It's October, which means the month of Halloween has officially arrived! Played through the Portal Escape Chamber DLC and looking for some new rooms to check out? Well, the builders from our community have got you covered! Whether you're looking for an eerie room or something a bit more cozy, there's sure to be something for you to play here. So without further ado, let's dive into our monthly picks for September!
Escape artist or art escapist? 🎨
First off, we've got Art Reflects Reality by Noodl Eatr! As the title implies, this room is filled with various pieces of art that you will need to contemplate in order to find your way out. Art Reflects Reality is a shorter room with some very interesting puzzles that will definitely require you to rack your brain. A great debut room by Noodl Eatr and we can't wait to see more!
A mystery is afoot! 🕵️♀️
Who doesn't love a good old spooky mystery? If you're looking for some suspense during the month of Halloween, then we can definitely recommend you to check out Masonic Mystery by kingz ~ A! In Masonic Mystery, you play as the new librarian at the King James Library. After your first day at the job, you realize that the keys to the library have gone missing! This unfortunate turn of events plunges you into a search that will lead to a series of discoveries about the hidden history of the Masonic order. Can you uncover all of the library's secrets?
Time to relax! ♨️
Treasure of the Onsen Resort by Gingerbelle is a visually stunning room in which you play as a detective who's on a well-deserved holiday. Ever wanted to visit a beautiful mountain resort with hot springs and excellent views? Well, this is your chance! However, not everything at the resort is as it seems and your relaxing holiday might just get cut short by an impending mystery!
Competitive grocery shopping! 🛒
Did you know that going out to get some groceries can actually be fun? Don't believe us? Then be sure to check out Supermarket Scramble by Robin, which literally turns grocery shopping into a fun little game! In this room, you will need to find each item on your grocery list, but there's a twist... all of the items you need are written down as anagrams! Additionally, the items on your list are randomized every time you play, making it a perfect room to play in Versus Mode. Be sure to check this one out with a friend!
Honorable mentions!
Finally, we would like to highlight a couple of additional rooms that caught our attention and are also definitely worth checking out! So if you still want more rooms to play, be sure to have a look at these as well!
And that's it for September's monthly picks! As always, we hope you'll enjoy these rooms much as we did! If you would like to talk to some of the amazing builders from our community, then be sure to join us on our official Discord or come talk to us on our subreddit. We hope to see you there!
♥ Pine team
Meet the Builders #2 - Cico
Meet Cico!
Welcome back to our "Meet the Builders" series, where we delve into the creative minds behind some of the most remarkable room designers in Escape Simulator. Last time we talked with Zesty and now it's Cico's turn!
Today we are putting the spotlight on Cico, who's known for some of the spookiest rooms ever to be created in our in-game Room Editor. Cico is one of the veteran builders from our community, who made the Little Emily series, The Motel II, Grandma's Kitty and many other excellent rooms! Now without further ado, it's time to meet the builder!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into playing Escape Simulator?
Hi, my virtual name is Cico, my real name is Anton, I'm French and I've been playing Escape Simulator since October 2021. Escape rooms have become a passion of mine since my first one in 2015. I've been working in a French escape game for two years now.
For some time I've been looking for a game that would allow me to create my own rooms and share them with other players. Escape Simulator became an obvious choice when I saw all the possibilities it could offer. And it has to be said that in a video game, there's no need to reset the room and tidy up after the players have gone through ahah. 😄
What inspired you to start designing rooms in the game?
After creating games and scenarios in real life, I needed a place where I could realise my greatest follies in a simple and inexpensive way, to take my ideas and scenarios from paper to virtual in a simple and intuitive way. When I discovered all the possibilities offered by the game and the constant support of the developers, I was immediately won over. I think it's the steam purchase I've hesitated least to make in the last five years.
