ChatGPT Enhances Game Developer's Matchmaking Process
Deadlock's New Matchmaking Found Using ChatGPTDeadlock's MMR Matchmaking Criticized by Fans
The new matchmaking algorithm used for Valve's upcoming MOBA-hero shooter game, Deadlock, was discovered through ChatGPT—the generative AI chatbot developed by OpenAI—as revealed by Valve engineer Fletcher Dunn through a recent series of posts on Twitter (X). "A few days ago we switched Deadlock's matchmaking hero selection to the Hungarian algorithm. I found it using ChatGPT," Dunn shared along with screenshots of his conversation with the chatbot, wherein ChatGPT recommended an algorithm, called the Hungarian algorithm, to use for Deadlock.
A quick search on the Deadlock reddit will land you on players' negative criticism of the game's past MMR matchmaking system. "I have noticed that the more games I've been playing, naturally I get harder games with better enemies. But I never had better/equally skilled teammates," one player shared, with other players expressing their own disappointments over the matchmaking. Another wrote, "I know it's alpha but at the very least looking at how many games people have played would be nice, it felt both games like every one on my team was in their first/second game vs people who actually know what they are doing. Feels pretty bad."
The Deadlock team acted swiftly following criticism from its playerbase. Last month, a Deadlock dev wrote to fans on the game's Discord server, saying, "the hero based mmr one doesn't work very well [at the moment]. It'll be more effective once we finish a full rewrite of the [matchmaking] system we are working on." Per Dunn, they found the most apt algorithm for matchmaking with Generative AI.
"ChatGPT has achieved an important milestone in its level of usefulness for me: I have a tab in chrome that is reserved for it, always open," Dunn shared in a separate tweet (xeet). The Valve engineer uses ChatGPT, expressing recently that he's "gonna keep posting my ChatGPT wins, because this thing keeps blowing my mind, and I think there are some skeptics who don't get how amazing this tool is."
While Dunn celebrated this milestone, he acknowledged the ease and speed of generative AI come with both benefits and drawbacks. "I am kind of conflicted because it often replaces asking the question to another human IRL, or at least tweeting it out to the virtual braintrust. I guess this is good (the whole point?), but it's just another way for computers to replace human interaction," he shared. Meanwhile, one social media user shared their thoughts in reply, saying, "I think the skepticism comes from the narrative some corporate people trying to push AI is going to replace programmers."
Algorithms sort data based on parameters, rules, instructions, and/or conditions. This is illustrated when you search on Google, and the search engine returns pages of results based on your search terms. In gaming, where there are at least two parties involved (A and B), the algorithm considers A's preferences and helps A match with suitable teammates and/or against enemies. Dunn asked ChatGPT to find the most apt algorithm "where only one side has any preferences," that can solve certain problems, and find the most optimal or suiting "match" in a bipartite—meaning, involving two parties—matching setup.
Meanwhile, we over here at Game8 think that Valve is cooking up something wonderful with the upcoming release of Deadlock. You can read more about our thoughts on the game and experience with its playtest in the article at the link below!
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