Escape With Friends

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• Announcements·26 Sept 2026Official

  TriHebdo#8 - Sketching Life

  Hello,In this news post, I'm presenting how I create the game's assets (spoiler: it's done by hand, much longer than "I prompt and cross my fingers")But first, a quick project status over the last 3 weeks:New assets for Chapter 2Porting the demo's technical improvements into the base gameCreating a working build of the base game for SteamThe creation processThe game's second chapter takes place in a nightclub called "Le Nez Rouge", at the center of which is a room that serves as a hub for most of the level. It contains the dancefloor, the bar, a VIP area, and several doors leading to the venue's other rooms.At this point in defining the story, I start by sketching the room with its main elements. Too complex for a static screen, I know the scene will need a dynamic camera. That gives this superb hand sketch:Then everything happens in Krita (thanks, FOSS 👐) and my trusty tablet. First with this always-gorgeous draft to define the overall proportions. Then, for large scenes, I look for the main colors using big flat blocks to get a sense of the scene's "mood" which here gives: But, this might surprise you, the work is only just beginning — I then work section by section, each time following the logic "outline" → "flat color" → "texture".And little by little the scene takes shape, giving something like this (scene and characters not final):The sofa problemYou'll notice the VIP area is empty in the version above. The problem? Perspective! The game mixes slight perspectives (all unrealistic) with so-called "cutout" elements (2D elements facing forward with only depth layers). However, the layout and puzzles of the "VIP Area" require a corner sofa. I tried: And I tried again:And tried once more: But I still haven't landed on a look I'm happy enough with. In cases like this, I turn to one of my most advanced techniques... procrastination.So I went back to this second chapter's design work and answered a major game design question for a puzzle game in 2026: are optional ext...
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• Announcements·6 Sept 2026Official

  TriHebdo#7 - A new chapter

  Helloo, how are you doing? I'm doing well.Just so you know, the demo is out, so feel free to dive right in. The last two weeks before launch were still packed with playtests and small tweaks to make the experience as enjoyable as possible.On my end, I'm steadily moving forward on the second chapter, and I'm heading right back to drawing the assets for it, aiming for a March 11, 2027 release.Here is the draft of the environment. In the next TriHebdo, I'll walk you through the different steps from this to the final game assets.See you in 3 weeks, Le DoubleSept
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• Announcements·31 Aug 2026Official

  Demo is out now!

  Hello, this announcement is going to be extremely short because... the demo is out!Needless to say, I'm really eager for your feedback. Don't hesitate to reach out if you run into any issues along the way.Rally your friends and set off to discover Escape With Friends!Have fun, DoubleSept
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• Announcements·15 Aug 2026Official

  TriHebdo#6 - Demo, Demo and Networking

  🎵 It's the tri-hebdo news, where we talk about three news each three weeeeks 🎵I decided to find a little jingle for this segment, but then I realized it's written, which inevitably makes it considerably less good.Anyway, what am I going to talk about? The deeeeemo, of course, and a bit of networking.Quick TLDR: the demo will release on September 1st, 2026 on Steam (and it might already be accessible to some lucky folks).So what's in the demo?It lasts about thirty minutes and contains a modified version of the first part of the adventure (notably a fart bonus and techno music that both show up later in the full version).The final version of the demo (dare I say "gold"?) is currently in validation.A GameDev's WanderingsAfter much hesitation, I decided to build the demo in a brand new Godot project, since I only expected minor modifications (I was wrong...), and it let me keep a separate git repo. The demo is bound to disappear once the full game releases anyway. The free first chapter will cover what this demo does, so it won't serve a purpose anymore.Pros:I can rearrange things however I wantNo regressions to worry about in the codeNo complex demo/not-demo logic in the scenes, and no need to manage exported elements per version.Con:Realizing that, for Steam, I'll have to rebuild the entire networking layer in 2 weeks, and then bring all of it back — along with the dual WebSocket/SteamSocket networking system — into the full version.Yeah, because I didn't mention it, but...Networking OverhaulIn testing, I use a WebSocket version of the game. This makes it easily portable across a bunch of environments, and even to a Web version. However, there's a Steam Lobby system that's particularly simple to implement, which handles invites and, more importantly, offers better reliability than the WebSocket relay hosted on my own servers.The Steam version will therefore let you choose your relay system from the demo onward (to enable cross-platform play) BUT will default to Steam'...
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• Announcements·26 Jul 2026Official

  TriHebdo#5 - Polishing, Quality of Life and Heatwaves

  Welcome to this new tri-weekly update.With summer and the French heatwaves, my work pace hasn't been as intense as I'd have liked.Quality of lifeSince the game is made up of many mini-games, I need to work on each one to make its interface intuitive on first contact. So I've made a batch of "quality of life" improvements based on recent feedback. The next post will take a detailed look at how one of these mini-games evolved, from the first tests in December 2025 to its final version in the demo.One example out of a hundred of this kind of improvement: a subtle animation on a padlock's shackle to make it clear it's clickable.Demo and assets of the dayAs announced, the demo is progressing and should go to the Steam review team within the coming week.For the occasion, I've reworked the game's first two sections to make them more representative of the full game's content:Some mini-games from the full game have been moved into the demo area to showcase the variety of gameplay.Elements and hints referencing later puzzles in the game have been removed, to avoid frustrationAssets of the momentI also had to create this ending screen / call to action for the demo. Can't wait to see you reach it in its animated version.See you in 3 weeks,Le DoubleSept
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