Petition on Change.org - Gameguard should be removed or replaced by the devs - MkII

[Oakatusz]

I wanted to let everyone know, that user Twisted Kindness started a petition a few days ago on Change.org to inspire the developers to remove this dangerous nProtect Gameguard anti-cheat from Helldivers II.

If you have a moment, please sign it here and share it with your fellow gamers so they sign it too:

https://www.change.org/p/revoke-kernel-level-anti-cheat-in-helldivers-2-for-enhanced-device-safety

If you want to learn more about the plethora of issues this malicious software causes for players of Helldivers II, more info can be found here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/553850/discussions/2/4206994023681304166/


Addendum:
The last thread, which was topping the General Discussion not long ago
https://steamcommunity.com/app/553850/discussions/0/4372501943309808762/
was closed because of some people got into arguments.

Therefore, I hereby ask everyone to remain civil and discuss the issue at hand in a calm manner to avoid any situation like this moving forward.

UPDATE 1 - DEVS STARTED INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS

I have very encouraging news for every current and potential player of Helldivers II!

It is now confirmed by a dev, that Arrowhead Studios have started an internal discussion about the matter of Gameguard anti-cheat. They also acknowledged that they see that the community indeed considers the matter of the anti-cheat a very hot topic.

I personally really hope, that this internal discussion will be fruitful. Here's hoping that Arrowhead will make the right decision and remove or replace Gameguard once and for all.

You can find screenshots from the official discord confirming the above information here:
https://imgtr.ee/image/Iucwxa

I want to thank users sharkrkk and Royal Mail for bringing this information to my attention.

UPDATE 2

I am back with another update, but the worst I was afraid of is already happening - hardware failures and data loss because of Gameguard. You can find the reports of users documented with links in my latest update for the documentation of issues Gameguard causes fo players of Helldivers II:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/553850/discussions/2/4206994023681304166/?ctp=18#c7599331480044738880

At this point it is obvious that this trashfire of a software is a potential danger for the PC of all players.

UPDATE 2.1 - FURTHER ACKOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE DEVS, MAJOR INTERNAL TALKS ABOUT GAMEGUARD INCOMING

Hey everyone!


I am back with another very encouraging update! The Arrowhead dev, who were already kind before to answer the community's questions about the issues with Gameguard answered some of our fellow players on discord.

In his answer he acknowledged that our petition on change.org as well as our big thread here on Steam in the Anticheat subforum (linked in the OP) were both refered to Arrowhead internal discussions! That is a big step forward in itself!

With regards to the plethora of documented severe issues including Gameguard causing problems to pheripherals, the dev ensured us that there will be major talks about Gameguard soon internally at Arrowhead "once part of the fires stop roaring" (server issues will be addressed properly).

This is very encouraging! Fingers crossed that the devs will be able to tackle the server issues soon and make the needed decision after about the removal or replacement of Gameguard.

So I hereby request everyone to spread the word among your fellow gamers - the more signatures on the petition we have and the more the devs see that we want Gameguard removed or replaced, the more chance we have for positive change in this regard.

Let's aim higher with our activity guys and gals, we are on the right track!


You can find the compiled screenshots about the answer of the dev here:
https://imgtr.ee/image/IucU0F

UPDATE 3 - ISSUE OF GAMEGUARD IN HELLDIVERS 2 IN THE PRESS

As of 23rd of February, 2024, the issue of Gameguard in the case of Helldivers is now in the gaming press:
https://www.pushtotalk.gg/p/the-gamers-do-not-understand-anti-cheat

The title of this damage control press piece is clickbaity and condescending. It also fails to mention the shady history of Gameguard about how many games removed it before because of the plethora of issues it caused for their players. Regardless, in the article even one of the experts asked confirms that Gameguard is invasive and does overreaching, risky stuff . His words, straight from the article:

Riot’s Phillip Koskinas has memories of GameGuard stretching back over a decade. “A version of it has been around since even I was a young lad cooking cheats on MapleStory and Gunz,” he says. (Almost all anti-cheat developers were once cheaters themselves, as they’ll gladly tell you.)

“Back then,” says Koskinas, “GameGuard was actually one of the ‘stronger’ anti-cheats, largely due to their willingness to do crazier stuff. A lot of these techniques are actually common sense or useless now, but back then, it was sort of atypical to be that wide of a watchdog. These days, it has held onto a reputation for being invasive, especially because it takes so much of its anti-cheat actions locally and instantly (closing windows, blocking processes, etc.). "

Roblox anti-cheat lead Clint Sereday was similarly unperturbed. He says that the negative player reviews Helldivers 2 is getting are off the mark.

“This is exactly the same concern as people have with any anti-cheat,” Sereday says. “The concern is a little more exaggerated here because Helldivers 2 is a PVE game. nProtect GameGuard could also be adding to the concern since it is a less-used 3rd party.”

I really hope that Arrowhead Studios finally heeds the feedback provided by current and potential players that obivously point to the direction that Gameguard has to be removed or replaced.

