Interview with Rod Fung, SWAT 3 Producer

Can you introduce yourself and explain your involvement with SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle?
My name is Rod Fung, and I am the producer of Sierra Studios' SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle. I've been at Sierra 10 years now, first working at Sierra's original headquarters in Oakhurst, California, and then in 1996, I relocated to Sierra Studios in Bellevue.

SWAT 3: CQB is described as a tactical simulation rather than a strategic action game. What is the difference between the two?
SWAT 3 unfolds within a dynamic environment. As the element leader, the player will have the ability to make decisions at the tactical level rather than establishing an overall strategy from the mission planning stage. You will be in charge of a single element that will move and react to the orders that you give them. This game truly simulates what it is like to be a member of a SWAT entry team.

What are some of the key features in SWAT 3 that sets it apart from other squad-based simulation games?
In SWAT 3, you play the element leader of a 5-man team, you being the fifth member. Your team of 4 SWAT officers will be driven via a unique artificial intelligence system. Through a very simple messaging system, you can send basic commands to team members such as "clear", "try door", "cover", and so forth. They respond with realistic looking, motion-captured animation that will move them through the 3D world. The AI characters move where you direct them to, and clear areas where they are told to clear. You control this element in ever-changing dynamic environments filled with suspects and hostages.
Like in other games, you have sophisticated tactical equipment at your disposal, but SWAT 3 really emphasizes the use of good judgement and tactics to successfully complete each mission.

What are some of the situations the player has to face from mission to mission?
Some of the missions are loosely based on international terrorist events. We're not recreating a specific incident that LAPD has been involved with, though all of the situations could easily happen, and are very realistic. There are various types of missions, ranging from hostage rescues, to high-risk warrants, to rapid deployments. The game is set in the year 2005, which is only about five years away. Our game designer, Tammy Dargan, has created a world where the political and social climate is more volatile, more violent. It's a time when international terrorism has invaded America, specifically the city of Los Angeles. It's LAPD SWAT's job to stop the terror and protect the citizens.

How will the single-player campaign work?
SWAT 3 can be played in mission mode or career mode. In mission mode the player can choose to play any mission in any order, with each mission being treated as a stand-alone experience. However, in career mode the story unfolds based on the outcome of the previous mission, (did you arrest or neutralize the suspects, was the hostage rescued?). There are a variety of paths that players can follow. Depending if a character (suspect, good guy) lives or dies in a career mission, you may find that character showing up in a later mission. The information you receive in the pre-assault briefings weaves the story together. There are two final cut-scenes that end career mode; one victorious, the other disastrous.

Will the game support multiplayer?
The game's architecture is designed from the ground up to support multiplayer. At this time we are focussing on creating the best single-player game we can make for our November release. When we ship multiplayer, we'll have 'co-op' missions and also what I like to call "force on force" missions. The multi-player component will probably ship as an add-on shortly after the initial retail launch and it may include our level editor.

What kinds of weapons and equipment will be available in the game, and what factors determine the items that the player has access to?
You'll have a full array of CQB weapons such as MP5's, MP5SD's 1911 .45 cal handguns, Benelli Shotguns, an M4-configured AR (which also has a less than lethal option), flashbangs, chem lights, CS gas, C2 explosive, etc., from the start. In the game we are placing less emphasis on tactical weaponry, and more on using good tactics to win the mission. To be honest, in a CQB environment, all you need are reliable weapons, ammunition with good knockdown power, and proper tactics… nothing more. The latest "state of the art" weapons won't win the fight for you, good tactics will. The player will need to guide their team through the various environments, working each door, and corner, clearing threat areas, and neutralizing suspects if necessary. That's what real life SWAT is about. Since the game takes place in the year 2005 we are giving the player a unique ballistic helmet that contains a heads up display, a gas mask, and a communication device. It's actually modeled after a prototype SWAT helmet that is currently being designed.

Aside from equipping the team, what sort of pre-mission planning will be available to the player?
You will have a briefing as to what the situation is. In these briefings, you will be given information such as how many 'known' suspects and bad guys there are. There may also be 'unknown' suspects and hostages as well. A number of the SWAT 3 development team has spent a considerable amount of time at LAPD SWAT training sessions and in the classroom. We have had the opportunity to sit in and listen in on actual LAPD SWAT briefings. Our mission briefings in the game will be very close to what actually is gone over in the 'real thing'. In some missions you may get updated information from your high ground cover (sniper team) as well.

Are any of the maps based on real places, and if so, how accurately have they been reproduced?
Each level is built to architectural scale, in fact one of my artists on the team is an architect. We used the WorldCraft level editor to build the environments. Some of the levels are based on real locations such as the LAX control tower, LA City Hall, LA Convention center, others closely resemble real locations such as our church, various hotels, banks, etc.

