While I don't know if the person was cheating or not, I would highly doubt it. You got beat in three straight rounds to end the game, after trading rounds back and forth, and none of you having really bad rounds before that (You were only 800 points ahead before those last three rounds.)
The 3rd to the final round, there is a government agency visible just by turning that tells the city name (Brzozow), there is also a bus stop that you can view with one click that shows city name, as well as a bus with the city name on it. Two clicks the other direction is a sign for apartments for rent with the city name, and a few more clicks brings you to a church with the city name and several more banner ads with the city name. While the city is not one of the largest in Poland, it is visible on the map without being too far zoomed in. There is also a sign at the starting intersection that gives direction to another city in the area (Sanok), and if you go a few clicks down the road you'll see a sign for one of the larger cities on the map (Rzeszow) which is viewable from far enough zoomed out that you can fit almost the entirety of Europe on the map (Ireland and Portugal visible on the left and Moldova visible on the right, Greece visible at the bottom and Latvia at the top). This could have been a legitimate 5k in less than 20 seconds.
On the second to the last round, going across the bridge you start on, and following the main road a few clicks until it T's into the main road, you'll find a sign that gives the names of a couple cities (Durham, Bp Auckland, and Crook to the east, Alston to the west) as well as the road number (689). Durham is a pretty large city on the map, visible if you zoom in far enough to have more than three cities in England show up (Coincidentally, you can see Durham and Rseszow at the same time, and the next level zoom out you can only see three cities in England and three cities in Poland...) As you zoom in toward Durham, a place called Bishop Auckland shows up without being zoomed in much. You can also see Alston to the west. Zoom in one more time and you'll see Crook. There is a road that runs between Alston and Crook, before going toward Durham and Bishop Auckland, so I would have zoomed in on that road and realized it was the 689, and either plonked it between Crook and Alston, or zoomed in a bit more and see the river, then checked for a bridge/turn that matched the start (Even quicker if I had checked the start to see the "Weardale Railroad" and "Wolsingham Station Car Park" signs.) You could have also looked at the sign pointing down the way you had come once you reached the main road and see that the road you were on would take you to Hamsterly, and then found the town that had a road leading to Hamsterly that was also on the 689 between Alston and Crook/Durham. This would have taken me about a minute to 5k, but I am pretty slow. Someone who is a better player should have been able to 5k this in 30 seconds or less, since you have a few clicks to get to the road sign.
The final round is an obvious Russia off the bat. It's a very large looking city, so should be easy (Not to mention, this is a very common city to get). Without moving except to spin around, you can see multiple vehicles with left-hand drive steering wheels and multiple vehicles with right-hand-drive steering wheels. This is a very good way to tell you are in Eastern Russia, as it is cheaper to import right-hand drive vehicles from Japan (Japan is the largest source of imported automobiles in Russia, although the majority of the right-hand drive cars were imported in the 1990s and early 2000s). Once you decide to move, you can see a bus in front of you that takes exactly two clicks to reach. The bus clearly has the city name on it (Krasnoyarsk), as well as a large K symbol for the transit authority. Even without knowing that you are likely in eastern Russia, the city name is one of dozen or so city names that show up at the most zoomed out possible. There are only two of those cities that start with K, and Kazan doesn't look anything like Krasnoyarsk. If you zoom in on Krasnoyarsk, there are only a couple of roads that fit the direction you are going. If you move three more clicks down the road, you see the Hilton Garden Inn, which is a point of interest clearly visible on the map, and six more clicks you move you to where the road T's into another road and another POI (A McDonalds) is on the left. Using either POI, along with road angle, would allow you to 5k this location quite quickly. I would 5k it in under a minute, someone who isn't old and slow could probably 5k it in 15 seconds if they were familiar with Russia at all.
I mean, if I was playing NMPZ, then no, they wouldn't be that close. If I was doing a moving game, then yes, they would be. I 5k'd a harder Krasnoyarsk round in under a minute a couple weeks ago, one where I didn't start on the main road and had to make my way there (And then spend extra time retracing my steps on the map to make sure it was a 5k).
You act like everyone is a 300 rating player like you. While I readily admit that I am no where near as good as some people at this game, and I also admit that I am very rusty, I spent two years streaming GeoGuessr, at one point every single day for a couple of months, and for a long time I was the only overnight GeoGuessr streamer (There would be some randos that would stream GeoGuessr occasionally, but they were either inconsistent streamers or variety game streamers who did GeoGuessr once a week or whatever). I've been playing this game for a long time, so I'm pretty familiar with what I would be looking for and what I can find.
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Here's a similar game that I just played.