You are known to make some very spooky rooms and the name ‘Emily’ even sends shivers down the spines of many Escape Simulator players. How do you manage to effectively scare people every time? 👻
First of all, I'd like to apologise to all the Emily's who must hate me by now. 😅 I think the most important thing is to focus on the story and the atmosphere. The fear doesn't just come when you're walking down a corridor and something pops up in front of you, but also when you have to open a heavy wooden door, it opens slowly and you have no idea what might be waiting behind it, hiding in the shadows and seemingly watching you for a long time. Playing on phobias, giving "the fear of being afraid" are important elements that give the player a feeling of never really being safe.
That name still sends shivers down our spines...
Out of all the people you managed to scare with your rooms, which one are you most proud of and why? 👀
I've been lucky enough to see several steamer or youtube videos on my rooms, and the DisguisedToast and Valkyrae videos are still hilarious moments for me. But I think the people I'm most proud of having scared or impressed are my close friends who test my rooms first and I love seeing their reactions. They know me and they're hard to surprise, so it's always a source of pride for me to impress them.
Can you walk us through your process of creating a room? (you sketch on paper, what tools, how you start)
I usually start by putting my first ideas down on paper. First I think about the theme, the setting and above all the story. Once my ideas are clear, I think about the puzzles that might fit the story and the complexity I want the play to have. It's after these steps that I finally launch the game for some long and exciting hours of construction. I often change everything in the middle of construction, give up and start again from scratch, but I always get the same joy out of writing and designing a room. There's also a whole creation process that takes place on the side, with the images, clues and textures being put in place using photoshop and other software for the sound.
You'll just need to take care of grandma's kitty. What could possibly go wrong?
Even though you are known for your spooky rooms, you also created a bunch of rooms that were more light-hearted in tone like Grandma’s Kitty. In which ways does your process for these rooms differ from your scary rooms?
In reality, it's not so different from the horror rooms. The difference is mainly in the design of the atmosphere. Of course, seeing blood running down the walls of a little grandmother who just wants to feed her cat would be strange…
I like to put little references to my past and future rooms in each adventure. For me, rooms that don't have a horror theme are always more complicated to design. It's harder to convey emotions, but I like to put a little moment of suspense in all my rooms. Players who have played Grandma's Kitty may remember a little mouse that startled them.
What are some of your favorite rooms you've created so far, and what makes them unique?
It's hard for me to choose but I'd have to say Grandma's Kitty and The Motel II are my favourites. I loved working on Grandma's Kitty with a colleague and friend to design the story and puzzles, it was rewarding to share ideas and design a fun room. For The Motel II it was a pleasure to rework an old room that had appeared in 2021, to revise the atmosphere, improve the puzzles and add the game's new technology. This room also allowed me to try out a new way of telling a story and to work more on the narration.
The Motel II turns a spooky classic into an even spookier place than before!
How do you come up with the themes and puzzles for your rooms?
I find them in my dreams in the morning, by watching films, reading commentaries or talking to players at work. I'm also lucky enough to have a colleague at work who's full of crazy ideas.
What do you think are the key elements to creating a challenging yet enjoyable escape room?
The most important thing is the story, the puzzles and the atmosphere. You have to be able to bring these three elements together for the whole thing to work. You don't want it to be too complicated, but you want to keep it fun and find ways to surprise players. It's also very important to follow players' opinions when publishing the room. Fix bugs (because there are always bugs that you wouldn't have thought of).
What are some tips and tricks you can share with players who want to try their hand at designing rooms in Escape Simulator?
I'd say the most important thing is to take your time and make sure everything is as elaborate as you imagine it to be. Don't rush to get a piece out quickly, but apply yourself, as mentioned above, to the story, the puzzle and setting the atmosphere.
What are some lessons you’ve learned the hard way as a creator for Escape Simulator?
I've learned that most players don't like rooms that are too complicated or too long. In my "Alton Manor" room, I wanted to create a multi-story adventure, but I realized that it was too easy to lose players in the space. I wanted a "difficult" room, and I think I've made the puzzles a little harder than I'd intended. It's a room that will appeal to players who like challenges and long rooms, but will confound players who want a fast-paced adventure.
Can you share any memorable experiences or funny stories that have happened while you were designing or playing your escape rooms?
