Team Bios

Rod has worked on a number of Sierra titles in his past 9 years at Sierra, including Police Quest Open Season and Police Quest SWAT. Rod is a film school educated cinematographer with a background in live-action and blue-screen special effects photography, a unique background for a game producer.

Rod's made some friends in the close-knit SWAT/special operations world in his years of working in the police game genre. "This has allowed me to see a few interesting things, as well as do a bit of firearms and tactics training. I'm certainly not a high-speed, low drag kind of guy, but I've spent some time learning about what these guys do for a living, and how they go about their business. In the game, we try to keep everything as authentic as possible". Rod is a graduate of the University of San Francisco, and has a postgraduate degree in cinema from San Francisco State University.

Tammy was hired as a producer at Sierra in 1991 when the company was run by it's founders, Ken and Roberta Williams. Apparently, the company was still very much a mom & pop organization and missing a shipping date meant losing the company, so everyone wore multiple hats. There are no pictures dating to that time, so the style of hats can not be confirmed.

Today Sierra is a very different company, it's internationally owned, and Tammy has a different job - she no longer produces product, she designs it. Talk about a great job, Tammy gets to create worlds of wonder and work with the best artists, musicians, and engineers in the gaming industry. Judging by the smile on Tammy's face, getting to hang out with the world's elite SWAT team ain't bad either.

When asked to give a few personal details, Tammy summed herself up this way, ' Vegetarian pagan born on Halloween into guns and gardening.' We'll take her word on that.

John Anderson is the developer of SWAT 3's AI. He started out working with the Air Force for 4 years to develop a Satellite Telemetry Switching System which routes data from a satellite to a ground receiving station. He then worked for 3 years for Atomic Games to develop the tactical AI and game system for the Close Combat series. The Close Combat games have won acclaim for their realistic portrayal of small arms combat and the psychological effect that battlefield stress has on the soldiers. John listens to heavy metal, reads sci-fi and fantasy, and drinks a lot of Mountain Dew. He and his wife enjoy role-playing games on the weekends and taking their German Shepherd, Thor, on walks in the remote areas of beautiful Washington state.

Cyrus Kanga has been with Sierra for ten years. In that time he has worked on dozens of games, most notably the original Red Baron.

His main passion, away from software development, is martial arts. With years of experience in Judo, Tae Kwon Do and most recently Kendo, the art of Japanese fencing, he feels that his life would not be complete without the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of martial arts.

When asked what motivates him to stay focused in his work he say he tries to live by a famous Samurai maxim "to know and to act, one and the same"

His most recent challenge is art directing for SWAT 3. "My art vision for SWAT 3 can be summed up in one word 'realism'. I want to immerse the player into photo-realistic environments… emphasizing architecturally accurate structures, photographic textures, and anatomically correct characters that are motion captured."

SIMPLE!

Jim is the lead engineer for SWAT Close-Quarters Battle, responsible for the graphics engine and game architecture.

He's been developing commercial software for over 16 years, including games, 3D CAD programs, operating systems, compilers, and electronic payment systems. Jim's particular interest is in real-time 3D software. He's been known to spend every waking moment thinking about his current projects. His wife and kids understand... really.

Jim lives with his wonderful wife, Marcia, and three really cool kids, Justin, Amanda, and Jessica. Justin is an avid game player, and he often spends entire weekends playing multiplayer games with his father.

Gary graduated from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster Pennsylvania with Music Composition and Voice Performance degrees. In 1991, he won the F&M award for Outstanding Composition. SWAT 3 is his third project for Sierra, after Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh and Leisure Suit Larry's Casino.

Gary's usually off listening to and dissecting film scores. His favorite composers include Alan Hovhaness and James Horner. When not encapsulated in his little room of blinky lights, he's out playing in the Keith Highlanders Pipe band or playing ice hockey.

WANTED BY THE LAPD
James "The Hellfire Cow" Edwards
DOB: Unknown
Sex: Programmers have no sex
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 170
Hair: Varies - Has been most shades from white to blue to black to red
Eyes: Blue
Race: Finished last

THE CRIME
A non-repentant programmer from the age of twelve, this person has willfully made games on and off since the early 1980's leaving a wake of lost childhood and wasted productivity wherever there is access to a computer. James' willful disregard is further exacerbated by the flagrant additions of Easter-eggs and tongue in cheek humor.

