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As part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: The Legend of Duelists QUARTER CENTURY 25th anniversary event, we got an opportunity to interview Kenichi Kataoka, senior producer of Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL, as he talked intensively about the new AI implementation in the game.
As mentioned, Kenichi Kataoka is the senior producer for Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL, a free-to-play video game based on the popular trading card game available on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
[Interview is edited for clarity]
Advanced AI Learning
Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL is set to introduce AI learning into the game and when asked about the design objective of the technology such as whether it is meant to be a learning tool or to push strategy and what is possible in the card game at the highest competitive level.
Kenichi Kataoka said, “Our purpose here is to demonstrate how individuals can create their own AIs to play in MASTER DUEL. It is not for us to create, but more of us to provide a new interface for players to get their hands on their own AIs to play in MASTER DUEL.”
Regarding the duel data used to provide the AI to learn, Kataoka mentioned that they recorded about 100 thousand matches to feed the AI.
Furthermore, when asked if the developers have used pre-existing or any open source model for the AI, Kataoka responded “It is kind of different to mention what point zero is for these. It uses some of the frameworks that already exist. So technically we can say is zero, but we do use a library that already exists.”
In regards to submission, whether the Python program that was used to create the AI becomes open source for players to access and be able to submit their own data, or whether there would be a closed source program, Kataoka said that everything has yet to be decided.
AI vs. Regular CPU
Of course, when it comes to implementing any form of AI, the CPU opponents need to be programmed with strategies in mind so that they can respond to different player moves. Obviously, advanced AI learning can program itself with strategies through a lot of trial and error. We were curious about the true benefits of advanced AI that can make its own decisions versus the CPUs where strategies are programmed to them and the ones with only the best tactics.
“One of the advantages we are thinking is about the service. The CPUs that you have been facing in Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL so far are not AIs, but merely programs with a lot of ifs – if this situation happens, it does this and that. And so it will also initiate the same move if they are given the same situations. Thus, how we balance the CPUs’ decks is by changing their internals – the cards inside the deck. Because as I said, if the CPUs are given the same deck, they will always play the same way, in the same situation.”
“However, these AIs can learn and can make their own decisions. We think that this gives them some uniqueness when playing any decks. Even if we don’t calibrate how the deck goes, each AI will play differently in the same scenario. So, one of the biggest advantages is uniqueness.”
“So, one of the objectives we have is that all AI engineers, don’t have to be engineers at all. People who develop AIs, develop them. They can do so with each other and figure out who can create the best, and that is the fun.”
“In the future, we want to have a tournament where everyone can just bring in their AI and compete. Of course, when we do that, we will have regulations on whether players use their own deck or a specific deck, and these rules would make things a little more interesting, right?”
Grandmaster AI
Machine learning is not something uncommon in games and there have already been AIs with the skill level of a grandmaster in the world of chess and they can hold their ground at challenging some of the best chess players in the world.
In terms of skill levels, Kataoka said that the development team does have dreams that one day there will be an AI that is at the level of a grandmaster comparable to the best Yu-Gi-Oh! players in the world.
However, he added that he and the team do not know how long it will take for it to happen but he is hopeful that people will be advancing AI, regardless if they are individuals, a group, or some kind of organization.
“What we’re hoping for is that clubs in colleges and universities would one day have collaborations to have some kind of Yu-Gi-Oh! AI club and make this dream come true.”
We’d like to thank Kenichi Kataoka for taking the time to answer our question regarding Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL and AI learning implementation.
Yu-Gi-Oh! MASTER DUEL is now available on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.
