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| Gheed United States. June 05 2012 19:07. Posts 962 | Profile Blog # |
The mystery within the mystery: The identity of drolets
At first, the Spades affair greatly troubled me. Yet another witch hunt, I despaired. What a dreadful community we find ourselves a part of. And though I still have reservations about how we conducted ourselves in the latest episode of the soap opera we call esports, I got over it. While the idea of mob justice does continue to trouble me, I find myself not caring much one way or the other as to whether the man is or isn't a maphacker. I fear more for those accused in the future who may be innocent, as it seems increasingly likely that Spades isn't. Regardless, that is immaterial to the purpose of this blog. This blog's intention is to examine the question that few, in our collective ire over potential maphacking, seem to be asking. Just who the hell is this drolets guy, anyway?
From my cozy position in my basement and my unenviable status as a neurotic insomniac, I have been attempting to answer this question for myself. Limited in resources as I am, I am only able to gather so much information on our enigmatic whistleblower. (For the sake of simplicity, I shall be referring to our mystery poster using masculine pronouns.)
At first, I believed his username to be pronounced as an English word, with the last syllable pronounced like "let's." However, a Google search yielded a great deal of Quebecois, as "Drolet" is apparently a surname there, albeit an evidently uncommon one (seen at http://www.droletsisters.com/ and http://www.lesdenisdrolet.com/ ). When adding some quotation marks to narrow down the querry, I received, in addition to news about the latest hacking accusation, a single other Starcraft related entry ( http://www.aprenderstarcraft2.es/usuarios/drolets/track ), a user going by the name of "Drolets" on a Spanish Starcraft website. This person's last posting under that account name was May 22 of this year. In one of his posts, he actually writes in English, confirming his ability to be the culprit.
As to the TL Drolets, little is known. A Team Liquid moderator confirmed that the user's IP matched no other users ( http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=342350#2 ).
E:
On June 06 2012 00:01 RaGe wrote:
I'd like to note that his IP actually does match other TL accounts. NrGMonk is still an inexperienced banling and didn't really use the full IP matching functionality we have.
The mods have a decent idea of who it is, and are discussing whether or not to reveal this information. It's likely we'll make a statement on the entire situation (not just the drama itself, but also the way it was handled) in the coming days.
He registered on May 29 ( http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/profile.php?user=drolets ), 4 days after the pertinent Showmatch thread was posted in the SC2 Tournaments section ( http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=339927 ). His one and only post is the thread in question. He claims to have been given the replay pack in question after asking for it, though he does not specify who gave it to him.
So, with nothing to go on, I shall examine his post. Foremost, his English is passable for a forum post, but imperfect. Beyond mere typographical errors and the occasional, though not ubiquitous, substitution of "u" for "you," there are numerous sentences which are constructed awkwardly, suggesting he is a nonnative English speaker.
Notably, he uses many prepositions in a manner that a native speaker would generally not.
• Apparently, he is maphacking on Starcraft II too or that is the sensation I had ("on Starcraft II" instead of "in Starcraft II")
• I understand there can be hackers on low levels ("on low levels" instead of "at low levels" or "in low levels")
• This is what I found on the replays ("on the replays" instead of "in the replays")
• however, he leaves all his hellions on his natural ("on his natural" instead of "at his natural" or "in his natural")
• Despite having his army on LucifroN's natural (same as above)
• again, he unsieges all his tanks on the natural (same as above)
• JUST in the moment where the medevaks appear on the minimap ("in the moment where" instead of "at the moment when")
These kinds of errors are indicative of an inexperienced English speaker, not a native speaker typing lazily or carelessly. Specifically, the repeated usage of variations of "on his natural" instead of the more natural sounding "in" or "at," for which there are even more examples than what I listed, is a large part of what convinces me that this person is a nonnative speaker. As Felnarion mentioned, Spanish uses "en" for both "in" and "on." Other languages, like French, have separate words.
• as if he knew 100% sure cloack banshees weren't comming
• would be obvious to think that LucifroN's army is comming behind
• the position LucifroN's drop is comming
• he doesn't see LucifroN's drop comming
There are, again, more of this exact same error than I care to list. Though I'm sure this is a mistake native English speakers make as well (especially given that this is the Internet, and there are thus many instances of the similarly spelled "cumming"), to be made repeatedly throughout the post is suspect. In fact, he never spells it correctly. Even the worst spellers generally get it right accidentally from time to time.
• before scanning he already starts to build a bay for defending against cloack-banshee
• as if he knew 100% sure cloack banshees weren't coming
• he isn't making any kind of cloack-banshee prevention as he did on the first game
Every instance of "cloak" is instead rendered "cloack." As the sounds that "k" and "ck" make in English are identical, this would seem to be a common problem for one learning English.