I'll call this story "the sprinkler sprinkled". After a month-long break from designing a horror room, I'd totally forgotten where I'd put half the screamers in the game. Thinking I'd deactivated them, I launched the simulation on the editor and screamed every time a little girl called Emily appeared. I ended up removing the sound and elements from the game for the day, so that I could continue working on the room.
What are some of the nicest reactions or interactions you’ve had with people who played one of your rooms?
I love watching streams of the game and I'd say that any time I can interact live with players in the room is a fun interaction. I also love to see my friends testing my rooms live on discord, it gives me immense joy and pride to listen to their reactions. Their laughter, their comments or their shrill cries (I'm sure they'll recognize themselves reading this)
What do you feel has been your greatest ‘Escape Simulator accomplishment’ so far?
I don't know... maybe I'll say this interview and all the comments I can read on steam and discord. It's always a pleasure to know that we've been able to bring emotion to players, that we've made them laugh, that we've scared them, that we've made them think for a long time about an enigma or that we've allowed them to have a good time with friends.
Are there any features you would like to see added to the room editor in future updates?
There are three features that interest me more than anything else. The first, for me, a fan of horrific rooms, would be a controllable flashlight that would make it possible to create truly dark rooms where only the player could light up, and give us, the sadistic room designers, the possibility of turning it off or making it blink in the worst (or best) moments of the adventure. The second, more open, would be the possibility of adding short videos, and the last, which is close to my heart, would be to add a translation tool that, depending on the version the player has chosen in the settings, would display a different, translated texture or sound, as with the clues, for example (as I am currently trying to do in my rooms but in a way that is more accessible to everyone).
Are there any other room designers in the game whose work you admire or draw inspiration from?
I confess that I don't play much in the workshop room, but rather enjoy designing them. In the few rooms I've been able to play alone or with friends, I've enjoyed Robin's Immortal Canvas, Zesty's The Devilish Diorama and namo_krub's Karakuri Castle. This game is full of talent and people with overflowing imagination to create more and more surprising rooms.
What are your future plans for designing rooms in Escape Simulator? Do you have any big projects in the works? ;)
I've got a LOT of projects on the go, room redesigns, rooms already teased on the network (Pirate, Magic...) and I'm gradually making progress on the rooms I'm happy with. But I'm happy to announce that I'm working on an even crazier Grandma's Kitty sequel, and an even more disturbing The Motel room continuity. I'm also working on a "tutorial" room with assets for new players wishing to start creating rooms.
Among all these rooms, I'm planning to release a big project that's particularly close to my heart, a room that's got nothing to do with what I'm used to releasing until now. It will be not only a room, but also an immersive experience that will play on a range of emotions such as fear, joy and sadness, and where narrative will be the main focus. It's still too early to say more about this adventure, but I can't wait to tell you all about it.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer these questions in your "Meet the Builders". I look forward to seeing the evolution of this game and all its talented creators. I also thank you for giving us a game and a space for unlimited imagination, and for giving us the opportunity to share that imagination with player.
Thank you for taking the time to tell us all about your process, Cico. We are looking forward to all of the exciting new projects you've got in store for us!
Want to talk to some of the room builders from our community yourself? Or maybe you've been thinking about becoming a room builder yourself, but you don't know where to start? Well, if that's the case, be sure to join our official Discord server or come talk to us on our subreddit. We hope to see you there!
Pine team ♥️
The FREE Portal Escape Chamber DLC is OUT NOW!👨🔬
Attention all Aperture personnel,
The day has finally come for you to (re-)enter the highly esteemed Aperture Science Laboratories! We expect you all to achieve many great things within these chambers, which are of course packed to the brim with all the resources necessary for you to escape do science stuff. Of course, any and all major scientific breakthroughs will be duly celebrated with some scrumptious lab rat treats cake. Not a lie! We are thrilled to announce that the wait is finally over, because the Portal Escape Chamber DLC (approved by Valve!) is out now! This means that anyone who already owns a copy of Escape Simulator can now add this free DLC to their library on the official store page. Don't own a copy yet? You're in luck, because Escape Simulator is currently on the biggest sale ever with a 33% discount!