REMARKS
James is known to live on a sailboat with his wife Amy and dog "P.T." It is rumored that they are planning to flee the country and "Just go wherever the wind takes us." James is considered a seditious radical and is therefore insane.

Michael's worked in the software industry for seven years, with the last four at Sierra. He's only doing this until he's got enough money saved to build a theme park.

Jeff first used a computer for graphics in a high school advanced drafting class, using a program called AutoCAD. He quickly discovered that AutoCAD could do primitive 3D shapes and renderings, even though he was supposed to be using the program to digitize his 2D drawings. Despite his distractions, Jeff still managed to get an "A" for the class. "I think the teacher realized I knew more about AutoCAD than he did. You could say I found my calling for computer graphics and 3D right then," remembers Jeff.

Since then, Jeff spent some time doing graphic design in the print industry, and then moved into video post-production, graphics, animation and interactive media. In 1993, he joined the game industry, and hasn't looked back since. "I've been a 3D Game Artist at Sierra Online for four years. On SWAT Close-Quarters Battle, I create 3D environments. Now I get paid for doing 3D shapes and renderings!" says Jeff. "Woop!"

Robert Munsil has a Bachelor's in Fine Arts from Arizona State University. He spent 10 years working in professional theatre on stage productions like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables and on rock shows for Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen.

Unfortunately, it was mostly doing sweaty labor stuff and not much cool design stuff. Bob got his start at Sierra working on Leisure Suit Larry - Love for Sail. Unfortunately, it was mostly doing sweaty labor stuff and not much cool design stuff. He has designed everything from stage lighting to CD covers. Now, most of Bob's time is spent designing virtual worlds: first for King's Quest - Mask of Eternity and now for SWAT - Close Quarter Battles. Bob is thankful that when he lights a scene now, he doesn't have to plug anything in.

He loves living in Seattle, although he admits that his birthplace, Phoenix, had better lizards and Mexican food. "A Gila Monster could kick these Washington lizards' butts," Bob says.

Todd grew up in Madison, Connecticut, right on the Long Island sound. He spent most summers windsurfing and sailing makeshift rafts made from lumber stolen from construction sites. In high school, he played the bass guitar in a local rock band called Legacy, scoring two or three gigs each week at local clubs along the shoreline.

Ever since Todd was five, he loved to draw (mostly super heroes; sometimes naked women). In 1990, he earned a degree in Graphic Design, with a minor in Illustration, from Memphis State in 1990. His following summer was spent in LA, trying to get a job in the graphics arts field. Unfortunately, the market was pretty tight.

Todd's girlfriend was an intern at the Museum of Natural History, which needed volunteers for their cetaceas department. Todd heard the call and donated most of his free time to the dissection of whales and dolphins that had washed ashore.

Needless to say, things improved after his move to Seattle in 1991. After juggling various jobs as a cook, kitchen manager, and waiter, he eventually scored his first job as a graphic artist at a small graphic design and pre-press studio. After that, he worked as a contract artist on several game titles, including Sammy's Science House, Mixed Up Mother Goose, and Adi.

In 1994, Todd formally came on board at Sierra as an Art Tech on Torin's Passage. He recently finished working on The Mask of Eternity where I worked as a 3-D Terrain and Interior Artist.

Todd lives with his wife Ruth and two pets (Shelby and Laslow) in a 50's-style brick rambler in Seattle. "On occasion, I still draw naked women and comic book heroes," he admits.

Currently Michael can be seen casting his magic around the inner offices of SWAT Close-Quarters Battle.
Ole Mikey has his paws into a little of everything from the establishing shots, all the way up through, but not limited to, his work behind the camera. Lately it has been rumored that he can be seen sporting a "fresh" pair of pointy ears and clutching his favorite Mr. T action figure. Though his work on several other "class act" projects have labeled him a force to be reckoned with, he finds himself longing for the carefree days of Antara. Michael has also been seen cavorting around Leisure Suit Larry's Casino, and is said to have vacationed in France with Gabriel Knight (an old dear friend of the family). Some of the people who work with him have described him as a "Maniacal Genius". The ones we talked to said "Oh, that guy there is a really nice guy, a little on the slow side but wouldn't hurt a fly". We found him to be neither. We close now with a word from the Superhero himself, "I think I forgot to feed my fish…."

