Life Begins at. . . Ubisoft: Getting to Know Young Level Artist, John Paul Tan

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by Joshua Diokno   November 4, 2016    2

When our betters tell us that we haven’t begun to live life, it makes us cringe. What is the correlation of getting a job and getting a life anyway? It’s just a way for us to pay bills right? But when push comes to shove and you don’t manage to hold on to something, their words start to make sense. Life is different when you’re already working to get by. But for Mr. John Paul Tan, things got a little bit more interesting.

Ubisoft. Enough said.

Imagine being immersed in their world. And no, I ain’t talking about gaming worlds. I’m talking about creating one. Imagine being young and intimidated by the reputation of a company you are now going to work in. Imagine being Mr. Tan in Ubisoft, Singapore.

Can’t? Then maybe you can just read our interview with him.

Xeno Creatuves sat down with Mr. John Paul Tan, a Level Artist for Ubisoft Singapore as he gets into the nitty-gritty in working for the gaming industry giant.

Xeno Creatives (XC): We understand that being an artist such as yourself, you start with the very basic tools for honing your craft. As such, what processes did you have to learn, given the technical know-how in your line of work, to be well-versed in your discipline?

John Paul Tan (JPT): Coming into Ubisoft was definitely a new experience for me.

I came in with an already established team that had designated roles for the artists, so it became my responsibility to learn from them and know the areas where I can contribute.

I first started out doing props for the environments where I learned a lot on the artistic side and also the engine side of creating props. It was a different approach to what I was used to before. I learned the software, the engine, and also the performance side of making AAA games, but the one thing I was surprised was how much creative freedom I was given when I worked on my tasks. There were definitely guidelines and best practices, but the rest was definitely up to me. It was liberating and daunting, at the same time.

Once I understood that principle, the rest fell naturally in to place. Generating ideas, creating the assets, making the environments, working with level design, translating the art director’s vision in to the game and optimizing them to shippable quality are just some of the things that we do within the team. After I was able to balance all of these processes, the results were amazing.

XC: When did you realize that you wanted to pursue this craft? Did it start off as a want or a necessity?

JPT: A want. It actually started off as a curiosity. I wanted to know what life was like in the bigger AAA studios and I also wanted to challenge myself and see where my skills will take me.

Ubisoft was one of those studios that I wanted to try out. I remember looking at their recruitment page and seeing the faces of the people who work in Ubisoft. They were all very happy and looked like they had fun doing what they’re doing. I wanted to be part of that.

I was also definitely inspired by the games I played in my childhood and was impressed by how immersive the worlds that these game developers created. Again, I wanted to make these immersive worlds myself, A world that I could get myself lost playing, exploring, and discovering the surprises that these worlds hold.

XC:  We understand that you are now working as the Lead Artist for Ubisoft Singapore, and saying that it is an impressive achievement is an understatement. Were there big adjustments that you needed to make from moving to 3D animation to the gaming industry?

JPT: Adjusting to the new culture was one thing.

We have a team composed of a lot of different personalities, disciplines and nationalities. It was an eye-opening experience because everyone had their own way/approach of going about their work but still followed the game’s vision and direction.

No one was constrained to one particular workflow and everyone had the chance to build on the current systems that we had. The devs we’re also very supportive of each other.

When I first came in, I had a more senior developer teach me the basics of the engine and the art worfklow which helped me contribute faster to the team. It was a great adjustment overall.

XC:  We were informed that you were a part of the team that had been responsible for an “Assassin’s Creed” franchise. Would it be alright to ask which? How was it like being involved in the production of one of the biggest, most well-known and successful game franchises in the industry?

JPT: I had the opportunity to work on Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Revelations, III, Black Flag, Unity and Syndicate.

It was awesome! Every AC brought about new settings and challenges.

With every setting, also brought with it a new art direction for the game, which for as an artist really gets my artistic juices flowing. I had the opportunity to work on a variety of themes and environments, Italian stables, underground cisterns, Mayan ruins, hidden pirate camps, medieval cemeteries. All of which were a joy to work on. Within a team, you could pretty much think of it like an RPG, where you have various roles/specialties contributing to the project. In the levels that I worked on, I collaborated closely with level designers, lighting artist, FX artists and animators to fully realize all the important aspects of the level. e.g. Environment, assets, mood, atmosphere, cinematics, etc. It was overall a fun and organic process working with everyone in the team. I loved sharing my ideas and developing them together with everyone.

XC: Have you tried your hands into other media? If so, what was it?

JPT: I’m trying my out skills in photography. I have a mirrorless camera that I want to practice on once I have the time. So in between projects, I try to have other interests besides studying more about art and game development.

XC: If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what do you think you’d be specializing in?

I’d probably continue to pursue animation or film. Although, there’s still so much for me to learn about the games industry and game development that I don’t see myself shifting to other industries in the foreseeable future.

XC: As an artist, do you see the Philippines as fertile grounds for the gaming industry to advance further?

JPT: Definitely. The local gaming development scene is full of young passionate programmers and artists who are eager to develop their own games. I’ve seen developers participate in games jams, and gaming events such as ESGS. All of these are great indications of the potential that the Philippine game industry has. I think this is why Ubisoft has opened shop here, because we want to tap that potential and help grow the industry and its developers.

XC: Do you see yourself as one who contributes to the Philippine Gaming industry?

JPT: In some ways, yes, my journey in the industry has come full circle where I’ve been blessed to have been able to work on these AAA titles. Now I’m very excited to share my experiences and the knowledge that I have accumulated to the younger generation and the local gaming industry.

XC: Where do you see yourself in the coming years?

JPT: I would like to take on bigger challenges and bigger roles within Ubisoft. There’s still so much that I need to learn in terms of art direction, game design, technical art direction, leading a team etc. Game development is just one vast ocean where there’s a lot of disciplines that one can immerse oneself into.

I hope to continue to become a well-rounded developer and also help the team grow in Ubisoft Philippines.

XC: What piece of advice or message can you give young aspirants wanting to enter the gaming industry?

JPT: What you lack in talent, make up for it in hard work. In any industry, it’s very easy to mistake the skills that artists have as talent. But what we don’t see is that these people have invested a lot of time, effort and hard work into their craft to become that talented artists that they are today. If one is willing to put in the hard work to bringing out the best of his abilities through study and practice, no doubt you will reap the rewards of your hard work and your skills will be recognized by your peers. So keep working on that awesome code, keep practicing your art skills, learn the latest software and technology. One day, you may actually finding yourself working with us in Ubisoft.

Experience is indeed a prerequisite to wisdom, and with Mr. John Paul Tan, he’s got plenty of that to go around with. He is indeed someone to watch out for.