Pay-What-You-Want Preorder FAQ

Hi, perverts! I've been talking about this to my patrons for a while now, and it's time to give everyone a heads-up! Ruin Me is going to shift to a paid game, probably in the next update. It will still have what I think is a generous demo, and my intention is that anyone who's supported me so far will retain full access. I haven't yet settled on a final price, but I'm looking at other large, erotic visual novels for comparable pricing.

For now, this means that you can preorder and reserve access to Ruin Me's full version by donating any amount when downloading the game. Once the game shifts to being paid, it will no longer be pay-what-you-want, so this is your chance for a huge discount! Please ask any questions you have in the comments for this post, but here are some I anticipate you might have.

What will be in the demo?

I may still adjust this, but as currently planned, the demo will end before entering the Reform Institute in Act II and will not allow you to start training Theresa/Terrence's stats above a maximum of 2. If you have a save that has already entered the Institute and started all level 3 trainings, you can continue playing that save unimpeded.

The game won't keep you from playing other stuff once you reach those points, so you'll be able to continue to investigate horror expeditions or engage in other play as long as it's not something locked behind those milestones. If you have an older version downloaded, it will continue to work as before. I'll do my best to make sure saves from older versions or demo versions will be transferrable to the full version, including with the Ren'Py Sync cloud-based system.

What if I've already donated?

If you've already donated any amount of money on Itch when downloading the game, or if you've supported my Patreon at the $2+ range, you will keep full access. At some point, when I move on to focusing on another project, new patrons will probably stop getting automatic access, but anyone who has access at launch will keep it.

What platforms will be available?

I'm going to do my best to maintain all existing platforms for the full version: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and Web. If you play in the browser, you'll be able to click a button in-game to authenticate with Itch and unlock the full game.

Depending on what changes are made in each release, the downloadable demo may lag behind the full version. If a release doesn't have any major bugfixes or new material that's available in the demo, the demo might not get the other updates in that version. The web version will get those updates.

For now, patrons will continue to get new releases ahead of time, but I may adjust how those versions make it to the public depending on scheduling.

What about new platforms and storefronts?

Releasing adult games on corporate-controlled platforms is hard. I don't currently see a path to a console release, and there's no practical way for me to release on iOS.

I'd like to make the game available on other storefronts like Steam, although with the current political climate, I don't know how feasible that will be. If it's possible, I will make Steam keys available to anyone who's paid for the game (with reasonable conditions; e.g. maybe no keys if it's in a big bundle).