Picture this: a minor workplace mishap has led to a complete lockdown within the Aperture facility, and you and your fellow scientists find yourselves trapped within the labs. When life gives you lemons… you strap on your thinking caps, lace up those metaphorical puzzle-solving shoes, and dive into a maze of mind-bending puzzles. Safety protocols be damned! Team up with up to nine other scientists to strategize, and put your ingenuity to the test as you navigate through meticulously crafted puzzles and intricately designed test chambers lab rooms. Who knows, maybe you’ll even be rewarded with a flour-based confection for all your efforts!🎂
With the new Portal DLC out, we’re looking forward to our next major milestone, Escape Simulator VR! In this VR version, you will be able to play all the rooms from the base game as well as all the community-created rooms. So wishlist it now as it helps us greatly!
Of course we still have a lot of additional updates and much more exciting news planned for Escape Simulator, so we hope you'll continue to look forward to that! In the meantime, have a quick look at our updated roadmap for 2023. What could possibly be hiding behind those last two images? 👀
So how are you holding up? 🥔
There’s a lot more exciting news on the way, so keep those portals primed, and those cubes cuddled, and be sure to keep in touch on our channels for more updates! Love the game and want to talk to other players and room builders? Then please consider joining our official Discord or subreddit! In the meantime, we’d like to thank you all again for your unwavering support. We hope you enjoy this update as much as we do, and we cannot wait to hear what you think about it!
Pine team 💟
Our top community room picks for Summer '23!
Looks like my summer vacation is over... 🌅
Wait, it's september already? Where DOES the time go? As some of the more dedicated players (and builders of course!) may have noticed, we unfortunately missed out on our August edition of the monthly community room picks due to a well-deserved holiday break. That's why this month, we would like to make it up to you all with an XL-sized Summer Edition of our monthly picks!
But before we get into the very best creations of the past few months, we would once again like to direct your attention to the free Portal Escape Chamber DLC, which is releasing in two days! We are incredibly proud of this brand-new room, which was officially approved by Valve and we can't wait for all of you to play it. If you haven't done so already, it would help us immensely if you could add the free Portal DLC to your Steam wishlist by going to the dedicated store page via the button below! ✨
Now, let's get right into things as we reveal some of our very favourite community rooms that were published this Summer. There were a LOT of incredible rooms to pick from, so we hope you're ready!
Such a peaceful garden... 🍃
We're kicking off this Summer Edition of the monthly picks with Chronicles of the Forgotten Wisdom - Ch. III by GG3L, which takes place in a beautiful garden filled with secrets! But not all is as it may seem, as this garden is filled with optical illusions and enigmas for you to decipher. Be sure to check this one out!
Are you up for a challenge? 🧠
Looking for some deceivingly tricky puzzles that will have you racking your brain? Then you can always rely on room builder Wollo to scratch that itch! This definitely goes for his latest room Neon, which has you solve a series of mind-bending puzzles in what seems to be some sort of hyper-futuristic dataspace. A big departure from Wollo's last room Joe's Garage, which deserves an honorable mention for telling a truly gripping and emotional story. Fun fact: Wollo also helped us out with the puzzles for the hard mode version of the Versus Room!
This labyrinth is a-maze-ing!
Still in need for another sequence of intricately designed puzzles? Then be sure to check out The Crystal Labyrinth by Leo as well! In this titular labyrinth, you will need to collect multiple crystals by solving a series of puzzle rooms, with each one being slightly more devious than the last one. Puzzles galore! 🧩
All bets are off! 🎲
Time for a completely different type of setting now, because Burgle Battle at the Canary by Crusty White Dog takes place at a grand casino! You're not just here to gamble though, because you have entered The Canary with a much bigger prize on your mind: The prestigious Canary Diamond! Chances are, you won't win this prize through fair play alone. 😉
Have you been studying well? 📖
Leave it up to MelonVerse to create a truly magical room with some excellent visuals! During the Potions Class Semester Test you will need to prove that you can brew up tonics and potions like no other wizard could before. What's especially interesting about MelonVerse's latest creation, is that it has randomized puzzles! This means you can technically replay this room in 362880 unique ways. No cheating your way through this semester test!
