ChatGPT Assists Deadlock Developers with Matchmaking Code

Valve's upcoming hero shooter, Deadlock, recently overhauled its matchmaking system, thanks to a surprising source: the AI chatbot ChatGPT. A Valve engineer, Fletcher Dunn, revealed on Twitter (X) that ChatGPT helped him find the perfect algorithm.

ChatGPT's Role in Deadlock's Matchmaking Overhaul

Deadlock's previous matchmaking, based on MMR (Matchmaking Rating), faced significant criticism from players. Reddit threads were filled with complaints about unevenly skilled teams, with players frequently matched against far superior opponents while their teammates lacked comparable experience. One player commented, "I get harder games with better enemies, but never equally skilled teammates." Another echoed this sentiment, highlighting the disparity between experienced and inexperienced players in matches.

(c) r/DeadlockTheGame Responding to player feedback, a Deadlock developer announced a complete matchmaking system rewrite. Dunn's use of ChatGPT accelerated this process. He discovered the Hungarian algorithm, a solution perfectly suited to Deadlock's needs, through a conversation with the AI.

Dunn's enthusiastic tweets highlight ChatGPT's growing utility in his workflow, stating, "ChatGPT has achieved an important milestone...I have a tab in Chrome reserved for it, always open." While celebrating ChatGPT's capabilities, he also acknowledges the potential downsides, noting it can replace human interaction, both in-person and online. This sparked a debate on social media about AI's role in replacing human programmers.

Understanding the Algorithm and its Application

Algorithms process data based on specific rules. In search engines like Google, they sort results based on search terms. In gaming, they can match players based on various factors. Dunn's query to ChatGPT focused on finding an algorithm suitable for a "bipartite matching setup," where only one side (e.g., player preferences) influences the match. The Hungarian algorithm fit this requirement perfectly.

Despite the improvements, some Deadlock players remain unhappy with the matchmaking. Negative responses to Dunn's tweets expressed frustration with the recent changes, with some blaming the use of ChatGPT for the perceived issues.

Game8's Perspective on Deadlock

Despite the ongoing matchmaking debate, Game8 remains optimistic about Deadlock's potential. For a more detailed analysis of the game and its playtest, please see the article linked below.