FAQ

Escape Room Builder — quick answers. The in-app flow is the source of truth; this page tracks the same steps.

What order do I follow in the builder?

Room details (timing, headcount, environment, comma-separated items, difficulty, optional junior add-on) → Choose a theme (generate ideas or bring your own) → Build puzzle set → Output (review, export, save).

Do I need to start a session manually?

No. A planning session is created when you continue from Room details, load themes, or other planning actions that talk to the server.

Why is “Use My Own Theme” (or “Generate For Me” / “Refresh Ideas”) disabled?

Those controls are full-catalog features (paid room pack). On the free trial, the same three curated themes load automatically when you open theme selection — you do not need to press Generate For Me. Disabled buttons show a tooltip: Features unlocked with a room pack. Purchase a pack under Account (activation key in dev) to unlock the full rotating catalog, refresh, custom themes, and saving plans.

Where do I write my custom theme description?

On Use My Own Theme, the large Theme description field is above the theme coach card. Fill in the theme name and description there first. The optional coach sits below that field.

Why does the theme coach say built-in AI is unavailable?

The coach uses Chrome’s on-device Prompt API (Gemini Nano). It only runs in a recent Chrome desktop build with the right flags and hardware. The coach card lists the usual chrome://flags entries and a link to Google’s built-in AI docs. You can still type a description in the field above the coach and click Add and Select Custom Theme without the coach.

“Add and Select Custom Theme” does nothing — what should I check?

• Theme name is required; the button stays disabled until it is non-empty.
• Errors appear in a red banner at the top of the Flow card (not only at the bottom of the page).
• You need full catalog access; otherwise the server returns an error explaining the room pack requirement.
• The backend must be running (for example npm run dev in Dev/app/backend) so /api/themes/custom can succeed.
• The button is no longer blocked while the coach is “thinking”; if it still fails, read the red banner message.

“Continue to output review” seems to do nothing — why?

• The button is disabled until you generate at least one puzzle (hover for the tooltip). Use Generate puzzles first.
• When it works, the Output: Review card appears below the tall Flow card; the page scrolls there automatically.
• If room details later fail validation (empty environment or items, bad timing, etc.), you get a red banner at the top of the Flow card and should go ← Back to Room details to fix highlighted fields.

Can I save plans for later?

Yes. After you generate content, use Output to mark a plan approved for build if you want, then Save Plan. Saved plans appear under Account and in the Saved step when you have saved plans.

Can I load saved plans after login?

Yes. When you sign in, you can open the Saved step (if you have plans) or go to Account → saved room plans and load one back into the builder.

Credits

I would like to give credit to my daughter Sam who helped me build this site by clicking a button. :P