This article is automatically translated.
Hello, this is Sasaki from Dwango Media Village (DMV). DMV sponsored the “Marltaus Award” at the 2020 Indie Game Festival Newcomer Award. Thank you to all the game creators who submitted their games for the award. In this article, we introduce how Marltaus learned to play the award-winning game “1分剣闘士”.
The Marltaus Award is a unique prize where DMV’s developed system “Marltaus,” which uses a method called reinforcement learning to automatically learn how to play games uploaded to RPG Atsumaru, selects a game to play. Unlike other awards at the 2020 Indie Game Festival Newcomer Award, the Marltaus Award chooses games that will be played by the game AI “Marltaus” instead of humans. Due to the nature of its learning mechanism, Marltaus has strengths and weaknesses in different games. Therefore, the selection criteria for this award focused on whether Marltaus could effectively play (learn) the game. For a more technical explanation of Marltaus’s characteristics, please refer to this article.
The Marltaus Award went to “1分剣闘士” by すりっぱ. In this game, the player moves the protagonist up, down, left, and right within one minute to defeat enemy monsters on the map. However, defeating enemies consumes HP, and if you continue to defeat enemies, you will eventually run out of HP and the game will be over. Therefore, it is necessary to collect recovery items to avoid running out of HP. It’s a simple game with straightforward rules, but it requires strategic management of HP.
We had Marltaus learn “1分剣闘士”. Initially, it kept moving in the same place without hitting enemies or items, but as learning progressed, it began to efficiently defeat enemies and collect recovery items. In the latter stages of learning, it even took shortcuts through spiked tiles, which normally only cause damage, to achieve a higher score. In the final play of the video, it scored 610 points, ranking around 40th on the RPG Atsumaru leaderboard.
We received many game submissions besides “1分剣闘士.” Thank you! You can find games submitted for the Marltaus Award on the 「マールタス賞」タグ page. In addition to “1分剣闘士,” there are other enjoyable games such as RESIST FATE, where you explore maps to save zombies, and the unique 我は優秀なホイスト指揮官！【ヨシッ！】, which simulates directing a construction site. Please give them a try. We will continue to develop more projects using Marltaus to create even more enjoyable gaming experiences, so please keep supporting Marltaus.
Kazuma Sasaki
