have you (and your friends) been interested to try it out? Good news, because both the base game and the DLCs are part of the Autumn Sale which just kicked off! You can currently pick up the base game with a 25% discount or you can get the Steampunk and Wild West DLCs with a 10% discount!đ
Join our dedicated community!
That's it for today's announcement! We hope you will consider Escape Simulator for the Labor of Love award and if you'd like to talk to other escapists, be sure to join our community! You can come talk to us and other community members on our official Discord server or on our subreddit. We hope to see you there!
Hi all! 