On June 05 2012 22:48 Felnarion wrote:Some more facts, further solidifying the Spanish root of the speaker: This line.
Show nested quote +His camera NEVER watches a place he hasn't got vision of, neither for scouting, neither for sending units, neither because of a missclick
Neither is a word not often used for a native English speaker, but commonly used in other languages to denote a negative. Reading that in English is somewhat awkward (though perhaps correct) because it's just not used in that sense. Romance languages (French and Spanish specifically, maybe others) would add a "ni" to a list such as this, denoting "neither" http://us.battle.net/sc2/es/search?q=cloackAlso search "cloak" on the Spanish version of the site. Shows that "cloack" returns almost double the hits of "cloak" While on the English website, over 13,000 instances of cloak occur and only 200 or so cloack. Analysis of the French site indicates no favor over one or the other, both appear equally regularly.
• Look how he watches whole LucifroN's army
Native speakers would always say "Lucifron's whole army" and would be unlikely to accidentally transpose the two words.
• Spades doesn't see ANYTHING, but he sieges his tanks right in the elevation
What the poster describes as an "elevation" would almost always be called a "cliff" or simply the "high ground" by a native speaker. Further, a native speaker would likely describe the position the tanks were on as "on the cliff," rather than "in" it. The etymology of "elevate" comes from Latin, whereas "cliff" shares its origin with other Germanic languages. So, it may be that our mystery poster speaks a Romance language like French or Spanish and when reaching for an English word to describe what he was looking at, came up with a Latin cognate (elevation) instead of the more natural-sounding Germanic word (cliff).
• JUST in the moment where the medevaks appear on the minimap
• 5 seconds after that LucifroN lift half of his units into 2 medevaks, then Spades select all his vikings and moves forward to try to kill the unseen medevaks.
• he changes the direction up to 3 times in less than 5 secs as LucifroN moves his medevak
"Medevak" can be short for "Medizinische Evakuierung," the German phrase for "Medical Evacuation." However, the German SC2 client names the unit "medivac," so, given no other German-related evidence, I do not believe our mystery man to be German-speaking. This is, however, certainly the kind of mistake anyone learning English might make, again displaying our poster struggling with the similar sounds of the hard "c" and "k."
• after asking for the replays and analyzing them there's no doubt.
"Analyzing" is the predominant American and Canadian spelling, whereas "analysing" is used throughout the rest of the Commonwealth. It's also possible he just spelled it incorrectly, which appears to be the case. Further, as Spanish user TheConquereer pointed out, "analizar" is the Spanish word for analyze, which renders this bit of evidence fairly ambiguous.
In general, the post is not particularly well composed, albeit readable, consisting largely of run-on sentences with nary a semicolon in sight, while colons themselves are used only to separate titles and to format time. In addition to those listed, there are numerous spelling and grammar errors, particularly relating to verb tenses.
+ Show Spoiler [Unlikely given new information.] +What conclusions can we draw from this poster's style and mannerisms? Well, he is most certainly not a native English speaker. That he spelled "analyze" as he did suggests he is North American, as a North American would be more likely to be taught the US and Canadian spelling than the Commonwealth one. That he was interested in Spades to begin with, a low-level pro with few accomplishments to his name, further indicates he is American. So, assuming our mystery poster is not a master linguist and able to mimic poor English, that would narrow (insofar as you could call it that) the suspect pool to French Canadians and Latin Americans. Given the name, the former seems most likely. We could potentially narrow that down further by listing Spades former teammates and Starcraft related acquaintances and comparing the writing style of any posts they might have made with the post in question. But that leaves the question of motive. Anyone close enough to Spades to know he was maphacking is surely involved enough in the SC2 community that his or her word would have carried more weight than an anonymous post from behind a proxy or a friend's computer. Certainly the likes of CatZ, Drewbie, Illusion, and TT1 have had no misgivings in offering their opinions. Was Drolet's post intended to inform the public or condemn Spades? Does Spades have any known grudges? His Liquipedia page lists no rivalries.
CONCLUSIONS
Another possibility could be that, as the Drolets poster on the Spanish website, our mystery poster is himself a Spaniard, perhaps even the same person. Though Spades is unlikely to draw much of a crowd to a showmatch, LucifroN, one of the few Spanish pro gamers, would certainly stir up interest among Spanish Starcraft players. Perhaps Drolets really is just a concerned SC2 spectator. It could also explain his TL registration date. Maybe he registered after finding the showmatch thread, but decided not to post. That definitely makes sense, but it leaves even more questions unanswered. Why did he feel that Spades was hacking when not only did he lose the showmatch, but no one else seemed to notice? Is Drolets some sort of SC2 Rain Man? How exactly did he obtain the replays? He says he asked for them, but who did he ask? Why has no one come forward? Martijn Mumbles, the man who casted the event, appears outraged at the whole affair ( http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=342248¤tpage=68#1346 ) and has demanded TL reveal the poster's identity, so it seems unlikely he was the one who gave out the replays. Why has Drolets not posted since he created the thread?
