Escape Simulator News

[h2]Peace out! ✌️[/h2]



We hope you like lava lamps and disco balls, because it's time to go back to the 70's. That's right, we're releasing a brand-new room for Escape Simulator today! In order to escape from this incredibly cozy looking room, you'll need to know your way around some 'ancient' technology, such as cassette decks and a very retro game console. So vintage!

That's not all, though! The 70's room is part of our latest update, which also contains a whole bunch of additional features for the room editor. We hope you're excited to start using these features, builders! Additionally, this update contains the following tweaks:

- Different internal level packing, the game should be smaller on disk. It's about 5GB smaller than before!
- New hint system that tracks what puzzle you are playing and gives relevant hints
- Localization fixes
- Separated settings and save files. Only save is uploaded to cloud save, meaning settings is local to the machine.
- Faster performance mode for custom rooms
- Disable shadows option has 2x increased FPS in built-in rooms
- Chat key is can be rebound to different key
- Changed how zooms are calculated, some items are now bigger for better clarity
- Better controller support
- Better support for breaking hanging objects (plants, mirrors, ...)
- Its easier to use slots with controller with new Controller-Slot interaction UX

More patch notes can be found right here!

[h2]More rooms to check out! 👀[/h2]

We really hope you'll enjoy this free update and that you'll continue to look forward to even more rooms in the future! We're working really hard to bring a bunch of additional rooms to the game and of course we're always trying to further improve upon the room editor as well. For all things Escape Simulator, please consider joining our dedicated Discord community or come talk to us over on Reddit.

[h3]♥ Pine team[/h3]

[h2]Game[/h2]
- Different internal level packing, the game should be smaller on disk. It's about 5GB smaller than before!
- New hint system that tracks what puzzle you are playing and gives relevant hints
- Localization fixes
- Separated settings and save files. Only save is uploaded to cloud save, meaning settings is local to the machine.
- Faster performance mode for custom rooms
- Disable shadows option has 2x increased FPS in built-in rooms
- Chat key is can be rebound to different key
- Changed how zooms are calculated, some items are now bigger for better clarity
- Better controller support
- Better support for breaking hanging objects (plants, mirrors, ...)
- Its easier to use slots with controller with new Controller-Slot interaction UX
- Brand oldie-but-goldie room: 70's Room

[h2]Room Editor[/h2]
[h3]Features[/h3]
- Added Cats In Time room props
- Added 2 transparency props (the reign of the sticker is over)
- Added number, letter and symbol props
- Added the Display logic prop
- Added a functional keypad prop
- Added a button for exporting default prop textures
- The 'Finish' logic prop can now be used to load other custom rooms, you can continue your stories through other rooms
- Added options on the 'Finish' logic prop for setting the final camera position
- Hide props while editing the room with 'H' or 'Shift + H'
- Right click on a collection of props and select one by name
- Added a 'Use Rigidbody' checkmark to Animations/Buttons to help with physics prop interactions
- Added a button for fixing custom texture sizes for better compression
- New room option added: 'Require post processing'
- Lua activator API added
- Teleport, Sound, Fog, Post Processing and Skybox can now be triggered by any value except for zero (enabled by resetting the connection)
- Community room lighting option added
- Locks now have a reset pin ("R"), target it with any value but zero to reset the lock values to zero (for lua, just target the index with -400)
- Locks also now have a master unlock pin ("U"), target it with any value but zero to unlock the lock (for lua, just target the index with -500)
- Right click on a prop to show a list of all selectable props under the cursor, change prop names to easily differentiate between props when selecting this way
- Logic props that are based on locks (Sound, Fog, etc.) can now be triggered by any number except zero
- Added a transparency order offset setting for transparent objects, change this if you want some transparent objects to render in front/back of other transparent objects
[h3]Fixes[/h3]
- Smoother animations in zooms
- Visibility Activator delay removed to help with desync
- Fixed an issue where Visibility Activators didn't disable all colliders on some props
- Fixed issue with importing props from other rooms, references to non copied props are removed
- Pickable animations can now be set as slot keys
- Animations and buttons can no longer be picked up in zoom without using the pickable checkmark
- Fixed a hole in a halloween wall
- Fixed ambience sounds not stopping when starting other music sounds
- Transitioning to post processing with a disabled color filter now correctly transitions to no color filter
- Fixed removing prop links from slots when changing prop behaviour and undo
- Fixed reflection change on further away floors and props
- Fixed activator triggering for each player on start
- Exit zoom is no longer blocked by buttons and animations
- Fixed embedded gltf falsely reporting missing models
- Slot keys can now have triggers as children
- Fixed issue with slot keys disappearing when ejected while in zoom
- Fixed Visibility Activator enabling collider renderers on some props
-Zoomables can no longer have the pin button
- Click and drag selection now targets all props, use alt + click and drag to target only the root parent object
- Clone onChange updates now correctly update when animations are completed and not at the start
- UI text fixes, some translations and hints added
- Rect selection now selects all objects instead of only parents, use ALT + click and drag to only select parents
- Fixed pivots for certain props (to see the change replace the old prop with the new version of it)

