Machine Learning in Game Development

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In this talk, I will share my experiences with using machine learning to identify cheaters in multiplayer games. We will also discuss the potential of machine learning in game development.

This talk has been presented at JS GameDev Summit 2023, check out the latest edition of this JavaScript Conference.

FAQ

According to Denis, trust is crucial in video gaming as it ensures that players feel they are part of a fair and competitive environment. Cheating undermines this trust, impacting player enjoyment and engagement.

Cheating in online games can ruin the fun for honest players, lead to frustration, and decrease player retention. This ultimately harms the game's community and its financial success, especially in games with in-game purchases or regular play.

Common cheating methods include manipulating game data, using aimbots to automatically target opponents, triggerbots that fire automatically, wall hacks that allow players to see through obstacles, and radar hacks that reveal opponents' locations.

Machine learning can analyze vast amounts of data to identify subtle patterns of behavior, adapting to new cheating methods and differentiating between cheating and skilled play more accurately than traditional rule-based systems.

Denis faced challenges such as the lack of labeled data for training the model, which made it difficult to distinguish between normal and cheating behaviors without initial accurate classifications.

Combining traditional methods with machine learning enhances cheat detection by utilizing the strengths of both approaches. Traditional methods provide a solid foundation with clear rules, while machine learning offers flexibility and adaptability to detect new cheating tactics.

Denis Kondratev
Denis Kondratev
18 min
28 Sep, 2023

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Video Summary and Transcription
Today's Talk explores cheating in video games and the role of machine learning in detecting and preventing it. Trust and fairness are crucial in gaming, as players invest time and emotion into virtual worlds. Traditional rule-based models assess player actions, while machine learning can detect complex and evolving cheating methods. Training models and organizing data are key challenges in utilizing machine learning for cheating detection. The future lies in collaborative security systems that combine rule-based models with machine learning to protect against cheating.

1. Introduction to Cheating in Video Games

Short description:

Today I'd like to share insights and discuss a prevalent issue in the gaming world – cheating. More importantly, I want to delve into how machine learning can be our ally in preserving the genuine essence of competition and fun in video games. Trust is super important when playing games. Players are not just watching from the side. They are really part of the game. They put a lot of time, work and emotion into these virtual worlds.

Hi there, my name is Denis. I'm a software engineer at My Games. Today I'd like to share insights and discuss a prevalent issue in the gaming world – cheating. More importantly, I want to delve into how machine learning can be our ally in preserving the genuine essence of competition and fun in video games.

Trust is super important when playing games. Players are not just watching from the side. They are really part of the game. They put a lot of time, work and emotion into these virtual worlds. It is more than just playing. They try to understand how the game works. They think of ways to improve. And they also make friends inside the game.

On top of that, they sometimes spend money on things within the game to make their experience more enjoyable. However, when they come across players who cheat, it is more than just a small issue. It can make them feel like the game isn't being fair for everyone. It becomes really difficult for them to enjoy the game when they think that everyone is not following the same rules.

Keeping players interested for a long time is important for online games. In order to stay alive and do well. If players keep coming back, the game community stays alive and games can make more money. This is especially true for games where players buy things inside the game or play regularly to play. If there are cheaters, it can ruin the fun for other players. Instead of being fun or relaxing, games become annoying and players become frustrated.

There are various ways players can cheat in video games. Game developers need to identify whether a game might be vulnerable or have loopholes as well as identifying certain gameplay rules that could potentially be sidestepped. A prevalent hacking method in online games involves manipulating a participant state. Since a significant portion of the gameplay occurs on the player's own computer, hackers tamper with this by altering the game's local data. For instance, they might modify the bullet count in a gun's magazine, enabling the player to fire continuously without reloading, or amplify the available in-game items like grenades or health packs. There are more complex ways of cheating in games. Aimbot, aim assistant, or automatic aim — all these are different names for the same thing. Aimbot helps the user to track other targets by controlling the player's aiming.

2. Cheating Types and Rule-Based Model

Short description:

The cheat operates by extracting game stage information to assist the cheater in aiming, surpassing human capabilities. Another cheat, TRIGGERBOT, auto-fires when the player's crosshair is on an opponent. Overlay cheating includes wall hack and radar hack. Traditional methods like the rule-based model assess player actions for fairness. Reports and analysis of actions help determine if players adhere to standards. A cheating rating system assigns points based on rule violations, which decrease over time with fair gameplay.

The cheat operates by extracting game stage information that other players can't access. With this information, the bot then assists the cheater in aiming. By using an aimbot, a user surpasses human capabilities in shooter games.

Another cheat, called TRIGGERBOT, works the opposite way. While an aimbot automatically directs the crosshair at an opponent, TRIGGERBOT simply auto-fires when the player's crosshair is on an opponent. This means the player still has to aim at the enemy themselves, but as soon as they do, the TRIGGERBOT instantly activates, providing a perfect shot without delays that might arise due to human reflex.

Due to the peer-to-peer approach, each player's client has to contain up-to-date information about all other players. Naturally, the game standard interface hides all this information, showing only what the developers intended. Unfortunately, the mere presence of this information on the client paves the way for a type of cheating called overlay. One of these is wall hack, where a player can see the enemies through obstacles, be it walls, boxes or anything else. This gives the user an unfair advantage as they can prepare in advance for an encounter with an opponent, or even kill them while remaining unnoticed. Another similar example is radar hack. Instead of making walls transparent, this cheat displays the location of all players on the in-game radar or mini-map.

Of course there are other types of cheating as well, but let's move to the next point. Many of the often mentioned types of cheating can be controlled using traditional methods. We refer to this method as the rule-based model. The basis of this model is a set of rules that assess a player's actions for fairness. Let's delve deeper.

Players should send reports after each session. These reports include data about the actions of all participants. For example, we can see how many consumable items each player used by comparing this information with the player's account state on the server. We can check whether they had such resources. Another example is analyzing the number of shots and the time between them. This allows us to determine if the player adhered to the necessary reload time and whether the fight rate is consistent with the standards.

Some rules may directly indicate the use of cheats. Other rules provide only indirect evidence, for instance, temporary internet connection issues can affect data. So, it is a good idea to implement a cheating rating system, where each rule adds a certain number of cheating points. Some rules may contribute more points, while others add fewer, depending on the severity of the offense. If a player behaves fairly, their cheating rating decreases over time. Thus, occasional network issues might give a player a small number of points, which will be offset by fair gameplay.

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