FlexMatch matchmaking process - Amazon GameLift

FlexMatch matchmaking process

This topic describes the sequence of events in a basic matchmaking scenario, including the interactions between the various your game components and the FlexMatch service.

Step 1: Request matchmaking for players

A player using your game client clicks a "Join Game" button. This action causes your client matchmaking service to send a matchmaking request to FlexMatch. The request identifies the FlexMatch matchmaker to use when fulfilling the request. The request also includes player information that your custom matchmaker requires, such as skill level, play preferences, or geographic latency data. You can make matchmaking requests for one player or multiple players.

Step 2: Add requests to the matchmaking pool

When FlexMatch receives the matchmaking request, it generates a matchmaking ticket and adds it to the matchmaker's ticket pool. The ticket remains in the pool until it is matched or a maximum time limit is reached. Your client matchmaking service is periodically notified about matchmaking events, including changes in ticket status.

Step 3: Build a match

Your FlexMatch matchmaker continually runs the following process on all tickets in its pool:

  1. The matchmaker sorts the pool by ticket age, then begins building a potential match starting with the oldest ticket.

  2. The matchmaker adds a second ticket to the potential match and evaluates the result against your custom matchmaking rules. If the potential match passes evaluation, the ticket's players are assigned to a team.

  3. The matchmaker adds the next ticket in sequence and repeats the evaluation process. When all player slots have been filled, the match is ready.

Matchmaking for large matches (41 to 200 players) uses a modified version of the process described above so that it can build matches in a reasonable time frame. Instead of evaluating each ticket individually, the matchmaker divides a pre-sorted ticket pool into potential matches, and then balances each match based on a player characteristic that you've specified. For example, a matchmaker might pre-sort tickets based on similar low-latency locations, and then use post-match balancing to make sure that the teams are evenly matched by player skill.

Step 4: Report matchmaking results

When an acceptable match is found, all matched tickets are updated and a successful matchmaking event is generated for each matched ticket.

  • FlexMatch as a standalone service: Your game receives match results in a successful matchmaking event. Result data includes a list of all matched players and their team assignments. If your match requests contain player latency info, the results also suggest an optimal geographic location for the match.

  • FlexMatch with a Amazon GameLift hosting solution: Match results are automatically passed to a Amazon GameLift queue for game session placement. The matchmaker determines which queue is used for game session placement.

Step 5: Start a game session for the match

After a proposed match is successfully formed, a new game session is started. Your game servers must be able to use the matchmaking result data, including player IDs and team assignments, when setting up a game session for the match.

  • FlexMatch as a standalone service: Your custom match placement service gets match result data from successful matchmaking events, and connects to your existing game session placement system to locate an available hosting resource for the match. After a hosting resource is found, the match placement service coordinates with your existing hosting system to start a new game session and acquire connection information.

  • FlexMatch with a Amazon GameLift hosting solution: The game session queue locates the best available game server for the match. Depending on how the queue is configured, it tries to place the game session with the lowest-cost resources and where players will experience low latency (if player latency data is provided). Once the game session is successfully placed, the Amazon GameLift service prompts the game server to start a new game session, passing on the matchmaking results and other optional game data.

Step 6: Connect players to the match

After a game session is started, players connect to the session, claim their team assignment, and begin gameplay.

  • FlexMatch as a standalone service: Your game uses the existing game session management system to provide connection information back to players.

  • FlexMatch with a Amazon GameLift hosting solution: On a successful game session placement, FlexMatch updates all of the matched tickets with game session connection information and a player session ID.