https://www.markdomowicz.com/ Recent content on Mark Domowicz Hugo -- gohugo.io en Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2025_09_13_the_collector/article/thecollector/ Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2025_09_13_the_collector/article/thecollector/ Read the complete story or download it at www.SomethingCosmic.com First collaboration, as the writer! I’ve been toying with this idea of doing another issue of Upsetting. The original book was done as a one-off, just for fun and laughs. But having made it, and having gotten so much positive feedback, I keep thinking it might be fun to do another. Trouble is, making a book is a TON of work. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2025_05_04_the_grave_robbers/article/thegraverobbers/ Sun, 04 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2025_05_04_the_grave_robbers/article/thegraverobbers/ Download and read the complete PDF here! Or it read online at www.SomethingCosmic.com Making More Comics! I definitely have my tropes. I wrote and illustrated this new comic tale, and as I was thinking about how to summarize it here, it occurred to me just how many similar themes there are from my first story. Strong female lead in a space suit? Check. Exploring a mysteriously deserted location? Check. Unexplainable cosmic horror? https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2024_12_31_illustrations2023and2024/illustrations2023_and_2024/ Tue, 31 Dec 2024 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2024_12_31_illustrations2023and2024/illustrations2023_and_2024/ Here’s my artwork for 2023 and 2024. They were pretty light years, in terms of art I consider good enough to share. In 2023, I spent a LOT of time making a comic book, and so that’s where most of my drawing energy went. As for 2024 - I don’t know what my excuse is, haha. I suppose much of my artistic energy was put into my sketchbook and other more throw-away type of work. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2024_01_24_turing_machine_program/article/turingmachineprogram/ Wed, 24 Jan 2024 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2024_01_24_turing_machine_program/article/turingmachineprogram/ Download the program and source code here A Turing Machine in C++ I think about Turing Machines a lot. Their implications on large numbers, computability, and prove-ability are fascinating, and speak to the very foundations of mathematics. And more practically, they are a statement on how computation is possible through ultra simple machinery and on the power in the separation of hardware and software. So to learn more about them, and to keep my coding skills up, and for plain ol’ fun, I decided to write a Turing Machine program. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_11_14_my_comic_book_collection/article/mycomicbookcollection/ Tue, 14 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_11_14_my_comic_book_collection/article/mycomicbookcollection/ Note to Self This post is for myself, but here’s some color commentary for the curious. In late 2023, I finally got around to cataloging and organizing my comic book collection. Mainly I wanted to know what I had so that I could avoid buying duplicates (I have 237 duplicates, from a collection of 2403 comics. Almost 10% is dupes! I have ten (10!) copies of X-Men #1, for goodness sake). https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_10_16_upsetting_magazine_77/article/upsettingmagazine77/ Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_10_16_upsetting_magazine_77/article/upsettingmagazine77/ Upsetting Magazine #77 is available free! Download the complete PDF here! I’ve recently fallen in love with old school, magazine-sized, anthology comics. Savage Sword of Conan was my first brush and first love with this format, but since then I’ve discovered a whole world of comics magazines. Perhaps basic, but I’m especially fond of the Warren magazines, Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella. Honestly, it’s a bit of a shame that these magazines don’t have a larger mainstream following. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_10_15_my_24hr_comic_took_60hrs/article/my24hrcomictook60hrs/ Sun, 15 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_10_15_my_24hr_comic_took_60hrs/article/my24hrcomictook60hrs/ Two Scientists Pursue the Unthinkinable to Defeat the Ivory Triune, in “Don’t Think of an Elephant.” Written by Jason Block, Illustrated by Mark F. Domowicz. As featured in Upsetting Magazine #77 - Download the complete PDF here! Or read it online at www.SomethingCosmic.com Maybe I’m Crazy Devotees of Heavenly Governor Jefferson Gable Winters, ruler of the Ivory Triune After all my drama and complaining as I struggled to finish my first comic, somehow I decided it would be a good idea to participate in the 24-hour Comic Book Day challenge. