The curious case of the second spectator "SFCON"

[VSj]

Yesterday I came across something interesting.

There was a quiet spectator named "DEFCON" in a 2v2 game (http://group6.info/index.php/game/view/620). Not necessarily very suspicious yet, right? For some unexplained reason my instinct still was to look into it, so I checked what the server had to say about it. At that time I noticed that two of the players in the game had consecutive keyIDs. Means nothing but it sure increased my interest in the matter a little so I had a quick peek at a database.

Turns out that the spectators keyID has had the following names lately: "SFCON", "DEFCON" and NewPlayer. Now that SFCON there rang some bells. So, I filtered the SFCON games having the two better players from the 2v2 in question and grepped the spectators keyid from the dcrecs.

SFCON: Hits in 13 games
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _20.03.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _01.46.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _20.50.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2013-0 ... _22.30.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2013-0 ... _00.58.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2013-0 ... _02.42.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2013-1 ... _01.42.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2013-1 ... _00.46.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _23.23.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _02.35.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _22.48.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _18.37.zip
http://sfcon.demoszenen.de/dcrec/2014-0 ... _00.48.zip

GROUP 6: Hits in 2 games
http://group6.info/index.php/game/view/620
http://group6.info/index.php/game/view/597

In addition, multiple sightings elsewhere. IP address location roughly (state level precision) matches one of the two players in question for a few cases I bothered to check out.

What are your conclusions? I've made mine.

[queenofhearts]

someones cheating again?

[General Ivan]

Not necessarily very suspicious yet, right? For some unexplained reason my instinct still was to look into it,

Your Spidy senses were tingling, , and my senses would suggest ghosting.

IMO though seeing someone naming themselves SFCON or DEFCON makes me very suspicious about them. Though since i can't investigate deep into it myself like you have, i just came up with 2 conclusions.

1) Ghosting
2) Just some dudes who happen to be in the same room and use the same internet connection, who find it funny or clever to name themselves after the game or bots (but lets be honest this would make anyone suspicious about 1 for obvious reasons)

[VSj]

2) Just some dudes who find it funny or clever to name themselves after the game or bots (but even this would make me suspicious about 1)

If it is cheating, naming the spectator SFCON does feel utterly stupid to me. I mean if I was to cheat that way (not that I would - I'd not get any pleasure of such a game) I would definitely choose something less suspicious.

But I'm not telling anyone what it is and what it is not

[queenofhearts]

so two people in collusion?

[Siсiliаn Ноundd]

Well for 1 players to have the almost same location as the spectator in the same MULTIPLE game is to much for coincidence to me.

[Endless]

Did anyone watch the recordings? Does it look like there is evidence if the ghosting? I.e. nuking subs randomly. Finding bombers without radar coverage?

[VSj]

Well for 1 players to have the almost same location as the spectator in the same MULTIPLE game is to much for coincidence to me.

Well, the IP location things are what they are. I'd avoid putting too much weight on them. My address seems to be in the nations capital. That's over 400 kilometers off. Could in theory be a thousand km off. And there was some variation.

Did anyone watch the recordings? Does it look like there is evidence if the ghosting? I.e. nuking subs randomly. Finding bombers without radar coverage?

I haven't seen them yet. I intend to have a look when I have the time.

[Little worm]

Now i saw most of the recs(i like documental video) and i`m on 95 percent sure that they are both cheated(Mac and Still Glown) and they are linked ingame either(skype or team speak).So laikas,rofl`s and tgr`s methods combinesin one and becomes popular.

[Siсiliаn Ноundd]

Well you are a respectable player. This seems like enough evidence for me to ban them?

[Endless]

So laikas,rofl`s and tgr`s methods combinesin one and becomes popular.

I'm curious. I know Laika's method was simple ghosting, but what are the other methods you speak of here?

[Endless]

Well, after looking at a few recordings myself, They were ghosting. In the second game, placing subs directly underneath bbs in defcon 5, then perfectly going active is a good example. Perfect nuking in the 4th game as well. They weren't even sneaky about it. The bastards.

[Little worm]

So laikas,rofl`s and tgr`s methods combinesin one and becomes popular.

I'm curious. I know Laika's method was simple ghosting, but what are the other methods you speak of here?

It`s an old story,they are doing same as laika`s+speaking about tactics on facebook.They was smarter then this two guys and have no honour to say "i was cheating in the past",mister x gave me the necessery proof.

[nuclear cocaine]

I'm on it thanks f Y

[Endless]

So laikas,rofl`s and tgr`s methods combinesin one and becomes popular.

I'm curious. I know Laika's method was simple ghosting, but what are the other methods you speak of here?

It`s an old story,they are doing same as laika`s+speaking about tactics on facebook.They was smarter then this two guys and have no honour to say "i was cheating in the past",mister x gave me the necessery proof.

So you are saying, since ROFL still plays, that he is a cheater? What is your evidence of this?