Privacy Policy
In short:
- The game signs in through Steam. We receive your numeric Steam ID only, never your password, email, payment details or friends list.
- At certain milestones your build is uploaded and may appear as an opponent in other players' games. Other players see only a random ID, never your Steam ID or name.
- The game reports aggregate gameplay statistics and errors so we can balance the game and fix bugs. It never uploads your save. You can turn this off in Settings and keep playing.
- We do not sell data or show ads. To have your data deleted, email contact@dozedao.com.
Who handles your data
"We" in this policy means Doze Dao Studio (发呆证道), the independent developer of The Crooked Ascent. For any question, write to contact@dozedao.com.
What the game collects
1. Steam identity
When the game goes online, it sends a one-time authentication ticket issued by Steam to our server. Steam verifies it and returns your numeric Steam ID (SteamID). We use it to confirm a legitimate copy, tell players apart, and link the data below to you. We record the time of each sign-in and the game version.
We do not receive your Steam password, email address, payment details, friends list or Steam display name.
2. Build snapshots (part of the gameplay)
At milestones such as a realm breakthrough, a failed tribulation or the end of a life, the game uploads your build at that moment: chosen protagonist, sect, realm, age, which life you are on, and in-game data such as techniques, foundations, cultivation arts, artifacts and divine powers.
These builds join an opponent pool and may appear as opponents in other players' games. Other players only see a system-generated random ID that cannot be traced back to your Steam ID, and your name is never shown.
3. Match results
After fighting one of these opponents, the game reports the outcome and the match's random seed, used for matchmaking and to check for cheating.
4. Gameplay statistics and errors (can be turned off)
To balance the game and fix problems, it reports aggregate readings such as:
- basic device information: operating system, system language, screen resolution, startup time, average frame time;
- progress readings: realm and age reached, which screen you got stuck on or stayed on and for how long, which opponent you lost to repeatedly;
- error reports (truncated error text and where it happened);
- game version and data version.
This data never includes your save files. You can turn it off at any time under Settings › Display · Data › Report data (in the game's Chinese interface: 设置 › 画面 · 数据 › 上报数据). The game plays exactly the same with it off, and anything not yet sent is deleted locally.
Note: items 1–3 are required for the online features themselves and are not covered by this switch.
5. Network logs
As with any online service, our cloud providers briefly record IP addresses and request times in access logs for security and troubleshooting. We do not use IP addresses to identify you.
Where data is stored
The game's online traffic passes through Cloudflare and is stored in Google Cloud data centers in Hong Kong and Tokyo. This website is hosted by Vercel. These providers store and transmit data only on our behalf.
What we do not do
- We do not sell or rent your data.
- We do not run ads or share data with advertising platforms.
- The game contains no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs (apart from Steam itself, whose privacy policy is Valve's responsibility).
Retention and deletion
Build snapshots, match results and gameplay statistics are kept while the game is operated, for the opponent pool and balancing. When no longer needed, they are deleted or reduced to statistics that cannot identify anyone.
To see or delete the data linked to your Steam ID, email contact@dozedao.com with a link to your Steam profile. We will handle it within 30 days. Once deleted, your builds will no longer appear in other players' games.
This website
dozedao.com is a static page: no accounts, no cookies, no analytics or tracking scripts. The host keeps standard access logs (IP address, time, browser type) to run and secure the site.
Children
The game is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe we have received such data, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes
If what we collect or how we use it changes, we will update this page and the "Last updated" date above. Significant changes will also be announced in the game or on the Steam store page.