Mark has been working as a traditional and digital artist for close to 14 years. He worked primarily as an illustrator before being hired by Sierra over 3 years ago. Mark worked on several projects including Shivers 2, Power Chess and for a short time on GK3 before moving on to his dream job with SWAT 3. Mark is the character builder responsible for organizing, tracking , creating and texturing a majority of the 3D characters and weapons for SWAT 3. He has been interested in law enforcement and military tactics, training and equipment for many years. When asked what he liked most about being a member of the SWAT 3 team, Mark said "Day in and day out it's weapons, cool gear and tactics. It's a beautiful thing! If you don't have the opportunity to walk the walk everyday, then talking the talk is the next best thing."

Before joining Sierra in 1992, Travis Brady used to be stunt double for such actors as Harrison Ford and Pee-Wee Herman in his prime before the Vietnam era. Moviegoers will also recognize him as the face of Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi.

The pressures of Hollywood were wearing at his nerves, so at the ripe old age of 23 he settled into the low-pressure industry of game development. "I've been practicing Karate for 8 years, I like snowboarding, paintball, and roasting chestnuts on an open fire. I kinda like computer games too," adds Travis.

Before Sierra, Max worked in engineering and architectural visualization. Now, "I create immersive worlds for the best game company on the planet!"

Prior to being hired on at Sierra, Mark spent seven years working as a designer for a large architectural and engineering firm in Seattle after receiving Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Bachelor of Architecture degrees at Washington State University. A long-time interest in cutting edge computer technology and 3D architectural visualization led him to pursue a career in the gaming industry. Mark sought out a group that shared his interest in "virtual architecture" and that was dedicated to creating the most realistic and architecturally accurate environments current technology would allow. The SWAT 3 development team was a perfect match.

Except for college time spent east of the Cascades, Mark has spent his entire life in western Washington, growing up on Vashon Island in the Puget Sound and later living in Seattle. If not glued to his computer, Mark enjoys playing soccer twice a week in a Seattle area league, spending quality time with his wife Maggie, or just hanging out at home with a good book and a really big latte.

Real Name: Paul Gustaveson
Other Current Aliases: LXD, Grimjack, Capt. Arcane, Gwendolin
Identity: Secret, the majority of Earth is unaware of his existence.
Legal Status: Citizen of the USA
Place of Birth: Nampa, Idaho
Marital Status: Desperate, but not serious.
Known Relatives: Yes, I know my relatives.
Base of Operations: Fortress of Slack, Kirkland WA. or Cube 2064.
Member of: The U.F.S.C.M., the Raven's War team, the Kodiak Marmosets and the Boy Scouts of America.
Physical Description: My pudginess defies description.

History: Born in Idaho but an Oregonian forever (that's OR-EE-GUN), John moved to Seattle to attend art school in 1990. After graduation in 1992 he found his start in the game business with BrightStar Technology, a recently acquired subsidiary of Sierra. After beginning with educational titles like Berlitz Live! Japanese, he moved to children's education titles like Dr. Brain 4. At long last he made it to the action game genre with Cry.Sys.

Powers and Abilities: Able to listen to short repetitive sound clips for long periods of time. Also able to watch Ren & Stimpy for 6 months straight. Able to arrange streaks of graphite and ink on wood by-products to form interesting images. Also known to Animate 3-D characters from time to time. John possess strength and agility far in excess of other cube squids. Able to lift 300 pounds for short periods and can dodge questions at the drop of a hat.

Fresh off a 2 year stint of Half-Life testing, Cade joins the SWAT3 team with an open mind and a new pair of contacts. In his three years with Sierra he's worked on over 15 different titles. Aren't you impressed? His major in college was Speech Communications, but he has yet to show that he actually has any communications skills. Fortunately in QA grunting and pointing are usually enough.

In order to make sure his testing was as thorough as possible, Cade has spent many hours playing paintball to get a feel for what it's like to be shot. "I wanted to make sure the death animations on the game were accurate, and of course the welts are a babe magnet," he claims. In his free time Cade likes to eat Thai food and watch movies.