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Craig Alexander | ||
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Craig is the General Manager of Sierra Publishing, the original division of Sierra On-Line, Inc. located in Oakhurst, California near Yosemite National Park. In addition to Swat2, Craig's other products include Babylon 5, Phantasmagoria (Sierra's best selling product to date), Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, Police Quest SWAT, The Realm, Gabriel Knight 2: the Beast Within (CGW's Game of the Year), Space Quest, and the Collier Encyclopedia. Craig has a wide variety of computer industry experience ranging from NASA spacecraft development to microprocessor design. He received his Computer Engineering degree from USC and his MBA from UCLA. |
Oliver Brelsford | |
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They tell me I am the Project Manager. This really means that I am the one that has to take care of everybody's needs. Like, if it's somebody's birthday, I'm the one who has to go out and get cake and ice cream, or pie and ice cream, or cupcakes and ice cream. You know, I really like ice cream, this is a real problem for me because I spend all day sitting at the computer thinking about things. Like, wouldn't it be cool if gas stations had cheerleaders? You know, you pull in and start filling up, and they would do a cheer for you. I think this would go a long way towards making people feel really good about themselves. Anyway, just a thought. |
Jurgen Brenkert | |
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The Story is True. It was late one Friday night, and everything seemed fine. I was working away when all of a sudden I noticed a draft. Where it was coming from? I didn't know. There was something different about it. It wasn't necessarily a draft, but more like a breeze. It was also cooler than anything I had felt before. It seemed more like an arctic blast across the back of my neck. Where was it coming from? Well it must of started with me in Michigan, and followed me to Tennessee (Go Vols), and then Colorado. That is where I got a degree in Environmental Design and found the world of 3D. From there I made my way through the world of 3D by teaching 3D, web authoring, and photography. Eventually I found Sierra On-Line. After doing some contract work, for a few months, I moved to California to work for Sierra full time. SWAT 2 is the first project I have worked on for Sierra. Next comes SEAL... hey... there it is again. That breeze. I look around some more and then up. That is when I came to terms with myself and realized... something was missing. |
Ed Critchlow | |
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Ed knew he would be involved with entertainment when the Beatles movie "A Hard Days Night" appeared in America. After graduating UC Berkeley with an Electrical Engineering degree, Ed worked at Freeway Recording in Oakland, CA recording Eddie Money, Tower of Power and Pam Tillis among others. Seeing a convergence of technology to the PC in the early 80s he decided to focus on computer skills and developed an interactive Video Kiosk for the Video Droid in Mill Valley, CA. Becoming interested in fractals and 3D graphics in the mid 80s he decided to get a MS in Computer Science from UC Santa Cruz. After a short stint at NEC where he worked on A/V hardware for the PC he arrived at Sierra in 1992. "Most of my adult life I have worked with musical and visual artists or on technology to be used by them. The primary goal for the artist is to have as much control over the finished product as possible. Advances in technology during the past 20 years now mean that expensive technology is no longer a problem. Now if we could only get rid of those uninspired marketing types." |
Susan Frischer | |
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This is Susan. I own her. She does whatever I tell her to do. She feeds me wet food mixed with crunchy food. That way I get wet food and crunchy food at the same time. It tastes real good that way. When I tell her to, she gets the sparkle mouse and moves it around on the floor. I like to watch it. Sometimes I jump on it to make her move it some more, but mostly I just like to watch it. Susan goes away a lot. I don't know where she goes, but I tell her she should stay home with me. She does not listen. Every time she shuts the door and I hear the big noise go away, I think that someday I will make her listen. Then she will stay home and feed me wet food mixed with crunchy food and she will move the sparkle mouse on the floor all the time. |
Jay Esparza | |