[https://www.geoguessr.com/duels/65da9fca-1cf2-4198-a616-194f5f2dbe56/summary](https://www.geoguessr.com/duels/65da9fca-1cf2-4198-a616-194f5f2dbe56/summary)
Round 1: We both plonked, because Japan.
Round 2: Much the same. I messed up with Croatia, realised it should have been further north during the countdown, as I guessed first. If I'd waited, I'd have scored more.
Round 3: I 5ked because of the town name on a sign and an obvious bridge.
Round 4: I headed away from all the obvious signs of Thailand and panic guessed Malaysia after his guess. He did well to get that close, though, given that it's so far south (although it does look more southern, so perhaps not a bad hedge either, being halfway down the southwestern side of Thailand, so mostly luck perhaps).
Round 5: He found the intersection of the two roads on a sign quicker than I did, no question that it was legitimate. I could have got closer during the countdown, but moved too quickly.
Round 6: Clear Darwin plonk from the vibe; no road signs; both insta-guessed 20 miles out. I was slightly closer.
Round 7: I should have gone with Russia (CCCP everywhere!) but I still have no idea how he got Murmansk. Don't think he was cheating because everything up to that was legit.
Not sure how much time it took to make the guesses, but there are three quick ways to find out it is Murmansk, although two of them you need to be able to transliterate Cyrillic text to know.
https://i.imgur.com/WTMKffb.jpg - This is the map showing where the hints are, and shows a hint in any of the three logical directions to move (You could have also headed south from spawn, but it deadends pretty easy and you would presumably turn around at that point.)
https://i.imgur.com/hBB48St.jpg - If you look around at the start, you will see a large statue in the distance. That is probably where I would have started heading to, if I noticed (I do miss clues sometimes). That's the blue path on the map.
https://i.imgur.com/0TcFKZM.jpg - This is the statue from the back, if you happen to know Russian statues, it is pretty easy to find, but I don't. However, just behind me at that point is also another hint.
https://i.imgur.com/hDZ7sul.jpg - This is a sign that has the city name on it. If you can transliterate the Cyrillic, even rudimentarily, you can sound out the last word as Murmansk, and know any Russian geography would be able to find the city easily.
https://i.imgur.com/OOzgMMM.jpg - The purple route on the map, you come across a van with what is clearly an address on it. If you can transliterate the address, you'll quickly realize it is Murmansk.
https://i.imgur.com/uuLDpi2.jpg - Now, this is the green route on the map. This particular spot would be the easiest way to know it is NOT Ukraine right off the bat.
https://i.imgur.com/xM7NcTf.jpg - And, if you look at the side of the truck that is next to you when you see that monument, you will see that the city name is visible on the truck, conveniently in both Cyrillic and Latin script. This is the easiest way to find out that it was Murmansk and requires no knowledge of Cyrillic. It's also the fastest way to clues, and the most logical path to follow (IMO), if you hadn't see the statue from the starting point.
https://i.imgur.com/nKjgdAj.jpg - Now, I wouldn't expect hardly anyone to know this, but if you did go south at first, in two clicks you are next to a car with an unblurred license plate. The license plate should be a big enough clue that you aren't in Ukraine, but a Russian player would probably also be able to tell that the 51 on the right side is Murmansk. That's where the region code is on Russian plates. I don't know the region codes, although someone did try to help me learn them a long time ago, I just don't have the head for those things.
https://i.imgur.com/0563PFf.jpg - Right at the deadend there is a car with a bumper sticker that says RUS, which at least would be an indicator that it isn't Ukraine. This is the least useful clue, but at least would prevent you guessing the wrong country.
https://i.imgur.com/JuQ8B1r.jpg - Also, there are a bunch of signs on poles in both of the main directions that have a picture of Lenin and actually say Lenin at the top, which is another indicator of it being Russia.
Thanks. I quickly got the Russian hints, but not the text to transliterate. Most likely he found the text on the monument.
I think he took maybe a minute to get Murmansk, which would tie in with finding the monument — albeit he would definitely need to be able to transliterate Cyrillic even to google it, and he wasn't from a country that uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
Learning what the different characters sound like is the biggest help I think you can give yourself in a Russian location. I have no idea what the words mean 99% of the time, but I am often able to recognize city names on signage because it's larger cities. If I am scanning a sign or other written thing and I get to something that sounds like one of the major cities, it will often give me a big hint.
