Hi all,

Been thinking about this on and off and I am concerned about cheating with this game. Older games are far more susceptible to cheating because their inputs are much simpler; this run on PC in particular in my opinion.

Specifically I think I could download Auto-hotkey (or similar) and create a perfect run in less time than it took me to get the current run. after 61 attempts. (Please don't go and do that, lol) The game is so short and the inputs so simple that you could almost just type them out to get it done. I've got most of them written down already from when I put the route together.

My concern is that a perfectly executed run, and a TAS run using keyboard input playback, would be virtually indistinguishable. Parts of this run look like TAS already due to input buffering, so you wouldn't even need to try too hard to make it look realistic.

There are too many stories about cheating in the community, and how something could have been done if there were preventative measures in place.

Not sure what the best solution would be, but at a minimum I would suggest a video feed of the input device be included in the record attempt (eg video of the keyboard in my case). Not sure if there's something else that can be used (like an official timer app or something) to ensure the footage isn't sped up, but gotta start somewhere.

As an example, here is a video I just found when trying to re-find my own video (it's 8 years old so it could be anything). Dude is either using a different emulator, or straight up splicing, which is detectable in the first 20 seconds of the video compared to mine; though it does seem like the inputs are done by a human.

I'm just thinking we could be pro-active and make cheating in MM3, at the very least, too hard to be worth it.

I'd happily have my record deprecated and have to do it again if this seems like a good idea. I've got some ideas anyway, so would incentivise me to try some stuff.

I think it would be best to not require a camera recording the input device until the game gets more popular. It may discourage new people from posting a run and joining the community. For example, if the SNES category required a camera on the controller, I probably wouldn't have submitted the run, or even attempted it. I don't have a camera, and I don't plan on getting one any time soon.

Our community is just too small to have these discussions. I say we let the cheating happen first, and implement rules as a result. The story of a well respected MM3 runner disgraced by a cheating scandal would bring attention to the game and help the community grow.

You could still use a cam to boost your legitimacy if you want, but like theoryjoe said, the community is just too small to require it.

yeah fair, if I end up doing another run I'll probably include the video for future proofing but probably is overkill for the moment.

Maybe I'll do a TAS run to find the fastest route and upload as a new category? Could useful to see what an impossible run looks like.