E: There were also Spanish casters for the event. However, neither of those listed in the event thread ( http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=339927 ) match any of the names from LucifroN's team (  Karont3 e-Sports Club )
E2: On Liquipedia, this Drolets fellow has been editing and creating articles relating to Spanish players (Special:Contributions/Drolets ). Interestingly, he edited an article related to the Spanish website I first found him on. A blog respondent, netherh, has, by way of methods I do not fully understand, determined that the replays originated from Lucifron's computer ( http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=342492¤tpage=2#22 ).
Given this information, it would appear that the Drolets from "Aprender Starcraft" and the Drolets in question are one and the same. The question still remains: Just who is this guy? And where did he go? Is he a friend of LucifroN's? Given that I doubt Luci would edit Liquipedia under a pseudonym, or at all, I think it's unlikely that Drolets is Lucifron, but the possibility still exists.
Aprender is also listed as Lucifron's former team in the one of articles Drolets edited, which creates another potential connection between the two. ( Aprender )
E3: Not much has changed. The most accepted theory is still that Drolets is a low-ranking member of the Spanish SC2 scene. His motive, how he came to his conclusions, and why he has remained silent have yet to be explained. It is possible he is a devoted fan of Lucifron, but some sort of vendetta against Spades has yet to be ruled out.
A few other users have taken up the chase. In particular, Promethelax has examined some users' posts in threads relating to the Spanish SC2 scene. While I am hesitant to point fingers to anyone in particular, you can find his post here. Poster petered expands on his analysis.
It has also been proposed that "Drolets" may be the work of several individuals in collusion. Given the speed at which the hacking allegations were posted after the tournament, it is possible multiple people worked together to scan the replays and then had one person write up their findings and post it on TL. Could Drolets be a patsy, a mere fall guy used as a pawn by the organizers of vast Spanish conspiracy to out Spades as a maphacker? It's definitely possible. Why else would they use an extant TL account, one with ties to the Spanish community both on this site and on others? Surely making a new one would be safer for those involved.
Of course, if we go down that route, this whole business with the Spanish scene might be one big red herring meant to throw us off the scent. Could Spades have had an arch nemesis in the NA scene? A careful, calculating person who, for months, has been setting up a trail of false evidence to enact vengeance on Spandes and then misdirect the blame onto the Spaniards? Spanish poster Toxi78 mentions that Drolets uploaded an incorrect photo of Spanish player IeZaeL, which seems strange for someone interested in that particular scene. An honest mistake from an genuine Spanish SC2 fan, or a slipup from our vigilante mastermind? While the replays were evidently from LucifroN's computer, the poster claims to have asked for them, a detail that seems suspiciously vague. Who, if not a friend or member of the Spanish scene could simply ask Lucifron for the replays and actually receive them? A fellow progamer with a grudge against Spades? Why would such a person use a pseudonym? Indeed, the thread was closed initially and only reopened after a few pro gamers came forward to voice their opinions on the matter.
The most intriguing part of all this for me has been the rapidity at which it happened. The showmatch began on Sunday at 21:00 CET and ran for (using the length of the relevant TwitchTV videos as a guide) roughly 2 and a half hours. The OP in question was posted on Monday at 21:22 CET. That leaves less than a day for whoever our mystery poster is to realize the hacking, collect the replays, analyze them, write his findings, and post. While certainly possible, it seems very unlikely. No one else seemed to believe Spades was hacking. How many people in the Spanish, or European scene as a whole, even knew much about Spades? How likely is it for this random person to even exist, much less be observant enough and so sure of himself to post such accusations?
Note: this was written for purposes of my personal entertainment. Give my assertions and conclusions no more credence than you would a show about aliens on the History Channel.
Last edit: 2012-06-07 22:01:33
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| Porkz Denmark. June 05 2012 19:17. Posts 405 | Profile # | |
| | You may clip our wings, but we will always remember what it was like to fly, "The red religion is a harsh one but the bangod demands sacrifice" - Nyovne |
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| Imbu United States. June 05 2012 19:19. Posts 812 | Profile Blog # |
This is an amazing analysis. If only more people would post like you  . |
| | Even though I enjoy playing Protoss, a good Terran makes my day. |
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| Chilling5pr33 Germany. June 05 2012 19:23. Posts 497 | Profile Blog # | |
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| NeonFox June 05 2012 19:25. Posts 2355 | Profile # |
As I said in the thread, he wrote the title with a "?" at the start and end of the question, which is how an interrogative sentence is written in spanish. It's not a big mystery that he is spanish, probably someone on Lucifron's team that got to watch the games and though something was fishy, then made the thread.
