Diablo Speedrun Record Proven Fake After 13 Years
A team of Diablo speedrun experts has uncovered definitive proof that a three-minute any% world record, set in 2009, was fabricated. This revelation required the reverse-engineering of Diablo's map generation system, which boasts 2.2 billion legitimate variations.
The disputed speedrun, uploaded to Speed Demos Archive by Maciej "groobo" Maselewski, featured a sorcerer using highly improbable "luck" to complete the game in 3:12. While segmented any% runs allow for exploits and game saves/replays, the Diablo mapgen team claims groobo's manipulations exceeded sanctioned limits.
Allan "dwangoAC" Cecil, a speedrun expert, raised concerns about the extreme "luck" witnessed in groobo's run, leading to the creation of a Diablo mapgen tool. This tool, primarily developed by Matthew Petroff, enables the visualization of entire dungeons, including item distribution and quest layouts. Each map is assigned a specific seed, with 2.2 billion valid seeds spanning the period from January 1, 1970, to December 31, 2038.
Despite groobo's assertions of legitimate skill and luck, the mapgen tool demonstrated that his advantageous conditions only existed outside Diablo's valid date range. While it remains unclear how groobo achieved his run, it is evident that he manipulated the game to bypass legitimate seeds.
Groobo has defended his actions, stating that the run was presented as segmented and spliced from the outset. However, the impossibility of his dungeon layout and other irregularities in his footage (such as rapid Diablo defeat and mismatched details) have raised further doubts. TASbot has published a comprehensive analysis detailing the inconsistencies in groobo's run.
As a result, groobo's 3:12 has been removed from Speed Demos Archive, although it remains accessible on YouTube. It continues to be listed as the "fastest completion of an RPG videogame" in the Guinness Book of World Records, which has not yet responded to the Diablo mapgen team or Ars Technica.
"It did harm," said dwangoAC. "Groobo's alleged cheating in 2009 discouraged further interest in speedrunning this category." This revelation comes at a crucial time when speedrunning has gained immense popularity due to streaming, potentially hindering a vibrant Diablo speedrunning community centered around any%.
On a positive note, the Diablo mapgen tool has inspired the creation of a new "seeded" run category where players select advantageous layouts from the 2.2 billion legitimate seeds. A recent 5:13 speedrun by diablo_sb demonstrates the potential of this format.