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Gameplay Architecture
Reusable components for abilities, combat, movement, interaction and state-driven player loops.
Game Developer · Systems / Gameplay / Worlds
Build the quest.
Break the orbit.
I design gameplay systems, responsive mechanics and playful worlds that give players something worth mastering, from first input to final boss.
QUEST / 01
PLAYER LOOP
PLAYER LOOP
BOSS / 02
COMBAT FEEL
COMBAT FEEL
ITEM / 03
TOOLS + UI
TOOLS + UI
PORTAL / 04
WORLD SYSTEMS
WORLD SYSTEMS
BUILD 07 · WORLD ONLINE · READY
01 / Player philosophy
Make every
input matter.
Game development is a constellation of decisions: mechanics, feedback, systems, pacing and polish orbit one central question, what does the player feel next?
I turn rough prototypes into clear player language: combat that reads, movement that responds, progression that motivates, and interfaces that disappear into the world.
12playable prototypes and shipped studies
34gameplay systems designed
60FPS target for responsive action
02 / Skill constellation
Tools for
the player loop.
Expertise represented as constellation dots rather than generic percentage bars; each cluster is a practical part of making a game feel coherent.
✦
Game Feel
Timing, camera motion, hit feedback, animation cues and the tiny details between frames.
⬡
Unity / Unreal
Rapid prototyping, Blueprint and component workflows, tools, scripting and iteration.
⌁
Systems Design
Progression, economy, procedural rules and systemic interactions built for readable depth.
03 / Selected builds
Proof in
the playtest.
Selected projects framed around the player problem, the system built to solve it, and the resulting experience.
Neon Bastion
Designed a reactive third-person combat loop where every successful parry changes the player's available movement options. Built attack states, enemy reactions, camera feedback and tuning tools for rapid playtesting.
UnityC#CombatAnimationTools
Drift Atlas
Procedural exploration system connecting biome rules, loot tables and navigation landmarks into a repeatable discovery loop.
UnrealBlueprints
Encounter Forge
Designer-facing encounter tools that make spawn logic, pacing and difficulty curves visible during iteration.
Editor ToolsUX
04 / Production loop
Prototype.
Feel. Tune.
A practical workflow built around playable evidence rather than assumptions.
01 / BLOCK
Prototype
Get the mechanic on screen quickly enough to play before overbuilding it.
02 / FEEL
Playtest
Watch where players hesitate, smile, fail, repeat or stop caring.
03 / TUNE
Iterate
Adjust timing, rules and feedback until the intended behavior becomes natural.
04 / SHIP
Polish
Stabilize the system, document the edges and polish the moments players remember.
05 / Experience
From prototype
to production.
Selected roles across gameplay engineering, technical design and experimental development.
Lead Gameplay Developer · Northstar Interactive
2023 - PRESENTOwn gameplay architecture for an action title; introduced reusable ability components, combat debugging tools and a playtest rhythm that shortened mechanic iteration.
Gameplay Engineer · Lantern Fox Games
2020 - 2023Built combat, traversal and AI behaviors across live production milestones while partnering closely with design, animation and level teams.
Technical Game Designer · Prototype Lab
2018 - 2020Created experimental mechanics and small playable studies to test interaction ideas, procedural systems and new production workflows.
06 / Contact
Got a world
to build?
For gameplay engineering, systems design, technical prototyping or game-jam collaboration, send a short brief and I'll reply with next steps.
✉ jordan.devlin@example.com
☎ +1 512 555 0188
◈ Austin, TX