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The fastest Diablo speedrun in 15 years turned out to be a fake.
Speedrunner and hacker Allan Cecil, known under the pseudonym dwangoAC, presented evidence that the record for completing the game Diablo, held for more than 15 years, was set in violation of the rules.
Speaking at the Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas, Cecil revealed the details of his investigation. He claims that Polish player Maciej "groobo" Masielewski used prohibited techniques during the game, so the record of his achievement in the Guinness Book of World Records should be canceled.
Maselevsky allegedly passed Diablo in 3 minutes and 12 seconds back in 2009. This result was considered unsurpassed among all role-playing games. However, many inconsistencies were found in the video recording of the passage .
Allan Cecil came to the role of a whistleblower of dishonest speedrunners from an equally narrow field — he is an expert on the so-called "tool — assisted speedruns" (literally-speedrun with the use of auxiliary tools). In this discipline, players use emulators to improve their progress frame-by-frame, exploring the ultimate possibilities of the game.
Cecil claims that some unscrupulous speedrunners secretly use such tools to set false records. This practice deeply outrages the hacker, as he considers honest tool-assisted speedrunners to be a separate art form, which takes months or even years to create.
The investigation into Diablo's record began when Cecil and another speedrunner, Matthew "funkmastermp" Petroff, tried to create their own speedrun for the game. They quickly realized that even with perfect execution and maximum luck in generating random dungeons, it was impossible to get close to Maselevsky's time.
A team of researchers assembled by Cecil, found in the video of the record holder signs of using incompatible versions of software, impossible combinations of objects, missing frames and other traces of possible manipulation.
When journalists approached Maselevsky for comment, he categorically denied all the accusations. The speedrunner explained that his record has always been classified as "segmented" playthroughs. This means that the game is played in parts, and then these parts are combined into a single whole.
However, Cecil argues that this explanation is not sufficient. According to him, some dungeon configurations in the passage of Maselevsky can not be obtained even in a separate segment without changing the game data. In addition, a key item conveniently appears in one place-the staff of Puzzle Najah, which allows you to teleport-which contradicts the logic of the gameplay.
Probably, Maselevsky used special software, i.e. "trainer", to improve the results. If this is confirmed, the record may indeed be disqualified.
The Guinness Book of World Records has not yet made a final decision on this issue. A representative of the organization stated that they appreciate any feedback on their records and strive to maintain the highest standards of accuracy.
The administrator of the Speed Demos Archive (SDA) site, where Maselevsky also holds the Diablo record, seems inclined to believe Cecil's evidence. Although the official verdict has not yet been issued, the administrator said that a preliminary decision has already been made: if Maselevsky cannot convincingly answer the questions that have arisen, he will not be removed from the site.
This is not the first time that Allan Cecil has been involved in exposing questionable gaming records. In 2017, he helped break Todd Rogers ' 35-year record in the Atari 2600 Dragster game. Cecil created a tool-assisted speedrun that showed that even with perfect execution, it is impossible to reach the stated time.
"Both the fool and the scoundrel break the established rules. We despise the villainy of the scoundrel and admire the tricks of the fool, " says Cecil. "But one thing remains the same: no one likes cheaters."
Source
Speedrunner and hacker Allan Cecil, known under the pseudonym dwangoAC, presented evidence that the record for completing the game Diablo, held for more than 15 years, was set in violation of the rules.
Speaking at the Defcon hacking conference in Las Vegas, Cecil revealed the details of his investigation. He claims that Polish player Maciej "groobo" Masielewski used prohibited techniques during the game, so the record of his achievement in the Guinness Book of World Records should be canceled.
Maselevsky allegedly passed Diablo in 3 minutes and 12 seconds back in 2009. This result was considered unsurpassed among all role-playing games. However, many inconsistencies were found in the video recording of the passage .
Allan Cecil came to the role of a whistleblower of dishonest speedrunners from an equally narrow field — he is an expert on the so-called "tool — assisted speedruns" (literally-speedrun with the use of auxiliary tools). In this discipline, players use emulators to improve their progress frame-by-frame, exploring the ultimate possibilities of the game.
Cecil claims that some unscrupulous speedrunners secretly use such tools to set false records. This practice deeply outrages the hacker, as he considers honest tool-assisted speedrunners to be a separate art form, which takes months or even years to create.
The investigation into Diablo's record began when Cecil and another speedrunner, Matthew "funkmastermp" Petroff, tried to create their own speedrun for the game. They quickly realized that even with perfect execution and maximum luck in generating random dungeons, it was impossible to get close to Maselevsky's time.
A team of researchers assembled by Cecil, found in the video of the record holder signs of using incompatible versions of software, impossible combinations of objects, missing frames and other traces of possible manipulation.
When journalists approached Maselevsky for comment, he categorically denied all the accusations. The speedrunner explained that his record has always been classified as "segmented" playthroughs. This means that the game is played in parts, and then these parts are combined into a single whole.
However, Cecil argues that this explanation is not sufficient. According to him, some dungeon configurations in the passage of Maselevsky can not be obtained even in a separate segment without changing the game data. In addition, a key item conveniently appears in one place-the staff of Puzzle Najah, which allows you to teleport-which contradicts the logic of the gameplay.
Probably, Maselevsky used special software, i.e. "trainer", to improve the results. If this is confirmed, the record may indeed be disqualified.
The Guinness Book of World Records has not yet made a final decision on this issue. A representative of the organization stated that they appreciate any feedback on their records and strive to maintain the highest standards of accuracy.
The administrator of the Speed Demos Archive (SDA) site, where Maselevsky also holds the Diablo record, seems inclined to believe Cecil's evidence. Although the official verdict has not yet been issued, the administrator said that a preliminary decision has already been made: if Maselevsky cannot convincingly answer the questions that have arisen, he will not be removed from the site.
This is not the first time that Allan Cecil has been involved in exposing questionable gaming records. In 2017, he helped break Todd Rogers ' 35-year record in the Atari 2600 Dragster game. Cecil created a tool-assisted speedrun that showed that even with perfect execution, it is impossible to reach the stated time.
"Both the fool and the scoundrel break the established rules. We despise the villainy of the scoundrel and admire the tricks of the fool, " says Cecil. "But one thing remains the same: no one likes cheaters."
Source
