In the year 2018, the Big One finally triggers in Southern California. The magnitude of the quake not only kills hundreds of thousands of people, but has actually caused a large portion of the SoCal area to fall and crumble into the Pacific. What little that remains is hanging on to the mainland by a thread, and a massive island has now appeared 30 miles south of San Clemente Islands, in the disputed waters between Mexico and the United States.

Not only those trapped behind the line on the other side of this chasm not being rescued, orders have been given to keep as many of those people contained until the truth can be contained.
Government military agencies working in conjunction with PMCs have been experimenting with time travel and energy at two hidden facilities in Angeles National Forest and Topanga State Park, accidentally triggering the quake and worse, opening a series of rifts between our time and another. Ancient predators - dinosaurs - of every type are now pouring out as these massive rifts open and close behind the DMZ line. Now a crack team of commandos has been sent into the zone to back up an "off the books" non-state actor named REEVES who is unequaled at finding those who can't or don't want to be found.
After suffering a grievous injury, REEVES comes away with access to a new set of incredible powers. A skillset that puts him on a collision course with his handlers, the PMC, the military - all set against the backdrop of a new natural order being established by apex predators once thought long gone, but who are now reclaiming their territory.
The answers lie on a new island birthed in the Pacific...

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“Earthquakes, portals, time travel, dinosaurs and guns? Sounds pretty awesome to me! I think you should back it!“
Gary Whitta, screenwriter of BOOK OF ELI, AFTER EARTH, STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE, THE WALKING DEAD, OLIVER, ABOMINATION
“With everyone describing their story these days as ‘This Thing’ meets ‘This Other Thing’, SAVAGE EMPIRE is really bringing something new and attention-grabbing to the table. Can’t wait for more!“
Benjamin Birdie, writer and artist of the webcomic THE RACK

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A fellow TUROK veteran, Mandryk has created stellar covers for CONAN THE AVENGER, STAR WARS: KOTOR, MASS EFFECT and TARZAN.
Mandryk has also created concept art and character design for innumerable games such as TRON, NO ONE LIVES FOREVER, SHADOW OF MORDOR, DEF JAM: FIGHT FOR NEW YORK, GUARDIANS OF MIDDLE EARTH, SSX, DEF JAM: VENDETTA, SECRET PONCHOS and many more.

How were you inspired to become a concept artist? 
-When I was in the 3rd grade I picked up The Return of the Jedi Sketchbook.  It had all this art in it that just blew my young mind away.  I think at that moment my fate was sealed. 

Can you talk about your own preferences when it comes to your personal projects - digital, paper - and why?
-Mostly digital these days - since I have very little time for personal art, going digital means I actually have a chance of finishing something I'm working on.  The only thing I still do traditionally is sketch in my sketchbook. 

You've worked on many game titles besides TUROK, like DEF JAM, SSX, SHADOWS OF MORDOR for example. How does your process differ between comic art solutions and game art support?
-The technical process is relatively the same, but there are usually additional gameplay considerations you need to think about.  What the player can and can't do is really important and the art is often in service of this.  With a comic, you are telling a story to the reader, but in the game you are supporting the player tell their own story.  So it's a different way to look at things. 

What are the three most important qualities a concept artist should have, in your opinion?
1 - Perseverance;  this career is a long hard road and often un-rewarding and not very glamorous.  Know what your getting into and then realize how hard you'll have to work to even survive doing this. 
2- Humility;  There's always someone better than you and your ideas are not always the best.  Know when to listen, and accept criticism. 
3- Adaptability;  The fundamentals of art don't change, but everything else in this industry does.  Programs, working methods, platforms, industry volatility - you need to be flexible to survive. 

What common mistakes do you recommend for illustrators avoid when looking to make a living as a concept artist?
-The biggest mistake or misconception is going to an art school, and then just expecting to graduate and immediately start working as a professional concept artist.  This rarely happens.  Most people need years to build up a client base and get steady work.   So be prepared to work a second job to survive, for a while at least. 

How do you avoid injury when it comes to repetitive movement, seating arrangements?
-The most obvious solution is to stop doing whatever is causing you pain.  But there are a lot of preventative measures you can take as well.  Take time to stretch during the day, or better yet - do some exercise.  Make sure your workspace is set up in an ergonomic fashion - there are a lot of good guides for this online.  Finally, look into getting an height-adjustable desk.  Being able to switch positions from standing to sitting is invaluable. 

Best piece of advice you've received in your career?
-Always try work with people that are better than you, and learn all you can from them.

What attracted you to this project in particular - SAVAGE EMPIRE?
-The subject matter is right up my alley.  Dinosaurs + high tech + carnage = perfect.  It seemed like it would a lot of fun to work on.
Thanks Daryl! See you on June 2nd!
https://mandrykart.wordpress.com/

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Nokterian said:

Support it!