Tell us about team member AI-what kind of behavior can the player expect from the AI SWAT members, and how much micromanagement will be involved in commanding them?
Our SWAT officers are tactically smart. They move correctly, and are able to read the 3D environment. They know how to maximize their distances to threat points, and they know how to clear rooms. They lean and slice-the-pie around corners, and they will seek cover when necessary. They know the difference between stealth and dynamic modes, and their movement and actions will reflect the tactical mode you command them to be in. You won't have to micromanage their every movement, as they know what to do in the various circumstances. If they see a suspect, they will attempt to get compliance, if they need to use lethal force, they will do so. It's really pretty cool to just sit back and watch them move… in recent versions of the game we've greatly improved their movement and tactical awareness. I can't wait for my LAPD SWAT buddies to play this as I think they will enjoy this.

How is enemy AI handled?
The enemy AI is even more varied than the SWAT officers are. Some are tactically trained bad guys, others are just common criminals… others are somewhere in between. Some bad guys will hunt you down if they hear a sound; others will run to the furthest place away from you. Some will only fight if they are cornered; others will drop their guns and run. It's quite varied as to how they will react. Every time you play a mission, the bad guys may be in different start locations, as well as have a different AI. One nice feature that we just implemented is the ability for all suspects and hostages to hide in cabinets and closets. You really need to carefully clear rooms to make sure no one is hiding under beds, in kitchen cabinets, etc… LAPD SWAT calls this 'reading the room.'

What sort of stimuli will enemies in SWAT 3 react to?
SWAT 3 is grounded in realism. All the characters (hostages, suspects, and SWAT officers) will react to footsteps, gunshots, coming into the line of sight of someone, seeing blood on the ground, door openings, door closing, etc. The character's reaction to these stimuli depends on the individual's AI. We have about 125 characters in the game, plus 60 SWAT officers, each have their own AI.

What sort of training features will be in the final game?
You will have two training scenarios. One will be a shooting house (layout based upon a very famous hostage rescue scenario), the other will be an option to play the first mission as a training mission. Both of these training exercises will have the option to turn on a 'talking tutor' that will help you move successfully through the environments. Example, at a doorway, the 'talking tutor' can tell you what to do next; where the threat points are, how to clear the corner, etc. We will also have an education area where you can learn practical knowledge about your special weapons and tactics.

Tell us about the game physics...
SWAT 3 simulates a real close-quarter battle tactical experience. One of the most important aspects of working rooms and shooting within close confines of our environments is knowing your field of fire, and where your bullets will go if you decide to fire. In the real world, SWAT team members really need to control their field of fire. They are accountable for every bullet they send downrange. One of the memorable experiences from the first LAPD SWAT training session that I attended was how the team works in close-quarters. At this live-fire training session I was amazed to watch an element split their team and enter adjacent rooms simultaneously, both making entry at the same time and engaging targets which consisted of bullet traps set up against connecting walls. If they had missed their targets, the bullet would enter into the adjacent room and possibly hit another SWAT officer. When I inquired about this… their answer was that LAPD SWAT never misses their targets. Sure enough every session I've witnessed since then, I have never seen them miss their intended target. On LAPD SWAT, the level of team coordination combined with their firearm skill is amazing. In the early development stage of this game Tammy Dargan and I made a list of 'must' features that would add a unique level of detail to recreate the CQB environments. We knew that shooting through walls and other materials was a must and we placed it at the highest priority. In the game, each material such as glass, wood, plaster has its own characteristic. Ammunition also has its unique characteristics, so depending on what material you are shooting, combined with the type of ammunition and firearms you are using, your bullet will penetrate certain materials to specific depths. I'm not advocating shooting through walls, but you can use this to your advantage at times… its up to you.

As for other realistic features that are included in SWAT 3, we have the ability to render true mirrors and reflections, volumetric dynamic lighting, 3D sound, dynamic vertex lighting for characters, split skeleton animation system, additional viewports which allow you to monitor your team members movements, etc…

How accurately does the game represent actual SWAT procedure? What sort of research did you do while making the game?
The game is very accurate as to how SWAT teams operate. There are a number of aspects of SWAT techniques that we chose not to show, some of which could compromise the safety of LAPD SWAT, but by and large, this game truly represents a SWAT entry team in a 'close quarter battle' environment. As far as research, we have spent a considerable amount of time at LAPD SWAT training exercises and participating in the classroom. I've had a long relationship with LAPD since 1993 when we developed Police Quest 4. We are close-contact with key members of LAPD SWAT, as well as other members of the tactical community. Many of my development team also attended SWAT tactics and advanced firearms training. All of our tactical consultants have helped us out tremendously. It would be near impossible to include the level of detail we have in SWAT3 if it weren't for their shared real world experiences.

What 3D APIs will this title support?
All major Direct3D cards and Glide (3DFX). We also support software as well.

Can you give us any indication of what the system requirements may end up being?
That's not defined yet. We will probably require at least 32 mb RAM. 16bit color, at least 800X600 res., Voodoo 1-3, or a Direct 3D card recommended. We will support software as well.