Cody Flanagan · Game systems design

Combat systems, built and tested.

I’m a game design student at Full Sail. I design abilities in Unreal and lead development of a Python combat simulator. When one team keeps winning, I can replay the matchup and trace the advantage back to a rule.

Explore the combat simulator View résumés

Detail of a team matchup heatmap showing orange wins, blue wins and gray stalled battles — **15,876 matchups in one test** Detail from my 5v5 simulator. Each square is a battle. The gray bands show groups of teams that ran out the clock.

Selected work

Combat balance · Fast Taunt

What should a tank be able to beat?

Fast Taunt could redirect attacks and win every tested duel against a damage specialist. I kept its speed and taunts, lowered its damage, and ran the duels again.

Read the balance decision

8 of 8Duels won before the damage change

4 of 8Duels won after the change

Economy analysis · Progression

Inside Clash Royale's Economy

Why can rewards pile up while upgrades still wait? A study of how Gold costs and reward flows shape progression and the freedom to experiment.

My role: independent analysis and design judgments.

Read the case study

Inside Clash Royale's Economy case-study cover

Unreal Engine · Combat systems · Playtesting

Fortress

I connected exploration, four abilities and resource limits in a third-person combat level, then used six playtests to identify the next changes.

Explore the design and playtest findings

Scraps block-mesh exterior with satellite dishes, trees and perimeter fencing — A block-mesh level built around power, progression and player guidance.

Unreal Engine · Level design

Scraps — Block-Mesh Level

An Unreal coursework level with a breaker mechanic and introduction, practice and mastery sequences.

Explore the level project