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Jay is the criminal and terrorist technical advisor for SWAT2. "Two Fingers" Esparza honed his skills as an explosives and weapons expert while growing up on the streets of Los Angeles and Fresno. Coupled with his skills in 'Improvisational Structure Painting', commonly referred to in 'low art' circles as "graffiti", Jay is the "go to" guy on the SWAT2 team. Jay started at Sierra quite by accident. While on a "Stealth Hardware Requisition" assignment, he was discovered "improvising" on a wall near an Art Director's office. He was invited into the AD's office where he was asked to "Draw Binky". He's been at Sierra ever since. "Oh yeah, I did these flattering caricatures of my fellow team members. Believe me, I didn't have much to work with. You can e-mail me at jay.esparza@sierra.com |
Jason Hayes | |
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This is our music composer, Jason Hayes. From his classical training at the University of North Texas, to pop music performances for Atlantic Records and Club MTV, to his New Orleans roots, you could say Jason has pretty diverse musical influences. This eclectic background is ideal for the creative demands of Sierra's award-winning team of game developers. For SWAT 2, he's combining an orchestral sound for emotional impact, coupled with digital synthesizers for an edge of suspense. He loves working for Sierra, and is especially fond of talking about himself in the third person. |
Shannon Haynes | |
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What do you really need to know about me? I'm the wife of a hard core gamer who chose to move his family from Alabama to further feed his need to be involved in the development of games. I work at the same company as a Project Coordinator and I am applying my engineering background to help organize and schedule tasks. I used to complain about Mike playing games too much. But now I'm interested in all the cool features and unusual tricks implemented in the games. So, if you want your better-half to quit complaining about all the hours you spend playing games, get them a job at a gaming company. |
Jason Hickingbottom | |
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I've been with the company about 6 ½ years, 6 of which, I was doing Macintosh Conversions. I think Swat2 Macintosh… (ZAP!!) ouch… Windows is going to be a great game. We are using the latest greatest features of the Macintosh…. (ZAP!!) ouch…. okay, okay… of Windows 95. Hey Oliver…. That cattle prod is really starting to get on my nerves. Gees, what some people will do to get you to convert to Windows. |
Michael Hutchison | |
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After conquering the world of professional cattle roping, I moved on to lead high altitude expeditions in the Nepalese Himalayas, finally moving to California in 1991 as part of the witness protection program. I’ve worked at Sierra for 7 years, and if it weren’t for the throngs of adoring fans that greet me outside the building every night, I’d probably pursue my lifelong dream of being a pirate. I’d have a parrot. His name would be Paco. |
Jay Lee | |
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I spent 10 years at a large corporation doing complex business applications for clients like General Motors and Exxon. While at home I would play games and wonder about how great it would be to be actually develop them. Now that I am developing games, its even cooler than I expected. Its amazing to me that I get paid to do this. But don't tell Craig or Oliver, because I'd really like to continue to get a paycheck. If you like the sound, movie, multi-player and AI aspects of the game, then I worked on them. If you don't like them, let me know, and I'll put heat on the sorry programmer that did. |
Darrell Johnson | |
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Aka: Stymie Bio... whatever. I'm a 3d guy. I build and animate characters. If I'm not doing that, I'm off doing other fun stuff like snowboarding or kayaking or playing Quake. Oh yeah, I also don't like writing these bio thingys(in case you can't tell). |
Travis Leonard | |
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Born, lived, married, eat, sleep, draw, work, fish, hackeysack, Sonics, Mariners, Seahawks... |
Ananda Linde | |
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"Two-Fingers" Esparza was supposed to write my bio for me but he copped out, and I got stuck with it. I worked as the clean-up artist on SWAT 2. That means that all these wonderfully talented artists you've read about hand me their finished works of art and I pallettize them, convert them and smoosh them into little boxes that the programmers can use to code. It's fun, and I like it but, oh..., to be a REAL artist some day! I gotta go. I need to get to college... late for class. You owe me Esparza. |
Becky Kosuge | |
