Hi everyone! Big update today. Jim Jimenez, the artist behind SAVAGE EMPIRE, wanted to bang out a new piece of artwork just for the campaign...and here it is!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1096532653/savage-empire/posts/1258818

What we wanted to show was the creative process behind coming up with concept art that respects the character and the reader. This piece in particular is of REYKA GRAY, the leader of the squad that is taking our mercenary friend REEVES into the earthquake zone. She has a lot on her plate, is incredibly focused and strong, yet has more layers to her.

The finished piece (pencils and inks) is here:


And I'll be posting the colour version in a day or two once it's complete.

Thanks, and let as many people as you can know about the Kickstarter! Big milestones have been passed and bigger ones await! 

Take care guys!

Hey everyone, the Kickstarter is live and going gangbusters!

Link: http://savageempire.org

Get on, look at the tier rewards and back the latest and greatest dino project pitch today.

I GUARANDAMNTEE that you will not find Chris Pratt trying to tame raptors in this book. 

Oh his day gets worse, believe me   

I come bearing a few more gifts - please feel free to use them wherever you go on the net.

June 2nd is very close. You guys make all the difference!

Hey Turok fans! I'm just stopping by again to share some good news (We're at 92% and counting, so join up if you haven't already so we can hit 100%!! https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/26923-savage-empire-kickstarter) and also share some new art



while answering a couple of questions for you!

Types of Dinosaurs - I want to cover as many different types as possible. While developing Turok 2008, we were dealing with some teething issues on Unreal Engine 3 as it was very early in SDK development (that's the software development kit that Epic provides to Unreal licensees). Those issues were smoothed out eventually, but the amount of resources originally envisioned for creature models, rigging, animation, textures etc had to drop a bit. Mini-raptors (compys), velociraptors, diplos, allosaurus, various herbivores and of course the T-Rex made it in, but my game...if I get the support to push this project through...will cover a much larger swathe of dinosaurs,

Another quote I had regarding my approach to creature AI (one of my responsibilities at Propaganda)

You're both firmly aligned with the groundwork that was being done on creature AI, beyond the rudimentary version introduced in T1. An approximation of a working ecosystem, with pawns (what I'll refer to them as for now) motivated typical elements such as

• hunger
• team proximity (packs)
• threat proximity
• injuries

Far and beyond the typical see > chase > attack.

Figuring out how these stack together and feed into each other - and then visual demonstrating those stages in a clear manner - was one of the design tasks our team was tackling. What you're asking for is something that I wholeheartedly believe in. Implementing responsive AI also adds to replayability which is another central pillar of design for me.

This is where a more exploratory approach can pay dividends. There's little room for AI to flourish in a more linear gameplay type, but a wider, more open world approach now provides a sandbox where your character has the opportunity to create meaningful impact on the world beyond killing something.

Imagine your character is injured and bleeding, being tracked. You move slowly towards a drinking pond where herbivores are minding their business - to fulfill their need for water, not a pre-scripted event - doing your utmost not to spook them. Raptors burst through the trees and a stampede is triggered, damaging the pack and acting as a blind for your to dip underwater to lose the scent. You reappear on the other side of the water, only to realize that you're covered in leeches...

There was a rudimentary version of this in T1, where you could use the flare from the shotgun to drive dinosaur attention towards human enemies and then let them take each other out while you took advantage of the situation, either by sneaking past or picking off stragglers. This would be the next evolutionary step.

I hope you guys find this stuff interesting, and if you've supported the Thunderclap campaign, please encourage a friend or two to do the same. We can close out 100% by tonight and I'll be posting two more images on my Twitter feed tomorrow if we make it 

Thank you!

Hey everyone! Thanks for the link and the support of my project! https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/26923-savage-empire-kickstarter

A quick primer - I've been in software development for nearly 20 years now, most of it in gaming. Among other projects, I was senior designer and associate director on Disney's TUROK 2008, mainly responsible for gameplay balance, dinosaur AI, marketing, etc. On Turok 2 (sadly canceled) those roles expanded to include weapon design and storyboarding. After T2 got the chop, I started running my own studio but always had the itch to scratch re: dinos. I've always loved them and wanted to create an IP that didn't deal with the existing restrictions of TUROK, but could share similar themes of survival, strength and redemption - but in present day. The title I came up with is called SAVAGE EMPIRE (and if you're an old school Origin fan you'll appreciate the callback!)

What it's all about:
A massive earthquake has shattered the West Coast, tearing a large swathe of California coastline free. At the quake's epicenter, pulsing energy portals appear - random gateways to another world. Through these portals, ancient creatures reclaim their territory, killing indiscriminately and acting as harbingers of an even more malevolent force in the Pacific.

This is the story of a group of wetworks operatives, sent into the zone to retrieve the technology that holds the key while acting as the reluctant handler for a man who specializes in finding those who don't want to be found.

A thrilling tale of extraordinary people and extraordinary odds, set against a backdrop of the ultimate apex predators - dinosaurs vs humanity!

I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the Kickstarter, and Turok development in general. Thanks for your interest and sign up to help signal boost the campaign on June 2nd at https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/26923-savage-empire-kickstarter

Cheers!