A worthy tribute to a classic pirate game! 🏴☠️
At Pine Studio, we absolutely love ourselves a good old Point & Click Adventure game. So when it comes to this genre, you simply HAVE to pay respect to the Monkey Island series. That was exactly what room builder CuberToy set out to do while creating The Barbery Coast! This room is chock-full of references to this classic series and it perfectly represents the visual style of The Curse of Monkey Island in a 3D environment. We love to see it! 🏴☠️
An enchanting garden! 🦋
If you've ever played one of Robin's rooms before, you will know that the voice acting and room design are undoubtedly going to be absolutely stellar. The Glass Garden is a visually stunning room taking place in a magical garden, in which you will need to undergo four trials relating to the four elements. It goes without saying that if you enjoy great room design and intricate puzzles, that you should definitely check this one out!
Ready to enter the Aperture Science Laboratories? 👨🔬
And that's it for this very special edition of our monthly picks! We hope these seven excellent rooms are enough to keep you busy until the free Portal Escape Chamber DLC launches next Thursday (September 7th!). As always, we hope you'll enjoy these rooms much as we did! If you would like to talk to some of the amazing builders from our community, then sure to join us on our official Discord or come talk to us on our subreddit. We hope to see you there!
♥ Pine team
Find out who won 💵$2000💵 in the Build-a-Room #4!
Hey there Builders! The past few weeks have been incredibly exciting for us here at Pine. Your enthusiasm and participation in the Build-A-Room #4: Versus Challenge have been nothing short of amazing. It's been a wild ride full of creativity, jaw-dropping designs, and fierce competition. Now, the moment you've all been waiting for has arrived—the winners are here!
👏 A big shoutout to everyone who participated. You've outdone yourselves with creativity and ingenuity, and we couldn't be prouder.
📺 Winning Ceremony Recap Missed the live ceremony? Don't worry, catch the replay here: 💡 What’s Next? Keep an eye out for the next Build-A-Room challenge! More awesome prizes and excitement are in the pipeline.
Huge thanks to all of you for making this competition an unforgettable experience!
Cheers, Pine team
Portal-themed DLC is coming! This is not a lie! 🎂
Dear test subjects,
Your services are required in this new Portal Escape Chamber on September 7th. This chamber is approved by Valve and based on the Aperture Science Enrichment Center from the Portal games! We are of course incredibly thankful to the entire team at Valve for letting us create this new free DLC, which is truly a wish come true for all of us at Pine Studio!
In this free-to-play DLC for Escape Simulator, you and fellow subjects scientists (up to nine) were part of a minor workplace incident, causing the place to go into a state of complete lockdown. Now that you’re trapped in this laboratory, it’s up to you all to stay calm and escape.
Solve puzzles, repair the Personality Core, reunite with some familiar cube-shaped friends, and break the Aperture Laboratories’ safety protocols to gain your freedom. And to make your escape a little bit sweeter. we promise that there will be cake. No lie.
To our builders, don’t forget our current Build-a-Room challenge! To coincide with our Versus update that was released last week, we want you to create your own room that fits with this theme ! For more information, be sure to read the announcement!
We sure hope that this announcement gave you some appetite for this new sweet escape adventure! There’s a lot more exciting things coming to Escape Simulator, so be sure to join our Discord or subreddit so you won’t miss out on anything!
Pine team ♥
We are off on vacation, but first; here's a Versus hotfix!
We're packing our bags for a (well deserved) 2-week summer break, but not before delivering a sizzling hotfix packed with bunch of fixes! 🔧 Don't forget to enter our Build-a-Room #4 challenge – it's your chance to get creative and win a cool $2000! 💰
Changelog:
Versus Core
Fixed freeze if you are playing versus mode with a room that has an eject slot at the beginning of the map
Removed "You Lost!" message if you are left alone in a versus map.