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delSai said:

Probably going to support it if i can.

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Jawmuncher said:

Kickstarter is next week but thunderclap is a free way to support the project.
It allows the word to get out to more people. So definitely do that.

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lashman said:

... or else ...



seriously though - can't wait hype

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Jawmuncher said:

Kickstarter is next week but thunderclap is a free way to support the project.
It allows the word to get out to more people. So definitely do that.

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Dyson Industries said:

Holy crap.

This is nuts. That art is incredible.

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bishoptl said:

Yeah, about that.

Daryl is probably one of the premiere concept artists, gaming and comics, out there. We worked together on Turok 2008 at Disney and his work will absolutely blow you away. We've been trying to figure out a way to work together since Turok 2 was shelved, and it just so happened that the stars aligned on this one. The fact the he's also a madman for dinosaurs doesn't hurt.

In regards to this thread, I can answer questions about the project - and provide some backstory stuff for T2 as well for those who are interested.

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bishoptl said:

and provide some backstory stuff for T2 as well for those who are interested.

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bishoptl said:

Yeah, about that.

Daryl is probably one of the premiere concept artists, gaming and comics, out there. We worked together on Turok 2008 at Disney and his work will absolutely blow you away. We've been trying to figure out a way to work together since Turok 2 was shelved, and it just so happened that the stars aligned on this one. The fact the he's also a madman for dinosaurs doesn't hurt.

In regards to this thread, I can answer questions about the project - and provide some backstory stuff for T2 as well for those who are interested.

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bishoptl said:

In regards to this thread, I can answer questions about the project - and provide some backstory stuff for T2 as well for those who are interested.

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Jawmuncher said:

I think now would be the perfect time to finally tell us about why the humans sparked in Turok.

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bishoptl said:

Yeah, about that.

Daryl is probably one of the premiere concept artists, gaming and comics, out there. We worked together on Turok 2008 at Disney and his work will absolutely blow you away. We've been trying to figure out a way to work together since Turok 2 was shelved, and it just so happened that the stars aligned on this one. The fact the he's also a madman for dinosaurs doesn't hurt.

In regards to this thread, I can answer questions about the project - and provide some backstory stuff for T2 as well for those who are interested.

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bishoptl said:

Of course

First person shooters and the House of Mouse went together like horses and bubble gum, ie. not well. No fault of either party, really, but a game based on dinosaurs chewing up and devouring people on an alien planet doesn't necessarily align with The Suite Life (On Deck) or otherwise.

So there was some back and forth regarding how bullets and arrows should "interact" with humans. The studio fought for the basic point of entry in the genre when it comes to weapon feedback, ie.

1. bullet hits
2. blood spurts

just like the dinosaur behaviour.

Yeah...no go. A few months of this resulted in somebody coming up with the idea of bullets sparking off the body armor of NPCs instead. Faced with the prospect of not having any weapon feedback at all on humans, that's how the game shipped.

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Obliterator said:

Hey man, if you guys get your goal of being able to design a game in this universe as well, can you give us a few hints of what style of gameplay you wanna do? Open world? Linear?

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Tyrant Rave said:

Is this why you were asking us in the Comics OT about pubs, bish?

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bishoptl said:

High level? Absolutely, although some specific features I'm keeping close-mouthed on for now.

After sitting down a couple of years ago and doing my own post-mortem on T1/T2 and then breaking down the other dinosaur games released over the last 10 years or so, it was pretty obvious that the positioning of these apex predators was secondary to the game genre being established. Not necessarily a bad thing as many of the games were quite entertaining, but without making dinosaurs the central aspect as opposed to a gimmick, they weren't being given their due.

MP shooter...w/dinos. Survival horror...w/dinos. SP FPS...w/dinos.

You see where I'm going with this.

I'm more concerned with a dinosaur title that put the terror of being surrounded by predators who can easily kill you, along with item/inventory management. Dino Crisis was great at keeping you on your toes, juggling health vs ammo (although not the hardcore extent I'd prefer, but anyways), bleeding out...

Addition of destructible environments so the dinosaurs can actually smash through windows and doors, necessitating the use of barricades. Someone suggested that you feel like you're constantly playing that raptor chase with the kids at the end of Jurassic Park. Raptors that actually hunt using pack AI (we were working heavily on this in T2) and attempt to outsmart you. The player should be absolutely terrified of them - wandering around a jungle environment, hearing the rustles in the grass as unseen creatures dash around me, and that slow groin-tightening realization that you are the one being hunted. Using any environmental element to help you escape.

Opportunities for exploration as well as interaction, Endless Ocean style. I've got more thoughts on this.

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