[h2]Don't forget to sign up for the Build-A-Thon![/h2]


September has arrived, which means it's almost time for the Build-A-Thon! In case you missed it, Escape Simulator's next room building event will take place from 17-09-2022 00:00 CEST until 18-09-2022 23:59 CEST. Builders will have exactly 48 hours to build a room based on a theme that will be announced shortly before the Build-A-Thon kicks off. More information on the Build-A-Thon can be found here. Ready to join in on the room building fun? Sign up for the event via the Google Form found here.

Now that we've got all that out of the way, you could probably do with some inspiring examples of what an excellent community room can look like. Well, the dedicated room builders from our community have got you covered! So without further ado, here are our top community room picks for August!

[h2]Can you dig your way out?[/h2]



We were really impressed by the sheer size of Abandoned Mine by namo_krub, which took us quite a long time to finish! In Abandoned Mine you have to escape, well, an abandoned mine. Pretty obvious, right? However, it's not going to be easy! In order to evacuate safely, you will need to face the mine's many challenges. This includes operating heavy machinery, fixing an elevator and identifying several rocks (or are they minerals?). Will you be able to make your way back to the surface?

[h2]It's a masterpiece![/h2]



Stroke of Genius is the latest room by Brengo, who you might already know from S.O.S. - An escape room out at sea and the Scientists' Office series. Brengo's latest room takes place in an art gallery which contains four different paintings made my by your recently deceased grandfather. Each painting will take you to a bite sized escape room with its own theme. Together, these four paintings will unravel your grandfather's story bit by bit. An excellent way of compiling several themes into one room if you ask us!

[h2]The final frontier![/h2]



We're always happy to see new up-and-coming room builders join our community. One new builder to definitely pay attention is GetOffMyBeard! We were really impressed with The Space Escape, which is only the second room they ever published! The Space Escape features a whole bunch of very clever puzzles that we really enjoyed solving and we think you will too! And let's be honest, you can never have enough space rooms, right?

[h2]Whodunnit?[/h2]



If you enjoy some good old film noir, then you should definitely check out Noir in NYC by MelonVerse. For this room, MelonVerse has made excellent use of the recently added color filter, because the entire level is in black-and-white. Noir in NYC also features some excellent voice acting by community member and room builder Robin, which really adds to the room's atmosphere. You're going to need your detective skills in order to solve this murder mystery, so be prepared for some tricky puzzles!

[h2]Ready to build?[/h2]

We hope all of these excellent rooms have inspired you to start building yourself! If they did, why not sign up for the Build-A-Thon right away? If you need help to start your room builder journey, you can also consider joining us over on Discord or Reddit. Thanks again for all of your support and we hope to see you on September 17th when the Build-A-Thon commences!

[h3]♥ Pine team[/h3]

[h2]Ready, set, build![/h2]

Attention, room builders!

The time has finally come for us to announce the next room building event! However, this time around we will be mixing up the formula just a tiny bit! Allow us to tell you what Escape Simulator's very first Build-A-Thon will be all about!

[h2]⏰ The clock is ticking![/h2]

This time around we will need you to work on a much tighter schedule than before! Instead of having the event go on for several weeks, the upcoming Build-A-Thon will last 48 hours! To be precise, the Build-A-Thon will last from 17-09-2022 00:00 CEST until 18-09-2022 23:59 CEST. It will be a race against time itself, but we're sure you'll be able to fully utilize those hours to create something incredible!

[h2]🙋 How do I sign up for the challenge? [/h2]

You can sign up for the the Build-A-Thon via this 👉Google form 👈
For the upcoming two weeks, you are also abelt to send in your own ideas for themes that everyone will need to work with. Afterwards, the theme we liked the most will be the final theme for this Build-A-Thon and will be announced in our Discord.