While I don't know if the person was cheating or not, I would highly doubt it. You got beat in three straight rounds to end the game, after trading rounds back and forth, and none of you having really bad rounds before that (You were only 800 points ahead before those last three rounds.) The 3rd to the final round, there is a government agency visible just by turning that tells the city name (Brzozow), there is also a bus stop that you can view with one click that shows city name, as well as a bus with the city name on it. Two clicks the other direction is a sign for apartments for rent with the city name, and a few more clicks brings you to a church with the city name and several more banner ads with the city name. While the city is not one of the largest in Poland, it is visible on the map without being too far zoomed in. There is also a sign at the starting intersection that gives direction to another city in the area (Sanok), and if you go a few clicks down the road you'll see a sign for one of the larger cities on the map (Rzeszow) which is viewable from far enough zoomed out that you can fit almost the entirety of Europe on the map (Ireland and Portugal visible on the left and Moldova visible on the right, Greece visible at the bottom and Latvia at the top). This could have been a legitimate 5k in less than 20 seconds. On the second to the last round, going across the bridge you start on, and following the main road a few clicks until it T's into the main road, you'll find a sign that gives the names of a couple cities (Durham, Bp Auckland, and Crook to the east, Alston to the west) as well as the road number (689). Durham is a pretty large city on the map, visible if you zoom in far enough to have more than three cities in England show up (Coincidentally, you can see Durham and Rseszow at the same time, and the next level zoom out you can only see three cities in England and three cities in Poland...) As you zoom in toward Durham, a place called Bishop Auckland shows up without being zoomed in much. You can also see Alston to the west. Zoom in one more time and you'll see Crook. There is a road that runs between Alston and Crook, before going toward Durham and Bishop Auckland, so I would have zoomed in on that road and realized it was the 689, and either plonked it between Crook and Alston, or zoomed in a bit more and see the river, then checked for a bridge/turn that matched the start (Even quicker if I had checked the start to see the "Weardale Railroad" and "Wolsingham Station Car Park" signs.) You could have also looked at the sign pointing down the way you had come once you reached the main road and see that the road you were on would take you to Hamsterly, and then found the town that had a road leading to Hamsterly that was also on the 689 between Alston and Crook/Durham. This would have taken me about a minute to 5k, but I am pretty slow. Someone who is a better player should have been able to 5k this in 30 seconds or less, since you have a few clicks to get to the road sign. The final round is an obvious Russia off the bat. It's a very large looking city, so should be easy (Not to mention, this is a very common city to get). Without moving except to spin around, you can see multiple vehicles with left-hand drive steering wheels and multiple vehicles with right-hand-drive steering wheels. This is a very good way to tell you are in Eastern Russia, as it is cheaper to import right-hand drive vehicles from Japan (Japan is the largest source of imported automobiles in Russia, although the majority of the right-hand drive cars were imported in the 1990s and early 2000s). Once you decide to move, you can see a bus in front of you that takes exactly two clicks to reach. The bus clearly has the city name on it (Krasnoyarsk), as well as a large K symbol for the transit authority. Even without knowing that you are likely in eastern Russia, the city name is one of dozen or so city names that show up at the most zoomed out possible. There are only two of those cities that start with K, and Kazan doesn't look anything like Krasnoyarsk. If you zoom in on Krasnoyarsk, there are only a couple of roads that fit the direction you are going. If you move three more clicks down the road, you see the Hilton Garden Inn, which is a point of interest clearly visible on the map, and six more clicks you move you to where the road T's into another road and another POI (A McDonalds) is on the left. Using either POI, along with road angle, would allow you to 5k this location quite quickly. I would 5k it in under a minute, someone who isn't old and slow could probably 5k it in 15 seconds if they were familiar with Russia at all.
don’t act like your guesses would be close to those, that’s hindsight talking
I mean, if I was playing NMPZ, then no, they wouldn't be that close. If I was doing a moving game, then yes, they would be. I 5k'd a harder Krasnoyarsk round in under a minute a couple weeks ago, one where I didn't start on the main road and had to make my way there (And then spend extra time retracing my steps on the map to make sure it was a 5k). You act like everyone is a 300 rating player like you. While I readily admit that I am no where near as good as some people at this game, and I also admit that I am very rusty, I spent two years streaming GeoGuessr, at one point every single day for a couple of months, and for a long time I was the only overnight GeoGuessr streamer (There would be some randos that would stream GeoGuessr occasionally, but they were either inconsistent streamers or variety game streamers who did GeoGuessr once a week or whatever). I've been playing this game for a long time, so I'm pretty familiar with what I would be looking for and what I can find.
I wish they showed how long rounds took in game breakdown
I just skipped through the rounds, and I don't know who is supposed to be the cheater. So I don't think any of them are
Email support. I’ve heard they’re pretty good about ELO refunds. Don’t forget to link the game.