At this point it is widely documented that Gameguard causes severe problems for many players. The sooner Arrowhead devs get rid of Gameguard one way or another, the better as it is just harmful and a potential danger for honest players. It also prevents sales and continues to be a blight on the reputation on the otherwise fantastic looking Helldivers II.

So I hereby kindly encourage everyone who agrees to sign the petition, and invite your like-minded fellow gamers to do so!

The more people know about it and sign it, the better we can raise awareness about the severe problems Gameguard causes for people.

[Oakatusz]

Messaggio originale di Medium Rare Doughnut:

Signed, will buy this game the moment Gameguard goes

Thank you for your contribution Medium Rare Doughnut.

That is a very exotic name by the way.

[Super Cat]

Glad to see updates for this. Looking forward to better outcomes

[Oakatusz]

Messaggio originale di ....:

Messaggio originale di Mr_Pennywise:

https://www.pushtotalk.gg/p/the-gamers-do-not-understand-anti-cheat

just want to put this here for anyone to read

Somehow the article doesnt really say what the headline says - it pretty much confirms the main problems people have with it - trusting a third party company (its not just the game dev) - having an additional potential security hole on your PC that depends on how good the anti cheat software is. Also it is easier to hide future installs with thee "anti-cheat software" than with the simple gameinstall that will btw. also be looked at more by steam than a third party software that can do pretty much whatever it wants after installation without people knowing etc.

All of this combined with not many positive aspects - especially for PVE.

In general - i prefer to see 1 more cheater every day than having this sort of software on my PC and even with this software there will still be the same cheaters since from my point of view there are 3 sorts of cheaters - obvious cheater that dont even try to hide it (pretty much any software will find them) - cheaters that use free cheats (probably also easy to spot) - people that buy "professional" cheats (you will have those no matter the software you use)

I first want to thank Mr_Pennywise for posting the press piece above.

To answer you ...., I must say I agree completely.

Now the topic of Gameguard is in the press. It's a clickbaity title for the article but the expert guy in the article confirms himself that Gameguard is invasive and does overreaching, risky stuff . His words, straight from the article:

"Riot’s Phillip Koskinas has memories of GameGuard stretching back over a decade. “A version of it has been around since even I was a young lad cooking cheats on MapleStory and Gunz,” he says. (Almost all anti-cheat developers were once cheaters themselves, as they’ll gladly tell you.)

“Back then,” says Koskinas, “GameGuard was actually one of the ‘stronger’ anti-cheats, largely due to their willingness to do crazier stuff. A lot of these techniques are actually common sense or useless now, but back then, it was sort of atypical to be that wide of a watchdog. These days, it has held onto a reputation for being invasive, especially because it takes so much of its anti-cheat actions locally and instantly (closing windows, blocking processes, etc.)."

Roblox anti-cheat lead Clint Sereday was similarly unperturbed. He says that the negative player reviews Helldivers 2 is getting are off the mark.

“This is exactly the same concern as people have with any anti-cheat,” Sereday says. “The concern is a little more exaggerated here because Helldivers 2 is a PVE game. nProtect GameGuard could also be adding to the concern since it is a less-used 3rd party.”"

[Oakatusz]

Messaggio originale di Blood Monarch:

Signed

Messaggio originale di Racemi:

signed

Thank you both kindly for the support Blood Monarch and Racemi.

[NikkMann]

They really just need easy anticheat tbh

[Calv]

Messaggio originale di Oakatusz:

Messaggio originale di ....:

Somehow the article doesnt really say what the headline says - it pretty much confirms the main problems people have with it - trusting a third party company (its not just the game dev) - having an additional potential security hole on your PC that depends on how good the anti cheat software is. Also it is easier to hide future installs with thee "anti-cheat software" than with the simple gameinstall that will btw. also be looked at more by steam than a third party software that can do pretty much whatever it wants after installation without people knowing etc.

All of this combined with not many positive aspects - especially for PVE.

In general - i prefer to see 1 more cheater every day than having this sort of software on my PC and even with this software there will still be the same cheaters since from my point of view there are 3 sorts of cheaters - obvious cheater that dont even try to hide it (pretty much any software will find them) - cheaters that use free cheats (probably also easy to spot) - people that buy "professional" cheats (you will have those no matter the software you use)

I first want to thank Mr_Pennywise for posting the press piece above.

To answer you ...., I must say I agree completely.

Now the topic of Gameguard is in the press. It's a clickbaity title for the article and the expert guy in the article confirms himself that Gameguard is invasive and does overreaching, risky stuff . This is straight from the article:

"Riot’s Phillip Koskinas has memories of GameGuard stretching back over a decade. “A version of it has been around since even I was a young lad cooking cheats on MapleStory and Gunz,” he says. (Almost all anti-cheat developers were once cheaters themselves, as they’ll gladly tell you.)

“Back then,” says Koskinas, “GameGuard was actually one of the ‘stronger’ anti-cheats, largely due to their willingness to do crazier stuff. A lot of these techniques are actually common sense or useless now, but back then, it was sort of atypical to be that wide of a watchdog. These days, it has held onto a reputation for being invasive, especially because it takes so much of its anti-cheat actions locally and instantly (closing windows, blocking processes, etc.)."