[h2] 🗺️ Where do I submit my entry? [/h2]
The submitting form will be shared with the participants right before the start of the Build-A-Thon! For now, we ask you to fill in the sign-up for and share your fun and creative ideas for its theme!

[h2]🏆 Prizes[/h2]

Of course the winners of this challenge will not go unrewarded! The three winning entries will get a receive a Pine Studio mystery box! In order to maintain the mystery behind this box, the contents of the box will have to remain a secret for now. 😉

[h2]📑 Rules[/h2]

• Room must be entirely new, no projects that were already in progress
  
• Room needs to be built between 17-09-2022 00:00 CEST and 18-09-2022 23:59 CEST. Any rooms published after 18-09-2022 23:59 CEST will not be considered.
  
• Builders must join the Pine Studio Discord – theme will be assigned here!
  
• You can only submit one room. Multiple submissions will not be counted.
  
• You must upload a video walkthrough of your room and a workshop link.
  
• 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! Don’t create anything that might be considered offensive in any way or form. No profanity, racism, hate speech etc.
  

[h2]⚖️ Judging criteria[/h2]

Rooms will be judged based on criteria such as the quality of the puzzles, level of innovation, visual appeal and more. We will compile a list of ten rooms that will make it to the community voting round. After this list gets published, it will be up to the community to pick three winners. More information on voting will be shared at a later time.

[h2]⚒️ How to make a room[/h2]

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. Or you can watch our tutorial video. Need some more inspiration? Then you should definitely check out the winners from our previous ‘Build-a-room’ challenges! Finally, you can also join our dedicated Discord community to ask about anything you might need help with!

[h2]See you soon![/h2]

So that's it from us for now! You can start sending us your theme suggestions right not via the Google form found here. We can't wait to see what all of you will come up with! See you on the 17th of September!

[h3]♥ Pine team[/h3]

[h2]Summer has arrived![/h2]



Wait, it's August already? Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Speaking of fun, we are currently participating in The Yogcast's Tiny Teams 2022 Festival, which is taking place between August 1 and August 8. To celebrate our participation in this event, both Escape Simulator and the Steampunk DLC are on sale now! Go check out our store page for more info!

Now without further delay, it's time for us to announce some more monthly picks! July has once again been a great month for community content and while selecting some of our personal favorites wasn't easy, we hope you will enjoy these recommendations!

[h2]Lost at sea[/h2]



Looking for a short and sweet community room to play? Look no further than S.O.S. - An escape room out at sea by Brengo! This might be one of the most spacious community rooms we've played so far, as it takes place at the open sea! You're the survivor of a shipwreck and you will need to find a way to get back to the mainland. By the way, did we mention that there are sharks around? Good luck!

[h2]Spyfall[/h2]



Do you love espionage? Want to play an awesome community room with one of your friends? If
you answered 'yes' to both of these questions, then You Only Spy Twice by Elkondo is the room for you! This room features two different roles, which means you and your co-op buddy will each have a different experience while playing through this room. Don't have a co-op buddy yet? Well, then you will just have to spy another day! 🕵️

[h2]It's about time![/h2]



If you've been keeping up with our monthly picks so far, you might be familiar with Klaode's 'Mind Lock' series already. Like previous entries in the series, Back To Now continues to explore the theme of entering someone's mind to fix their memories. Once again, Klaode proves to have a real knack for creating some incredibly clever puzzles. We love to see it!

[h2]Open the gate![/h2]



Last but certainly not least, it's time for some sci-fi nostalgia! You might remember that back in the nineties, there was this very famous tv show called Stargate. Well, room builder Asahi made a stunning looking room based on that exact tv show! We were incredibly impressed with the sheer amount of detail in Stargate-Escape and on top of that, the puzzles it contains are a lot of fun to figure out. If you haven't already, you should definitely check this one out!

[h2]More Escape Simulator?[/h2]

Well, that officially wraps it up for July, but of course we still have a lot more stuff planned! This includes four entirely new rooms, a whole bunch of updates to the room editor and a new event for our room builders! More information on future updates can be found in our latest dev update! In the meantime, we hope you continue to enjoy Escape Simulator. Thanks again for all of your support!

[h3]♥ Pine team[/h3]