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_09_27_i_made_a_comic_book/article/imadeacomicbook/ Wed, 27 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_09_27_i_made_a_comic_book/article/imadeacomicbook/ Notorious scavenger Najat Sarraf searches for a remote scientific outpost, 400 years derelict, to loot its remains, and recover its lost research. As featured in Upsetting Magazine #77 - Download the complete PDF here! Or read it online at www.SomethingCosmic.com Some Stats Experiment #222 approaches I keep a daily log of my work. I find this helps me keep good habits. But also, it’s interesting to analyze and review. Here are some stats on timing and other things: https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_04_04_the_quiet_year_solo_playthrough/article/the_quiet_year_solo_playthrough/ Tue, 04 Apr 2023 19:27:22 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2023_04_04_the_quiet_year_solo_playthrough/article/the_quiet_year_solo_playthrough/ The Quiet Year - Solo with 3 “players” Recently, I finished a solo playthrough of the indie game, “The Quiet Year”, a table top RPG, and a game of map drawing, creative inspiration, and improv. I journaled the session in my sketchbook. Here is a transcription, with corrections and edits as needed for clarity. Game Setup Players: Player 1: Alice Player 2: Bob Player 3: Carol Community: Many lucid dreamers experiencing a shared dream Starting Resources: https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2022_12_31_illustrations2022/illustrations2022/ Sat, 31 Dec 2022 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2022_12_31_illustrations2022/illustrations2022/ In 2022, I made a pretty big shift from digital to traditional media. In the beginning of the year, I did a lot of work in water color. I’m pretty happy with some of my early results, and as I write this, I am itching to get back to it. I think with practice I could get decently good at it. Then at some point in April, I decided to toy around with fountain pens. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2022_12_31_no_zero_days_2022/nozerodays2022/ Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2022_12_31_no_zero_days_2022/nozerodays2022/ (editor’s note: the following is a recreation of what I had posted on Facebook on April 1, 2023) Here is a breakdown of my daily self-enrichment endeavors, for 2022. Yes this is rather late, but better late than never, I suppose. Because I’m lazy, and because I think I said it as best as I could in 2022 anyway, I’ll just reuse the description from last year’s post here. Replace the years in your head. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2022_12_01_twd_ss_ch2/article/thewalkingdeadsaintsandsinnersch2/ Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2022_12_01_twd_ss_ch2/article/thewalkingdeadsaintsandsinnersch2/ Retribution The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners - Chapter 2: Retribution, is, as of this writing (Nov 2023), Skydance Interactive’s most recent flagship title. It is the sequel to the VR hit, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, and it finishes the story of the Tourist (you, the Player). It features new maps, a new “night mode”, and a ton of new weapons and upgrades. Retribution official trailer Since it is a current title, I won’t reflect here on it’s production, what worked and what didn’t. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_11_29_eigengrandito/article/eigengrandito/ Sat, 23 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_11_29_eigengrandito/article/eigengrandito/ The Eigen Grandito This content was originally posted on Reddit, before I had a working website. I am recreating the post here, but I think it’s worth checking out the reddit post anyway - the comments were educational and pretty funny actually. From the Reddit Post Recently I took a deep dive into the SVD/PCA. My goal was to understand the math with confidence, and then use it for something interesting. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_12_31_no_zero_days_2021/nozerodays2021/ Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_12_31_no_zero_days_2021/nozerodays2021/ Continuing what I started in 2020, I reserved at least a small portion of every day in 2021 to do something I considered “self enriching”. That is, something that improves a skill I want to work on, bolsters an area of expertise, broadens my understanding of the world, provides some culture, grows my personal value both financially and intangibly, and otherwise makes my life just a little bit better than yesterday. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_11_28_why_i_love_nethack/article/why_i_love_nethack/ Sun, 28 Nov 2021 19:27:22 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_11_28_why_i_love_nethack/article/why_i_love_nethack/ Note: This piece was originally published in 2018, by gameindustry.biz, as part of their “Why I love” series. See the full article here: Location, locomotion, morality, and imagination Why I Love: Skydance devs describe what they took from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Pathologic, NetHack, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater My part on Nethack is faithfully recreated below. NetHack Mark F. Domowicz - Creative Director I remember distinctly how I felt when I played Super Mario Bros. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_11_27_kellycriterion_for_job_offers/kelly_criterion_for_job_offers/ Sat, 27 Nov 2021 01:40:11 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_11_27_kellycriterion_for_job_offers/kelly_criterion_for_job_offers/ Motivation For many of my start-upy, technical friends, this is a common scenario. You work for a company, lets call it Alpha, and it pays you well. Then another company, a new startup called Beta, comes along and offers you a job. However, because Beta is new, they can’t pay you the high salary that Alpha can. So, instead, they offer you a modest salary plus stock options that vest over a period of time. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_10_31_illustrations2021/illustrations2021/ Sun, 31 Oct 2021 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_10_31_illustrations2021/illustrations2021/ 2021 was not my most productive year for art, but there were a few pieces I liked… https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_01_24_achoir/article/achoir/ Sat, 23 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_01_24_achoir/article/achoir/ Achoir is free and open source! Achoir is my unofficial computer adaptation of the classic Sid Sackson boardgame, Acquire. Like any great board game, Sackson’s Acquire is one of emergent complexity from simple rules. But unlike most other greats, Acquire’s rules are more than just simple, they are elegant. The gameplay is more than just complex, it is surprising. Sackson didn’t achieve these heights in all the games he designed, but he did so more than most, and Acquire is one of those successes, perhaps his greatest. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_01_23_manhattan_project/article/manhattanproject/ Sat, 23 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2021_01_23_manhattan_project/article/manhattanproject/ The Manhattan Project is free and open source! Around early 2013, I started work on the official computer adaptation of the hit boardgame, The Manhattan Project. The final game shipped on iOS, Android, and PC later that year. Over a decade old now, the game is no longer available on mobile platforms, however, I have since made the game freely available on PC, and also released the source code. You can read more about the game itself and download everything at its main site. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_12_31_illustrations2020/illustrations2020/ Thu, 31 Dec 2020 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_12_31_illustrations2020/illustrations2020/ Some things I illustrated in 2020. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_12_31_no_zero_days_2020/nozerodays2020/ Thu, 31 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_12_31_no_zero_days_2020/nozerodays2020/ My 2020 New Years Resolution was to do something self enriching every day, even if just for a few minutes. This includes things like drawing, writing, reading, studying math, and even playing video games and related entertainment - which I believe is important for creative development (and my job). Strictly speaking, I failed, as I took a big break from this when Dad passed away in May. However life works in gradients, and better is still better. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_12_20_markyds_mortgage_analyzer/article/markydsmortgageanalyzer/ Sun, 20 Dec 2020 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_12_20_markyds_mortgage_analyzer/article/markydsmortgageanalyzer/ CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD This is a little windows program that calculates your mortgage payment schedule. It can be used to help answer questions such as: If I increase my monthly payment by $100, how much do I save in interest payment over the lifetime of the loan? And how much sooner will my loan be paid off? If I do a lump sum principal reduction payment of $10k, how much do I save in interest payment over the lifetime of the loan? https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_11_01_inktober2020/article/inktober2020/ Sun, 01 Nov 2020 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_11_01_inktober2020/article/inktober2020/ For Inktober 2020, I decided to tell a story in a semi-comic like format. Inktober is really hard. So is story telling. I've failed to complete simpler things in my life. By all rights, I should have failed at this. But happily, somehow, I didn't. Here is the result. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_01_23_twd_ss/article/thewalkingdeadsaintsandsinners/ Thu, 23 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2020_01_23_twd_ss/article/thewalkingdeadsaintsandsinners/ Peak Me? If I have a claim to fame in this industry, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is it. Over the years, it’s proven to be a well loved, high earning, and influential title. And by some weirdly lucky turn of events, I was its Project Director. What does that mean (I hear everyone say, including other industry professionals)? At Skydance at least, it meant that I was essentially some parts Creative Director (though we had a great Creative Director) and some parts Senior Producer (though we had a great Senior Producer too), and I would pick and choose my work depending on what gaps needed filling the most. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2019_12_31_illustrations2019/illustrations2019/ Tue, 31 Dec 2019 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2019_12_31_illustrations2019/illustrations2019/ https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2018_12_31_illustrations2018/illustrations2018/ Mon, 31 Dec 2018 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2018_12_31_illustrations2018/illustrations2018/ https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2018_07_01_archangel_hellfire/article/archangelhellfire/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2018_07_01_archangel_hellfire/article/archangelhellfire/ Development Magic When I talk about Mercenaries, I always talk about how great the production was - how everyone worked so well together, how smoothly communication flowed, and how the development energy was something like an entire team being in a flow state. And always in the same breath, I mention how lucky I am to have experienced that, because in games (and presumably, in any large team endeavor), achieving that type of team cohesion is rather uncommon. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2017_12_31_illustrations2017_and_before/illustrations2017_and_before/ Sun, 31 Dec 2017 22:27:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2017_12_31_illustrations2017_and_before/illustrations2017_and_before/ https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2017_10_31_inktober2017/inktober2017/ Tue, 31 Oct 2017 01:24:30 -0800 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2017_10_31_inktober2017/inktober2017/ This was my first Inktober. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2017_08_02_archangel/article/archangel/ Wed, 02 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2017_08_02_archangel/article/archangel/ Skydance Interactive Around May of 2016, The Workshop Entertainment was purchased by Skydance Media, and officially became Skydance Interactive (SDI). This was great for the studio, because it allowed us to transition away from work-for-hire projects (in which we helped other studios complete their games), towards becoming a studio that created its own titles and new IPs. Our First VR Game Our first title as SDI was Archangel, a VR-based mech-themed on-rails shooter. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2014_12_17_unreal_tech_demo/article/unrealtechdemo/ Wed, 17 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2014_12_17_unreal_tech_demo/article/unrealtechdemo/ Building a Meta Screen I can’t say anything about the context of this work - who it was for, and what its intended use was. All I can say is you’ve definitely heard of the client (they are a globally known brand), and the problems we had to solve were super interesting! I was the lead engineer on the project. Our goal was essentially to use Unreal to drive a large multi monitor view of a single shared scene. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2014_01_01_more_roguelike_projects/article/moreroguelikeprojects/ Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2014_01_01_more_roguelike_projects/article/moreroguelikeprojects/ More Roguelikes! Among my game developer friends, I’m generally considered “the roguelike guy”, but I actually discovered roguelikes pretty late. I had heard of Nethack and Angband, and I had some vague sense that they were highly technical text-based games with a high barrier to entry. I even tried to play Nethack a few times, but I could never really get it to click for me, despite the ravings for it I’d seen and heard so often. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2012_01_01_orbiter_prototype/article/orbiterprototype/ Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2012_01_01_orbiter_prototype/article/orbiterprototype/ Orbiter Orbiter is a 3D “shmup” (“shoot ’em up”) prototype made using the Ogre 3D engine. This project was started as part of our exploratory search for a new, simpler, project, after deciding that Hate was too complex to complete in our time line. As with Hate, I was the tech lead and Randis was the art lead - the game looks beautiful even in these early stages because of his work. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2011_09_01_hate/article/hate/ Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2011_09_01_hate/article/hate/ Hate If I could pick just one project, out of all my numerous unfinished previous works, that I could go back to and actually complete, it would be Hate. From a design standpoint, it was a game I’d long wanted to make. It hit all the marks - it was a roguelike, it was Lovecraftian, and it was modern. I’d been a roguelike fan for a while, and I had made previous solo attempts at creating them. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2011_01_01_tinkerbox/article/tinkerbox/ Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2011_01_01_tinkerbox/article/tinkerbox/ Tinkerbox After my indie game developer attempt didn’t pan out, I spent a few years doing independent contract programming. This work had its down sides, but overall it was a good time, and I got to work on a lot of interesting projects. One of the most memorable projects was for Subatomic Studios, who was/is famous for the early iOS smash hit tower defense game, Fieldrunners. But I didn’t work on Fieldrunners - instead I was on another project they were creating for Autodesk, that eventually became known as Autodesk Tinkerbox. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2009_01_01_anthem/article/anthem/ Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2009_01_01_anthem/article/anthem/ Around late 2008/early 2009, Pandemic Studios was having trouble. In order to delay what seemed more or less inevitable, they had a series of layoffs, and eventually it was my time to go too. I was sad to leave, as Pandemic was my first job in the game industry, and despite the later frustrations, I can’t say I had a bad time there. In fact, I had a great time, and further, I owe much of my world view of the game industry to my years at that studio. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2008_08_31_mercenaries2/article/mercenaries2/ Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2008_08_31_mercenaries2/article/mercenaries2/ I don’t know the numbers, but I’m certain the first Mercenaries sold well over a million copies - maybe more than two million. Incidentally, this was a time when Pandemic could almost do no wrong. The company had hit after hit, with Full Spectrum Warrior, Star Wars Battle Front 1 and 2, Destroy All Humans, and Mercenaries, each selling over a million units. With such success, the natural next step for Mercenaries was obvious: make a sequel. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2005_01_01_mercenaries/article/mercenaries/ Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2005_01_01_mercenaries/article/mercenaries/ Mercenaries was my first shipped game as a professional game developer. In working on this game, I consider myself lucky on at least three counts! First was that I was working for Pandemic Studios, which had a great culture and saw incredible growth in capacity and value. Second, I was working on an amazing game that was both commercially and critically well received, sold quite well, and is still looked upon fondly and even still played today (Some people go entire game careers without similar hits, and I got to enjoy one on my first go). https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/1995_01_01_early_3d_studies/article/early3dstudies/ Sun, 01 Jan 1995 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/1995_01_01_early_3d_studies/article/early3dstudies/ Early Days One of my early interests in programming was 3d computer graphics. The challenges then were much different than they are today. Everything had to be done by hand - there was no dedicated hardware, there were no engines. Every pixel seen on screen was deliberately placed by the game programmer (or just “programmer”. The notion of separate “game” and “graphics” programmers didn’t really exist yet). You had to implement your own matrix libraries and transform stack, line drawing routines, edge clipping, scan-line rendering, polygon culling, scene ordering, and so on. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/1995_01_01_early_games_showcase_part_1/article/earlygamesshowcasepart1/ Sun, 01 Jan 1995 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/1995_01_01_early_games_showcase_part_1/article/earlygamesshowcasepart1/ The Start of My Games Programming Journey I started programming games on my Apple IIgs (yes, our family was fancy and we had the high-end “Graphics and Sound” Apple II). It was 1989 and I was 12 years old. Looking back, that does seem surprisingly young to be programming; I even remember getting into bit operations and some 6502 assembly. But really, on a national and global scale, it was not that strange. https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2003_01_01_early_games_showcase_part_2/article/earlygamesshowcasepart2/ Sun, 01 Jan 1995 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/all/2003_01_01_early_games_showcase_part_2/article/earlygamesshowcasepart2/ Sim High (aka Class of ‘96) In the early days of my career I had uncapped energy for making games. So, although I was programming a game professionally for 8-12 hours per day, I somehow still had enough energy to spend my available weekends and evenings also programming games. And so it was that while I was making what would eventually becomes Mercenaries at Pandemic, I was also making a little indie game on the side with a then-colleague of mine (Katy, also with an insane amount of energy to make games). https://www.markdomowicz.com/404.html Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/404.html https://www.markdomowicz.com/about/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.markdomowicz.com/about/ I make video games for a living. For fun I have many interests and hobbies. They include: illustration, guitar, math, chess, comic books, video games, computers, programming, reading, board games, D&D, writing, travel. Because of my wonderful Mom and Dad, I am blessed with a comfortable life that allows me to engage in all of the above and more.