Versus trophy screen is visually much more consistent across all maps.
Fixing freeze at Versus rooms where the game would freeze if other players disconnect at the trophy screen.
Fixed bug where versus leaderboards would display 1 instead 10.
Versus Rooms
Adjusted lasers in "Versus Apprentice" room so its easier to see if you finished the puzzle
Adjusted hints for "Versus Apprentice" room.
Adjusted laser block time in "Versus Apprentice" so it's a more fluid feel.
Adjusting Japanese translations in "Versus Apprentice".
Fixing bug where rotating cubes could be rotated at a weird angle in "Versus Apprentice".
Random Lobby
Adjusted random lobbies so they look for additional regions for a match.
Searching for a random lobby now shows "Connecting" panel and disallows click spamming random matches.
Level Specific
Fixing freeze in "The Elevator" in coop when picking up a key.
Fixed wrong player spawn locations in "The Metaverse" in versus mode.
Other
Removed token UI in rooms that have no tokens.
Fixing soft lock if you leave a zoom
Fixing bug where big items would clip through a player when entering a slot.
Changed "Dynamic Walkthrough" Steam tag to "Versus".
Pine team <3
Win 💵$2000💵 at the Build-A-Room #4 & Join us tomorrow at the dev livestream!
Hello Room Builders!
In case you missed it in yesterday’s VS Update announcement, a new Build-A-Room has started! With only one condition, it needs to be a Versus room, perfect for our room escapers to put on their smarty pants and racing shoes! 👖👟
You can submit your rooms until August 21st 8AM CEST / 2AM EST. The Pine Team will play and review all the submissions until August 31st. Like before, we’ll host a winning ceremony stream and announce the winners. Once we have a date for that, we’ll let you all know!
What are the prizes this time? 🏆
The first place winner will earn themselves $2.000 in cash💵💵💵 + an escape room board game by PostCurious!
The second and third place winners get $100 Steam gift card + an escape room board game by PostCurious!
Winner #4-10 get a $100 Steam gift card!
Rules 📜
To submit a room for the competition, post a link to your room in the "#🏆challenges" channel in the Pine Studio Discord, or you can send a submission via this Steam thread.
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 a room escape.
The gameplay should be ideally under 30 minutes, but it could be longer.
You can make the room as big as you wish.
You need to record a video walkthrough.
You are allowed to bug fix your room after submission, but you can’t resubmit an entirely different room.
Copies of other players' rooms are not eligible.
Keep it fun/clean! No profanity, racism, hate speech, sexually suggestive, etc. content. Rooms that might be considered offensive in any way or form will be disqualified.
The Pine team will choose the winners this time!
Tips & Tricks ⚒️
Go to Escape Simulator, "Workshop" button, "Your Rooms," and press "Create". This creates an empty room, and you can start building.
To get some help, you can look through "Tutorial Rooms" and learn the basics such as puzzles and animation.
Finally, you can also join our dedicated Discord community to ask about anything you might need help with!
Less is more sometimes! ;)
Pine Q&A Livestream 🎥
To celebrate the Versus update and the new Build-A-Room competition, we’ll host a livestream here on our Steam store page on August 3rd, 8PM CEST/1PM CDT. We hope to see you all there!
♥ Pine team
Versus Update OUT NOW + New Build-a-Room challenge!
Are you ready for a battle of the brains? 🧠
Always wondered if you were the one with the biggest brain among your friends? Today you'll be able to find out for yourself by challenging them in Escape Simulator's brand-new Versus Update! Rise to the top of the ranks by being the first to solve all the puzzles in one of our many escape rooms. To commemorate this new way to play, we are also adding a truly challenging room that takes place on a quiz show from the 80s.