Roblox anti-cheat lead Clint Sereday was similarly unperturbed. He says that the negative player reviews Helldivers 2 is getting are off the mark.

“This is exactly the same concern as people have with any anti-cheat,” Sereday says. “The concern is a little more exaggerated here because Helldivers 2 is a PVE game. nProtect GameGuard could also be adding to the concern since it is a less-used 3rd party.”"

I will add this to the OPs and the other threads.

May want to read that again.

"These days, it has held onto a reputation for being invasive"

Is not the same as

"the expert guy in the article confirms himself that Gameguard is invasive and does overreaching, risky stuff "

This is the line before it that adds the necessary context:
"A lot of these techniques are actually common sense or useless now, but back then, it was sort of atypical to be that wide of a watchdog."

Basically saying that gameguard was ahead of the curve but now all other anti cheat is doing the same thing. But because gameguard did it first they have a reputation hanging over them.

[Oakatusz]

Messaggio originale di Super Cat:

Glad to see updates for this. Looking forward to better outcomes

And I thank you for being here with us and contributing Super Cat.

I completely agree, fingers crossed. Here's hoping Arrowhead will do the right thing and remove or replace this dumpsterfire called Gameguard as soon as possible.

[Oakatusz]

By the way, we just passed 3.300 signatures.

Well done everyone so far - we can aim even higher!

So I hereby again kindly encourage everyone who agrees to sign the petition, and invite your like-minded fellow gamers to do so!

[phlux]

Nearly 0.1% of the playerbase after just 2 weeks!
That's awesome and shows how importan this topic is to the general community.
Thank you guys!

[Oakatusz]

UPDATE 3 - ISSUE OF GAMEGUARD IN HELLDIVERS 2 IN THE PRESS

As of 23rd of February, 2024, the issue of Gameguard in the case of Helldivers is now in the gaming press:
https://www.pushtotalk.gg/p/the-gamers-do-not-understand-anti-cheat

The title of this damage control press piece is clickbaity and condescending. It also fails to mention the shady history of Gameguard about how many games removed it before because of the plethora of issues it caused for their players. Regardless, in the article even one of the experts asked confirms that Gameguard is invasive and does overreaching, risky stuff . His words, straight from the article:

Riot’s Phillip Koskinas has memories of GameGuard stretching back over a decade. “A version of it has been around since even I was a young lad cooking cheats on MapleStory and Gunz,” he says. (Almost all anti-cheat developers were once cheaters themselves, as they’ll gladly tell you.)

“Back then,” says Koskinas, “GameGuard was actually one of the ‘stronger’ anti-cheats, largely due to their willingness to do crazier stuff. A lot of these techniques are actually common sense or useless now, but back then, it was sort of atypical to be that wide of a watchdog. These days, it has held onto a reputation for being invasive, especially because it takes so much of its anti-cheat actions locally and instantly (closing windows, blocking processes, etc.). "

Roblox anti-cheat lead Clint Sereday was similarly unperturbed. He says that the negative player reviews Helldivers 2 is getting are off the mark.

“This is exactly the same concern as people have with any anti-cheat,” Sereday says. “The concern is a little more exaggerated here because Helldivers 2 is a PVE game. nProtect GameGuard could also be adding to the concern since it is a less-used 3rd party.”

I really hope that Arrowhead Studios finally heeds the feedback provided by current and potential players that obivously point to the direction that Gameguard has to be removed or replaced.

At this point it is widely documented that Gameguard causes severe problems for many players. The sooner Arrowhead devs get rid of Gameguard one way or another, the better as it is just harmful and a potential danger for honest players. It also prevents sales and continues to be a blight on the reputation on the otherwise fantastic looking Helldivers II.



I added the above information to the OP under

UPDATE 3 - ISSUE OF GAMEGUARD IN HELLDIVERS 2 IN THE PRESS

[Little Critter]

Man, can't wait for this post to be sent to Anti-cheat yet again.

[One death guy]

Messaggio originale di Sogreth:

Messaggio originale di Odensjakt:

Proved many times Gameguard able to kill SSD

Hasn't been proven at all. Just people with potatoes trying to run modern games.

did you manage to run and play HD2 witout any issue on your PC?

[Sogreth]

Messaggio originale di phlux:

Nearly 0.1% of the playerbase after just 2 weeks!
That's awesome and shows how importan this topic is to the general community.
Thank you guys!

They are so close to actually making an impact!

[Little Critter]

Messaggio originale di One death guy:

Messaggio originale di Sogreth:

Hasn't been proven at all. Just people with potatoes trying to run modern games.

did you manage to run and play HD2 witout any issue on your PC?

I've literally been playing since day one and my computer has yet to explode so...

I'd tell you to run the game yourself, but you don't it own it now do you? Nice knowing ya.

[Fluffy Monster Thing]

Out of curiosity, when has a change.org petition effected anything but change.org's ad revenue?