Author: Michael Tran

Michael Tran is a seasoned game designer and 3D modeler with over 19 years of expertise in creating three-dimensional images using advanced computer graphics. He is highly proficient in industry-standard software, including Unreal Engine, Maya, Zbrush, and Photoshop. Michael’s strengths lie in translating creative concepts into tangible product specifications, alongside his exceptional skills in model and image design, story development, and character creation. In 2005, Michael founded Darkclaws Games, an indie game developer based in Costa Mesa, CA. With a diverse portfolio in game design and 3D modeling, he has built a solid client base and established himself as a trusted innovator. He is channeling his creativity into developing his own indie game project, ZOAB. Michael’s journey in the gaming industry began with an internship at Rockstar San Diego, where he gained invaluable insights into the collaborative efforts of world-class designers, developers, and creators. These experiences, combined with his dedication to self-education in Unreal Engine over the past five years, have equipped him with the expertise needed to transform ZOAB from concept into an extraordinary gaming experience.

ZOAB Mini Tales

The Black Saturday sale at Camp Caldwell Super Mall’s Super Brain Splatter Sale is so wild that even the zombies are asking for a discount! BLACK SATURDAY DAY: 99% OFF… IF YOU SURVIVE. “A short story, a little gift from me. It’s free, except for the time you’ll spend lost in its words and the […]

Origins of ZOAB

ZOAB is an artificially created land home to countless alien races cohabiting within the same space and suffering the same ills. Amongst them are more animalistic creatures and sapient ones trying to hold on tightly to civilization lest it slip from their grasp. Camp Caldwell Super Mall, where survival is on sale… and you’re the […]

ZOAB 3‑D Lab

NPC spider, and worm cyberpunk. Sensor Spiders. These mechanical spiders are produced in a defunct superstructure called ‘’The Monitoring Station’’. Introduced after the mutation of the Karyd, their original role was to keep tabs on the general condition of the vivarium & its residents. These spiders would take samples & measure parameters such as temperature […]

ZOAB 101

What are greetings from ZOAB? The land in the vivarium. ZOAB is the name of a land burdened by a revolving door of misery; barren terrain, hostile wildlife, and a miasma of rot permeate its sprawling flats. For its residents, ZOAB is viewed as a survival gauntlet where drought, diseases, & encroaching molds have become […]