Finally, we would like to challenge all of our community's incredibly talented room builders to create their own Versus rooms! That's right, we are kicking off our fourth official Build-A-Room challenge TODAY! As always, there are some awesome prizes involved. Be sure to keep reading for more information on this new Build-A-Room challenge down below!
The Versus Update is absolutely huge and it features a new game mode, new rooms, soundtrack, outfits, a few very interesting additions (such as "join random multiplayer lobby" option), and a bunch of fixes. The full massive changelog is in the bottom of the page.
But how does it work?
As the title implies, in this brand-new Versus Mode, you will be able to take on other players to prove that you are the greatest escape artist. Just like in the regular Co-op Mode, one player will need to host a game to create a lobby for your opponents to join. Once that's settled, you’ll have to select a room that each of you will be tackling individually. You can choose any room you want, even the community rooms made in the in-game room editor!
Once you've selected and entered a room, the game begins. In order to keep track of how far along your opponents are, we've added an in-game progress bar that shows you exactly whether you're ahead of the game or if you should step it up a notch! This progress bar will allow you to see the exact progress of your opponents. No pressure or anything.
Back to the 80s! ✨
In addition to the new game mode, we are also adding another free room with two different difficulties (the hard one is designed in collaboration with Wollo!) as part of this update! This time, you will find yourself on the set of a classic game show from the 80's. This room was specifically made with Versus Mode in mind, so you can definitely expect a truly challenging room this time around! Finally, we are also adding a brand-new outfit that will come in two different colours; red and blue! Will your team come out on top and steal the show? Only time will tell!
Build-A-Room #4: Versus Challenge!
As mentioned earlier on in this announcement, the next Build-A-Room contest kicks off RIGHT NOW! The only condition for this contest? Create your own Versus Room that is explicitly made to have players race against each other. But what can you win? Well, we're glad you asked!
Prizes:
The first place winner will earn themselves $2.000 in cash + an escape room board game by PostCurious!
The second and third place winners get $100 Steam gift card + an escape room board game by PostCurious
Winner #4-10 get a $100 Steam gift card!
Rules:
To submit a room for the competition, post a link to your room in the "#🏆challenges" channel in the Pine Studio Discord, or you can send a submission via this Steam thread.
You can only submit one room. Multiple submissions will not be counted.
Multiple builder can work together on one room together but there will be only one prize for them.
It has to be a room escape.
The gameplay should be ideally under 30 minutes, but it could be longer.
You can make room as big as you wish.
You need to record a video walkthrough.
You are allowed to bug fix your room after submission, but not resubmit an entirely different room.
Copies of other players' rooms are not eligible.
Keep it fun/clean! No profanity, racism, hate speech, sexually suggestive, etc. content. Rooms that might be considered offensive in any way or form will be disqualified.
Pine team will choose the winners this time!
Dates:
This Thursday, August 3rd at 8PM CEST, we'll host a Steam stream with Q&A
Submissions are open till August 21st 8AM CEST / 2AM EST
We'll play and review all the submissions till August 31st when we will host a winning ceremony (stream) and announce the winners. More info about the stream later.
We hope you're all excited for this new challenge and we can't wait to see what all of you will cook up!
Another mystery solved!
With this update, we have officially unveiled four announcements from our roadmap for 2023! You can find the updated roadmap version below, but what could those other announcements be? 👀
Time to prove your worth!
We hope you will all enjoy this brand-new game mode and the free Versus room! Are you still looking for some people to challenge in Versus mode? Then you should definitely join our official Discord server. You can also find us over on Reddit where you can also talk about all things Escape Simulator. We hope to see you there!
Full Changelog
New Content
3, 2, 1, Race! Two Versus specific rooms just landed in the game.
Immerse yourself in Versus mode with new customization options featuring 2 racer outfits.
Try the new Random Game finder if you can't find players to play with.
Use Versus props in room editor to create thrilling racing rooms.
Room Editor & Workshop
New Roulette Logic Prop! Finally some randomness. Activate one random target from the Targets list!
Camera movement speed setting! Now you can modify the camera movement speed setting while holding right click and scrolling. Use shift/ctrl while moving to temporarily modify the speed.
