Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or playing Valenarth ("the Game"), operated by Daniel Bick, trading as Bytemix Studios ("we", "us", "our") — a sole proprietorship under German law, not a registered legal entity — you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, do not use the Game or this website. All references to "Bytemix Studios" in this document refer to Daniel Bick as a natural person.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account and use the Game. If you are between 13 and 16, you must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian. By using the Game, you represent that you meet these requirements.

3. Account Registration

To play Valenarth, you must create an account with a valid username and password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.

During the current invite-only phase, access requires a valid invite code. Sharing or selling invite codes is prohibited.

4. Early Access & Alpha Status

Valenarth is currently in early development. By participating, you acknowledge and accept that:

• The Game may contain bugs, incomplete features, and performance issues.
• Game data, including player progress, inventories, and settlements, may be partially or fully wiped at any time.
• Servers may go offline for maintenance, updates, or indefinitely without prior notice.
• Game mechanics, balance, and content may change significantly between updates.

We make no guarantees regarding uptime, data persistence, or feature availability during this phase.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use cheats, hacks, bots, exploits, or any unauthorized third-party software that modifies the Game client or interacts with the Game servers.
• Exploit bugs or glitches for personal advantage instead of reporting them.
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other players through in-game chat or any related communication channels.
• Impersonate other players, moderators, or Bytemix Studios staff.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other players' accounts or Game servers.
• Disrupt the Game experience for others through griefing, spamming, or intentional interference.
• Use the Game or its services for any illegal purpose.

6. User-Generated Content

The Game allows you to create content such as character names, settlement names, chat messages, and other text or creative input ("User Content"). You retain ownership of your User Content, but by submitting it you grant Bytemix Studios a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your User Content in connection with operating and promoting the Game.

You are solely responsible for your User Content. We reserve the right to remove any User Content that violates these terms or that we deem inappropriate, offensive, or harmful, without prior notice.

7. Account Suspension & Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate your account at our sole discretion, with or without notice, for any reason including but not limited to violation of these terms. In the event of termination, you lose access to your account and all associated game data.

8. Intellectual Property

All content in the Game — including but not limited to graphics, audio, code, game mechanics, text, and design — is the property of Bytemix Studios and is protected by applicable copyright and intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works based on any Game content without our explicit written permission.

9. Future Paid Features

Valenarth is currently free to play. We may introduce optional paid features, items, or services in the future. Any such additions will be subject to separate terms and conditions that will be presented to you before any purchase. We will never sell gameplay advantages that cannot be earned through normal play.

10. Data & Privacy

We collect only the data necessary to operate the Game: account credentials (securely hashed), player progress, and connection metadata. For details, see our Privacy Policy.

You may request deletion of your account and personal data at any time by contacting us. Upon request, your account will be deactivated and personal data removed within 30 days. Some data may be retained for an additional period where required for legal obligations or abuse prevention.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Game is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not warrant that the Game will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from harmful components. You use the Game at your own risk.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Bytemix Studios shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Game, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of progress, or service interruptions.

13. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Service at any time. Material changes will be communicated through the Game or our Discord server. Continued use of the Game after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, without regard to conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts in Germany.

15. Contact

If you have questions about these terms, reach out via our Discord server.