Fragfests and Imbas

I got intrigued by this free, online, fantasy-themed fighting game and decided to download and install it. The game has decent visuals and has none of the "grind" that other level-up games impose on their players. It offers quick, slam-bam-thank-you-naks-and-golems PVP action — or so the game’s creators advertise it to be. I never had the chance to find out.

AVG Free interprets the game’s anti-hack/cheat system as a virus. It promptly deleted some of its files and when I logged in next, the game refused to run.

I Googled for resources regarding my predicament and found several forums saying that AVG is indeed misinterpreting some of its files to be malware. I decided to do some online scanning as prompted by a thread in the forums of AVG, glanced at the report, and mailed their support team. This is their reply:

Dear Sir/Madam,

>Dear Grisoft Staff,
>
>I tried playing Rakion Philippines today and received an error message
>saying that part of the Gameguard software that the online game uses for
>anti-hacking/cheating has been modified or deleted. I scanned my PC for
>viruses using AVG free and it saw the Gameguard.des file as a
>"Obfustat.CMC".
>
>I Googled for a solution to my problem and saw several forums saying your
>software erroneously detects it as a virus. I scanned the file using the
>Online Malware Scan (http://virusscan.jotti.org/) and only your product
>detects it as such.
>
>I am convinced this is a false positive. Attached is the file.
>
>[GAVE A PASSWORD FOR THE FILE]
>
>Hope you will fix this in your next update for AVG Free.
>
>John
>
>PS
>
>Is there anyway I could know if it’s okay to install this game again? It
>hassles me that AVG automatically deletes its Gameguard everytime. Disabling AVG is out of >the question as I depend on your product to keep my system
>virus free.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Same
>

 Unfortunately, when I installed the game, AVG still sees it as malware. Either the update to the anti-virus has not been implemented yet, or the game has downloaded another version of its cheat/hack countermeasures that AVG still sees as a virus. (READ: It may not be a case of AVG failing to make alacritous corrections.)

I sent them another letter. In the meantime, Rakion players should not freak out if results spew out "Obfustat.des" warnings. It’s a mistake that the staff of AVG will hopefully rectify soon. (Though of course, if Rakion players have reason to believe that they got a virus from other sources, they should not dismiss the notion that it may indeed be a real virus this time.)

Update: AVG replied. This time there is a temporary fix. If you do implement this however, and if your rig somehow gets a real virus, do deactivate the exceptions and scan the game’s files.  (the virus may have infected the .des files in Gameguard —- which you will have set as exceptions. Anyway, if AVG still deletes the .des files, you can always install it and set the exceptions again. Instructions are found in the reply. See below.)

Dear Sir,

website: http://www.grisoft.com

Ooooo…..kay. She’s wearing armor plates but why the red flimsy tights? Orcs could uhm, stick their uhm, weapons in her uhm, vulnerable areas….

Case in point: here:

And have I mentioned this character is putting Mai Shiranui of KOF to shame everytime she makes sudden movements?