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Becky is a recent arrival at Sierra. She graduated with a degree in Fine Art from UC Davis, and after working for a few years went back to school at a university in the UK, where she did post-graduate study in computer animation. Before coming to Sierra she was working in Sacramento for two video production companies, doing animation and graphics. When not working she listens to Count Basie, watches loads of movies and eats Thai food as often as possible. |
Terry McHenry | |
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By far the oldest member of the team. Perhaps even of Sierra. My career in data processing started when I had to find something safer than going to 'Nam. The man at Lockheed (we called it the "Lazy L") said to me, "C'mon in, boy. We gonna make a cowboy engineer outta you - we gonna spy on them Rooskies". Let me tell you, back in those days, processing data was no picnic. Bits had just been invented and bytes hadn't even been thought of yet. Could we just type what we wanted the computer to do on a TV screen? Noooo. We made little square holes in cardboard cards, and not with a keypunch. We used to dream of a keypunch machine. Each program was painstakingly hand-carved into the card with a razor blade. And we didn't have GoogleBytes of memory to throw around, either. Why, I once coded a complete ballistic trajectory analyzer in just 5 bits. Thank God I now work for Sierra where instead of slaving long hours with primitive equipment defending the free world, I can slave long hours with cutting-edge technology to provide entertainment for geeky adolescents. |
Sean Mooney | |
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I black-mailed Oliver to get a job here. I don't really "do" anything. And hey, Ollie, as long as I've still got a job here those pictures are safe with me. Sean Mooney, "Multi-Media Interactive Interfacing Integration Consultant"(part-time) |
Scott Multer | |
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No comment. |
Jason Ramirez | |
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Jason has been a professional sound designer and musician for over 12 years. Jason's background is heavily in studio work re mixing music tracks and creating custom sfx for radio and television. As the sound designer for SWAT2 Jason's vast knowledge of weapons and tactics came to be very useful for the team. In Jason's short time with Sierra his credits already include Lighthouse (Italian version) Collier's Encyclopedia, The Realm and writing the theme music and creating the sound effects for the Space Quest 7 movie trailer. |
John Ratcliff | |
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Hi, I'm John Ratcliffe, I work in the Quality Assurance Department (QA). We in QA try to find all the bugs in the game. We look and look for the bugs. We spend hours and hours staring at the monitor. We test the game over and over. Hundreds and hundreds of times. Sitting, looking, testing, hundreds, hours, staring, bugs, over and over, looking, staring, over and over, monitor, staring, staring, staring................ Huh!?!, what!?! Oh!..... I love my job! |
John Rettig | |
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Suspect Recaptured: Born and raised in San Jose, Ca. John was incarcerated for a 3 year sentence at Amdahl Corp. in Sunnyvale. There he served writing software for systems designed to test Amdahl's main frame computers. After being released on good behavior he fled to the foothills of Oakhurst, CA. There he was once again incarcerated and started a life sentence at Sierra On Line in 1987. After 5 years he escaped and fled to Tsunami Media where he hid out for 6 years taking on the alias of the Director of Engineering. Once he surfaced he was apprehended and once again taken into custody by Sierra where he is currently serving out the rest of his sentence. |
Greg Tomko-Pavia | |
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Rarest of the rare, a fey Samurai, Tomko-San once performed his magical Kabuki at a lumber camp on Ganymede. Exiled thence, he and his happy troupe of Mandarin Pandas now roam far and wide across the hill in the backyard. Ever with him is his mighty sword, Flaccido, whose tsuba bears the simple legend: WILL CODE FOR FOOD |
Victor Sadauskas | |
