Terms of play.

1. Who we are

Project Windstock (“Windstock”, “we”, “us”) is a free, non-commercial fan project run by volunteers. It includes this website (windstock.org), the Windstock launchers and game builds for iOS and Android, the online game server, and the Windstock Discord server and bot (together, “the Service”). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.

2. Not affiliated with Niantic, Nintendo or The Pokémon Company

Windstock is an independent fan project. It is not connected to, endorsed by or sponsored by Niantic, Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Game Freak or Creatures. Pokémon, Pokémon GO and all related names, characters and artwork are trademarks and copyrights of their respective owners. Windstock does not sell anything and claims no ownership of that material. If you are a rights holder with a concern, contact us (section 14) and we will respond promptly.

3. Who can use Windstock

You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. If you are under the age of majority where you live (or under 16 in the EU/UK), you need a parent or guardian's permission, and they agree to these Terms on your behalf. You may not use the Service if we have banned you before.

4. Your account

• Give a real email address you control. One account per person, unless we say otherwise (for example for beta testing).
• Keep your password secret. You're responsible for what happens on your account. Tell us quickly if you think someone else has access.
• Your game username and trainer name must not impersonate others or be offensive, hateful or sexual. We may change or remove a name that breaks this rule.
• Accounts are personal. Don't sell, trade, share or transfer them.

5. Community rules

When you use the Service — in game, on the website, on Discord, in trades, gym names, nominations or anything else you send us — you agree not to:

• harass, threaten, bully or discriminate against anyone, or share someone else's private information;
• cheat (see section 6);
• attack, overload, probe, reverse-engineer for misuse, or try to get unauthorised access to the servers, other accounts or admin tools;
• buy, sell or trade accounts, Pokémon, items or PokéCoins for real money or anything of real-world value;
• create multiple accounts to farm referrals, rewards or leaderboard places;
• upload anything illegal, sexual, violent, hateful, infringing, or that contains malware or spam;
• trespass, play while driving, or put yourself or others in danger. Stay aware of your surroundings — you play in the real world at your own risk.

6. Cheating

Windstock should be fair for everyone, so the following count as cheating and are not allowed:

• Bots and automation — scripts, macros, auto-catchers, auto-walkers or anything that plays for you, including sending requests to the server with your own tools.
• Modified or third-party clients — any game or launcher build other than the official ones from windstock.org, and any hack, injector, memory editor or tool that changes how the game behaves.
• GPS spoofing outside Windstock's own GPS panel. The built-in GPS panel is allowed, but trainers using it are marked as spoofing (for example a “GPS” tag on the leaderboard). Using any other location faker, or hiding or removing that mark, is cheating.
• Exploits — knowingly using a bug, glitch or duplication trick to gain Pokémon, items, PokéCoins, XP, gym wins or leaderboard places. Report bugs instead; we may thank you for it.
• Getting around the anti-cheat — trying to defeat the speed lock, rate limits, device checks or any other protection.
• Multi-accounting and boosting — using extra accounts to farm referrals, coins, rewards, gyms or trades, or letting someone else play your account to rank it up.
• Selling or buying an advantage — trading accounts, Pokémon or items for real money, or paying someone to cheat for you.

If we think you've cheated we may, without warning, remove what you gained, reset your stats or progress, take you off the leaderboard, cancel referral rewards, or suspend or permanently ban your account (and other accounts we believe are yours). Helping someone else cheat, or sharing cheats, counts the same. Our anti-cheat decisions are final, though you can ask us to review a ban on Discord.

7. In-game items have no real value

Pokémon, items, PokéCoins, medals, rankings and everything else in your Windstock account are part of a free game. They are not your property, have no monetary value, can't be exchanged for money and may be changed, rebalanced or reset (for example after a bug, an exploit or a server wipe). Windstock never charges for anything; if someone asks you to pay for Windstock content, it isn't us.

8. Things you send us

You keep any rights you have in what you submit (PokéStop nominations and photos, gym names, problem reports, messages). You give us a free, worldwide permission to store, display, edit and use it to run and improve the Service — for example to show an approved PokéStop to every player. Only send things you have the right to share, and don't include other people's faces or personal details in photos.

9. The apps and builds

We let you install and use the Windstock launchers and game builds for personal, non-commercial play on Windstock. You may not sell them, redistribute modified copies as official Windstock builds, or use them to harm the Service or other players. Installing apps outside the official app stores (sideloading) is done at your own risk and may be subject to Apple's, Google's or other third parties' terms, which you are responsible for following. Only download Windstock builds from windstock.org or links we post.

10. Moderation, suspension and bans

We may warn you, remove content, reset progress, hide you from the leaderboard, or suspend or ban your account if you break these Terms or put the Service or other players at risk. We'll usually tell you why, but we don't have to when it would help someone get around the rules. If you think we got it wrong, ask on Discord or contact us.

11. Deleting your account

You can reset your progress or delete your account at any time from your account page. Deleting removes your website profile and queues your game save for deletion. It can't be undone. See the Privacy Policy for what we keep afterwards.

12. The Service is provided as is

Windstock is a hobby project. It is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind. It may go down, lose data, have bugs, change, or shut down completely, with or without notice. To the fullest extent the law allows, we are not liable for any indirect or consequential loss, lost data or progress, damage to your device, or anything that happens to you while playing in the real world. Nothing in these Terms limits rights you have that cannot legally be limited, or liability that cannot be excluded by law.

13. Third-party services

Parts of the Service rely on others — Discord, OpenStreetMap, sideloading tools like AltStore, SideStore or Sideloadly, and your phone's operating system. Their terms and privacy policies apply when you use them, and we're not responsible for them.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as the project changes. We'll change the date at the top and, for meaningful changes, announce it on the website or Discord. If you keep using Windstock after a change, you accept the new Terms.

15. Contact

Questions, concerns or takedown requests: reach the team on the Windstock Discord, or use Report a problem in the launcher.