CHUK VINSON
- ART DIRECTION
- LEADERSHIP
- COMMUNICATION
- TEAMWORK
- CONCEPT DESIGN
- HANDS ON PROTOTYPING
- CUSTOMIZATION TECH
- OUTSOURCE MANAGEMENT
GAME DEV HISTORY
I have worked on 7 shipped titles (shipped meaning at least Early Access) since my first game development job in 2000.
Global Agenda
Tribes Ascend
SMITE
Realm Royale
Prophecy
Starsiege Deadzone
Tribes III Rivals (Current)
I was the Art Director on all projects except for Tribes Ascend, where I was lead FX Artist
STRIVE TO BALANCE
- Development Focused Goals
- Clear and Decisive Leadership
- Compassion and Understanding
- Effective Communication
- Rapid Prototyping instead of pure Theory Crafting
- Honest Feedback delivered clearly and tactfully
- Tracking asset development time for effective planning
- Outsource Integration and Management
Customization Development
One of my primary focuses has been modular, customizable character assets. For DeadZone / Tribes III we achieved a system that allows for a single contiguous character mesh built on the fly using 5 different character components. A dynamic customizable PBR based material solution allows for total dye customization and rendering of the whole character in a single draw call.
LET US MAKE GAMES
I have been gaming since I was old enough to do so. This very quickly transitioned into making games with whatever media was available to me (usually paper and colored pencils). In middle school I moved onto DnD and early Apple crude game design programs. In high school, I coded MUD realms. In college I majored in Computer Art and Design, focusing when I could on the burgeoning game development tracks.
For my final college Independent Study, I talked my professors into letting me ignore all work outside of my Playstation 1 game, and I completed it in my final semester by working 80 hrs a week. The game was Gunship 360 - it was a top-down 2D twin stick horde shooter with powerups.
In short, I make games because I MUST and I always have. I am that device and it does what it is meant to do!
DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW
My initial foray into real game development was in 2000 at a very small dev studio in Atlanta called Heuristic Park. It was an extremely unstable environment, but I did get a very valuable crash course in... everything. I did concept, modelling, texturing, rigging, animating, FX and level design.
After Heuristic Park's dissolution, I transitioned to Hi-Rez Studios where - for 15 years - I worked as a Jack-of-All-Trades, FX Director, and Art Director on a wide variety of projects: Global Agenda (AD and FX Director) Tribes Ascend (FX Director) SMITE (AD and FX Director) and Realm Royale (AD).
I spent most of my career making big projects with very small teams, often with no middle management layer (meaning I could have 10-20 direct reports).
During the SMITE era, I ran a very large team of 60+ artists, directing a team of department leads and interfacing with all the components of a very large art machine. We built SMITE from a fledgling grass roots community based game, to a large MOBA E-Sport with a very dedicated fanbase. As much content as you could make, SMITE players would buy.
From there, I transitioned alongside the founder of the company to Prophecy Games. We have produce 2 unshipped titles, one half-shipped title, and two shipped titles (Deadzone and Tribes 3). At Prophecy, I again run a small, agile team that specializes in very very rapid prototyping and development. I am very involved in the day to day production - meeting with leadership, tasking artists, and providing all artists with daily and immediate feedback. In the spaces between, I focus on my own development tasks - building model prototypes, developing shader and customization systems, rendering marketing imagery, directing cinematics, and generating and painting concept art.
Concepts and artist feedback
personal work
contact information
404.520.1175
CHUKART22@GMAIL.COM