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Hi... My name is Victor Sadauskas. I sculpt bits for a living. I have to be honest with you though, and I'm not quite sure why I'm opening up like this. I guess it's because I know we're all close friends and I feel safe making myself vulnerable. The fact of the matter is I'm no longer satisfied with my job. Regardless of what you may have heard, being responsible for the programming on a major entertainment software product isn't all that glamorous. I long for a change. I long for.... Oliver's job. Daily, I see the joy he brings to others. The smiles and laughter in the eyes of a grateful programmer when Oliver shows up with his pizza. The joy and happiness of an artist when Oliver drops off a case of Pepsi. These little contributions go a long way. They're the backbone of a project. It's where it's at, my friend. It's about support. Keeping the talent happy. And I tell you, happiness is seeing your project manager go the extra mile. Not only to wash the car, but wax it, too. To not only mow the lawn, but to take the time to edge it... and that time he cleaned my pool. Well, it brought a tear to my eye. Hopefully, one day I can be the beacon of happiness that is A PROJECT MANAGER. Anyway, I'm out of time. It's dinnertime, and I'm hungry. Gotta hurry and call Oliver before he tries to go home. Thanks for listening. |
Bryan Waters | |
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Haven't a clue as to what to say or how. I am a programmer, not an English student. I have 20 units left to get my degree, and they all have a prerequisite of English 101 (freshman english). |
Chris Willis | |
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You might think that the artists that work here at Sierra are either fresh out of school or somehow or another experienced in the art field(ie, Illustration, Fine Art, Comics, Architecture, etc..) but, not me. I come from a wooded thicket outside Anchorage, Alaska where I spent most of my life in a small hut made of sticks and grass. Eating all that was around me and learning from the beasts in the wild, I survived my 26 years. My father(a walrus tracker) left me for "still born" and headed out for the open seas to continue his adventures. Then in 1992 a Sierra recruiter saw me washing in a nearby pond, and after seeing my unique body tattoos, signed me on that day. Until 5 1/2 years ago I never knew that people could be so kind and gentle since I only saw them from a far. I would hide in trees and bushes when they came near as not to scare them. Sierra taught me everything I know, how to write and speak, how to eat with a "spork" and even use the "potty". Thanks to Sierra I can communicate just like normal people and not grunt with shame like I did in my past. Thanks Sierra, I couldn't have done without you. Plug Alert: |
Jackie Woodall | |
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Wanted: Jackie 'The Wildman' Woodall. One of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted criminals. The Charge: Working in conspiracy with the lead programmer to overthrow the oppressive powers of the project manager and general manager. Accomplices include Victor (aka Vinnie) Sadauskas and Sean 'Babyface' Mooney. Remarks: Formerly worked as a 'programming-gun-for-hire' (contractor) for the U.S. government. While employed by the Navy, he spearheaded efforts to convince others that there were secret forces within the government conspiring against the people of it's nation. His educational background includes dropping out of computer science graduate school to pursue an unsavory "game" programming career. As a known social pariah, Mr. Woodall fled from Florida and has been seen hiding in the vacinity of the Sierra Nevada's. If you have any information concerning this case take no action yourself! Suspect considered armed and extremely dangerous. |
Dan Woolard | |
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I have worked for Sierra since retreating to the mountains from Moorpark, Ca. about 8+ years ago. I started in the duplication department grinding out floppys back in the days when Cds were only found in banks. It was there my talent revealed itself and I was promptly relegated to shipping. It might have had something to do with those 3000 boxes of Kings Quest I ending up in Mexico, but soon after I was asked to join the QA department in spite of the petition. It was here, they decided, I could best make use of my college degree. So, sheepskin in hand, and with a firm grip on its throat to keep it from bleating out, I joined the biggest group of misfits in the gaming industry. QA is the most respected phase of the gaming cycle. Everybody loves us. It's the programmers job to make the game work and it is our job to say "You suck!" and show them why the game can't possibly ship on time. It is because of this that they grovel at our feet. The other day when Victor came to talk to me about a bug the first thing I said to him was "You don't have to kneel like that. One leg will do." Now usually when Victor talks about bugs it has something to do with his underwear, so I just tune him out. But this time it actually had something to do with the game so I at least pretended to listen. It's this kind of rapport that makes SWAT2 great. |
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