Demo Saves and Mods After the 1.0 Release

What the developer actually promised

The October 28 launch post says demo saves carry over, recommends starting fresh to experience newly added storylines, retires the demo, and warns that its mods probably will not work in the full release. Compatibility is therefore a useful option for an old campaign, rather than a promise that an old modded run will show every new event correctly. Official launch guidance.

For a first full-release campaign, a fresh Apprentice run gives the clearest starting point. If preserving your old shop matters more, keep an untouched backup before testing the imported save. That backup step is our troubleshooting recommendation; it is not an extra migration feature claimed by the developer.

A reversible migration routine

1. Note which save and game version you are opening.
2. Preserve a separate copy of the old campaign before changing it.
3. Record the mods used by that campaign and their required versions.
4. Check whether each mod author supports the release build.
5. Open the campaign, then inspect inventory, contacts and story progress before committing further play.

Do not diagnose a loading or story problem by overwriting the only original save. A successful load answers one question; it does not establish that every modded item or future storyline behaves correctly.

Why an old guide may describe a missing feature

The demo never offered the shop buyout, even when players accumulated plenty of money. NPC Tips documents that limitation separately from the release ending. It also distinguishes the demo's available scenarios from the larger selection at launch. An old campaign or video is useful historical evidence, but it cannot establish which features a fresh release run includes. Demo scope reference.

Check the date and scope of an instruction before changing your save to follow it. A page mentioning a Hard Mode switch or unavailable demo upgrades may be describing the retired build.

Keep enough earlier days

Wikily documents Saved days per run as an Options setting that controls how many recent days remain available. Earlier days can be selected from Load Game, and the oldest retained day is removed as new days are saved. Check your own setting before treating autosaves as a long-term backup. Controls and retention reference.

Check the October 31 modding update

The official 1.0.0.6 announcement changed the modding system for security and warns that some mods may need updates from their authors. A mod working at the 1.0 launch is therefore not proof of compatibility with this patch. Check its supported version before reopening a modded campaign. Official 1.0.0.6 notice.

When a mod causes trouble

Use a separate test campaign to compare the current release without the suspect mod. Removing a content mod from an established save can itself change that save, so follow the author's instructions and keep the backup first. Report the version, mod list, exact action and visible result. This gives an author a reproducible starting point without claiming that every problem is a base-game bug.