Edit : spellingLast edit: 2012-06-05 19:26:35 |
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| Sumahi Guam. June 05 2012 19:30. Posts 4927 | Profile Blog # |
| An interesting analysis, thank you for posting it. |
| | Startale <3, ST_July <3, HongUn <3, Savior <3, Gretorp <3, Nada <3, Rainbow <3, Ret <3, Squirtle <3, Bomber <3 |
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| Daimai Sweden. June 05 2012 19:33. Posts 589 | Profile Blog # |
| I love you Gheed, you are one handsome motherfucker. |
| | I despise every terran player on this earth, and I hope there is a special place in hell saved for them. |
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| Koshi Belgium. June 05 2012 19:39. Posts 6749 | Profile Blog # |
| Sherlock Holmes would have found some names. You could be Watson! |
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| Carson Canada. June 05 2012 19:41. Posts 820 | Profile # |
It's like reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
5/5 obviously.
I love how you break down the content of the posts and cross reference it with his registration date, name choice and google results. Brilliant! |
| | "You have to remember something: Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn." Arnold Schwarzenegger |
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| greggy United Kingdom. June 05 2012 20:14. Posts 876 | Profile # |
| Gheed the internet detective. Cool work as usual, man. |
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| endy China. June 05 2012 20:22. Posts 6082 | Profile Blog # |
Nothing really new, I'm not a native speaker either and my English is far from being perfect, yet it was quite obvious that drolets was not a native speaker.
I don't even know how the conclusion 1 can make sense.
I'll still give you a 5/5 because some of your previous blogs deserved more than 5/5 for the entertainment value.
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| | ★ SK Telecom T1 ★ MSL Forever ★ SonicBJ is my hero ★ Kim Taek Yong ♥ I took a photo with Bisu before it was mainstream | |
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| SiPa Germany. June 05 2012 20:38. Posts 125 | Profile # |
Finally another Gheed-Blog... I was excited at first, vigorously reading through it, but quickly realized it is missing the usual "fun" part of your blog.
Son, I am disappoint. |
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 zatic Germany. June 05 2012 20:58. Posts 11701 | Profile Blog # |
| You really do have too much time on your hands don't you? |
| | I know Teamliquid is known as a massive building |
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| Gheed United States. June 05 2012 20:59. Posts 962 | Profile Blog # |
On June 05 2012 20:58 zatic wrote:
You really do have too much time on your hands don't you?
I think I've made that abundantly clear by now. |
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| infussle United Kingdom. June 05 2012 21:04. Posts 42 | Profile # |
| At least your methodology is a little more ethical, but for some reason I feel that starting a witch hunt in addition to another witch hunt is questionable. Amusing nonetheless. |
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| Martijn Netherlands. June 05 2012 21:12. Posts 1096 | Profile Blog # |
| Would like to request a sixth star be added specifically for this blog. I'm looking forward to the novel, must buy. |
| | http://www.glhf.tv fighting! WesternWolves & LowLandLions progaming teams. |
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| Zandar Netherlands. June 05 2012 21:24. Posts 1210 | Profile Blog # |
There is a chance he's also replying in the thread on his own account. Like a pyromaniac watching his own fire from the crowd.
Since you seem to have much time on your hand you could search for other posts in the thread with words like "medevak" etc and filter the quoted OP parts . |
| | Whatever you do, don't mention the books. |
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| Disposition1989 Canada. June 05 2012 21:28. Posts 262 | Profile Blog # |
| you have a smart sense of humour. i likey |
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| CortoMontez Australia. June 05 2012 21:32. Posts 608 | Profile # |
Have you attempted to match these typing patterns to any existing posters on TL, most notably people whose image would be significantly tarnished if the accusations turned out to be false?
Because I doubt a smurf would be needed by a person such as myself who would have nothing to lose by posting it on my main account anyway. |
| | "Creator was doing a really good job trying to win without storm but it was like eating spaghetti with a screwdriver." -Severian |
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| Gheed United States. June 05 2012 21:33. Posts 962 | Profile Blog # |
On June 05 2012 21:24 Zandar wrote:
There is a chance he's also replying in the thread on his own account. Like a pyromaniac watching his own fire from the crowd.
One of the more fantastical hypotheses is that Spades himself posted the thread, the idea being that his SC2 career is at a dead end and he needs some attention to bolster his popularity or go out with a bang before his career ends. I don't believe it, but it makes for a good story. |
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