Added tooltips for all targets. Now you can tell which target is which by setting it’s Descriptive name and checking the tooltip.
Right click prop selection window UX fixes. Modified when the window is closed, how it reacts to other right clicks, right clicking over gizmo and more.
No more double clicking after using the prop search field.
Fixed highlighting hovered props behind tranform gizmo which cannot be selected.
Fixed some props rotations.
Fixed some props being in multiple groups.
Fixed loading older rooms not opening due to wrong serialized data.
Tweaks
Added a new Host screen with additional options.
Added option to change lobby options while already in a lobby.
Added option to choose game difficulty in lobby - Normal or Hard
Added new a hover outline type that is less intrusive. You can change it in Options -> Hover Effect Type.
Added interaction when clicking the dial that moves the dial for one step.
Changed versioning system to one number, removing prefix 1.0. For example v1.0.27288n became v27288n.
Level Fixes
Fixed game crash when spamming water turning on and off in "The Lab".
Removed Steam Cats in Time popup in "Cats in time".
Fixed not exiting zoom on specific locks in "Leonardo's Workshop".
Fixed wrong lock click direction in "70's Room" and "Treasure Island".
Core Game Fixes
Fixed flashing objects when selecting them in inventory.
Fixed custom models changing size in certain conditions.
Fixed invisible items when being dragged in zoom.
Fixed bug where you could lose an item when spamming click on zoomed item while throwing it out.
Items no longer shrink if you leave zoom while they animate.
Fixed bug where you could duplicate item while spamming E and changing item via numpad.
Fixed bug where you could end some interactions too soon if you click alt.
Added error screen if you try to enter a lobby with corrupted data or the lobby doesn't exist anymore.
UI Fixes
Fixed Steamdeck UI bugs in co-op screen.
Fixed UI bug where some dropdowns would have extra white elements on edges.
Fixed rare case of UI overlapping after finishing room ("Use" was behind room stats on the top right).
Fixed buttons staying highlighted in the in-game menu when exiting the menu with ESC.
Pine team ♥️
Challenge your friends in the upcoming Versus update!
Versus Mode is coming to Escape Simulator!
Team work makes the dream work? As if! In the upcoming Versus mode, every player must fend for themselves. Which puzzle fanatic within your friend group will come out on top? There’s only one way to find out! Challenge your friends to an escape room extravaganza in the FREE Versus Update, which will let you experience all of your favorite rooms in a brand-new way. Coming to Escape Simulator on August 1st!
The race is on!🏃
In the brand-new Versus Mode, you will be able to take on your friends to see which one of you is the best puzzle solver. Just like in the regular Co-op Mode, one of you will need to host a game to create a lobby. Next up, you’ll have to select a room that each of you will be tackling individually. This means everyone will need to make it through the same room on their own merit!
As soon as you have all entered the room that you’re about to escape from, the game is on. Not feeling the pressure yet? Well, perhaps the in-game rank list can help you with that! While playing in Versus Mode, you will be able to see the progress of your opponents. Try to keep a cool head to rise through the ranks!
Versus Mode will also be compatible with community rooms made in the Room Editor. This means you will still be able to challenge your friends to tackle new rooms even if you have already played through the entire base game!
Are you ready for your close-up?
In addition to Versus Mode, we are also adding a brand-new room with two different difficulties that is specifically designed to take on your friends. Ever wanted to be on a game show from the 80’s? Good news, because both you and your friends got invited to be participants in the most challenging game show on broadcast television! And don’t worry, if your friends can’t make it, you’ll still be able to play this room in Solo Mode. Finally, we are also adding a brand-new outfit that will come in two different colours; red and blue! Which team will you join?
1v1 me, bro!
We hope you’re all excited for this brand-new way to experience Escape Simulator! Want to find other players to challenge when Versus Mode launches on August 1st? Then you should definitely join our official Discord. You can also find us over on Reddit to talk about all things Escape Simulator. We hope to see you there!