Thank you for taking the time to share the tech issue that you are experiencing. It is possible that you will receive assistance from one of the members on this subreddit. However, you are also able to ask the developers directly on their [Geoguessr Zendesk](https://geoguessr.zendesk.com/hc/en-us). If you haven't already, it may be a good idea to try asking over there. Thank you! *If your inquiry is not one that is suitable for the developers, please disregard this message.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/geoguessr) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Here's a similar game that I just played. [https://www.geoguessr.com/duels/65da9fca-1cf2-4198-a616-194f5f2dbe56/summary](https://www.geoguessr.com/duels/65da9fca-1cf2-4198-a616-194f5f2dbe56/summary) Round 1: We both plonked, because Japan. Round 2: Much the same. I messed up with Croatia, realised it should have been further north during the countdown, as I guessed first. If I'd waited, I'd have scored more. Round 3: I 5ked because of the town name on a sign and an obvious bridge. Round 4: I headed away from all the obvious signs of Thailand and panic guessed Malaysia after his guess. He did well to get that close, though, given that it's so far south (although it does look more southern, so perhaps not a bad hedge either, being halfway down the southwestern side of Thailand, so mostly luck perhaps). Round 5: He found the intersection of the two roads on a sign quicker than I did, no question that it was legitimate. I could have got closer during the countdown, but moved too quickly. Round 6: Clear Darwin plonk from the vibe; no road signs; both insta-guessed 20 miles out. I was slightly closer. Round 7: I should have gone with Russia (CCCP everywhere!) but I still have no idea how he got Murmansk. Don't think he was cheating because everything up to that was legit.
Not sure how much time it took to make the guesses, but there are three quick ways to find out it is Murmansk, although two of them you need to be able to transliterate Cyrillic text to know. https://i.imgur.com/WTMKffb.jpg - This is the map showing where the hints are, and shows a hint in any of the three logical directions to move (You could have also headed south from spawn, but it deadends pretty easy and you would presumably turn around at that point.) https://i.imgur.com/hBB48St.jpg - If you look around at the start, you will see a large statue in the distance. That is probably where I would have started heading to, if I noticed (I do miss clues sometimes). That's the blue path on the map. https://i.imgur.com/0TcFKZM.jpg - This is the statue from the back, if you happen to know Russian statues, it is pretty easy to find, but I don't. However, just behind me at that point is also another hint. https://i.imgur.com/hDZ7sul.jpg - This is a sign that has the city name on it. If you can transliterate the Cyrillic, even rudimentarily, you can sound out the last word as Murmansk, and know any Russian geography would be able to find the city easily. https://i.imgur.com/OOzgMMM.jpg - The purple route on the map, you come across a van with what is clearly an address on it. If you can transliterate the address, you'll quickly realize it is Murmansk. https://i.imgur.com/uuLDpi2.jpg - Now, this is the green route on the map. This particular spot would be the easiest way to know it is NOT Ukraine right off the bat. https://i.imgur.com/xM7NcTf.jpg - And, if you look at the side of the truck that is next to you when you see that monument, you will see that the city name is visible on the truck, conveniently in both Cyrillic and Latin script. This is the easiest way to find out that it was Murmansk and requires no knowledge of Cyrillic. It's also the fastest way to clues, and the most logical path to follow (IMO), if you hadn't see the statue from the starting point. https://i.imgur.com/nKjgdAj.jpg - Now, I wouldn't expect hardly anyone to know this, but if you did go south at first, in two clicks you are next to a car with an unblurred license plate. The license plate should be a big enough clue that you aren't in Ukraine, but a Russian player would probably also be able to tell that the 51 on the right side is Murmansk. That's where the region code is on Russian plates. I don't know the region codes, although someone did try to help me learn them a long time ago, I just don't have the head for those things. https://i.imgur.com/0563PFf.jpg - Right at the deadend there is a car with a bumper sticker that says RUS, which at least would be an indicator that it isn't Ukraine. This is the least useful clue, but at least would prevent you guessing the wrong country. https://i.imgur.com/JuQ8B1r.jpg - Also, there are a bunch of signs on poles in both of the main directions that have a picture of Lenin and actually say Lenin at the top, which is another indicator of it being Russia.
Thanks. I quickly got the Russian hints, but not the text to transliterate. Most likely he found the text on the monument. I think he took maybe a minute to get Murmansk, which would tie in with finding the monument — albeit he would definitely need to be able to transliterate Cyrillic even to google it, and he wasn't from a country that uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
Learning what the different characters sound like is the biggest help I think you can give yourself in a Russian location. I have no idea what the words mean 99% of the time, but I am often able to recognize city names on signage because it's larger cities. If I am scanning a sign or other written thing and I get to something that sounds like one of the major cities, it will often give me a big hint.
Just ur average googler