Attention Officers,
Welcome to our 44th edition of our biweekly newsletter! This week we will be sharing details from an interview with our police advisor, Dan. This newsletter will focus on Dan’s background and how he came to work for Ready or Not, as well as some of his major contributions. We are very fortunate to have him on the team to make Ready or Not as realistic as possible!
Police Advisor Background
Dan has spent 19 years total as a police officer, 15 years on SWAT split between two different departments and teams. He currently works for a large 54 man regional SWAT team covering small suburban cities and towns in a larger metropolitan area within the United States. Along with his duties in SWAT, Dan is an instructor in tactics and firearms at the police academy level. His knowledge and expertise has led him to publishing and peer reviewing articles in SWAT Magazine. His inspiration for joining the police force originated due to him misreading a line from the play “Our Town” when in highschool. The misread line “only one life in a thousand is interesting” and recent media focused on the Columbine shooting inspired Dan to make a difference with his life.
Dan has been playing SWAT and tactical games since he was a kid, reciting some of his classic favorites as Rainbow Six and Medal of Honor. Outside of video games, Dan describes himself as a historian of SWAT, specifically its early history and tactics. His passion for both led him to become one of Ready or Not’s early followers, commenting on reddit chat forums filling in the gaps with how SWAT operate in real life. His contribution to RON’s early understanding of how gameplay elements reflect real life operations sparked an email thread between developers and himself, resulting in his position as police advisor.
Above: A closeup of an ambidextrous lower receiver weapon.
Above: An expedient breaching tool that is small enough to always be kept in hand, Glock 17 for scale comparison.
The Ready or Not team depends on our police advisor for a wide range of things including SWAT AI behavior, uniforms, weaponry, as well as what a day in the life of an officer actually looks like. Dan’s description of how messy a real SWAT office is actually inspired the change of the lobby in the main menu of the game. Dan keeps us updated on new tactics and strategies, as they are always changing and look different in police departments across the country. He also helps explain the meaning behind why SWAT officers make the decisions they do and contributes heavily to building a very realistic SWAT AI.
Above: The gun belt setup of a SWAT officer.
Above: A kit worn by an explosive breached for a training event.
Above: One of the many strip charges used as an explosive for various types of surfaces waiting to be breached.
When asked what his favorite part about working with Ready or Not was , Dan stated he loves working with the team and contributing to a game that depicts real horrible events in a respectful way. He enjoys the setup of Los Suenos, stating it is realistic but original and fun to explore. In the future, Dan and the team hope to work together on improving the dynamic nature of SWAT AI. They hope to diversify the decision making of each individual SWAT AI depending on their skill level and talent. It is truly a privilege to work with someone who has as much passion as the Ready or Not team in creating realistic SWAT based video games!
Above: A SWAT armored vehicle, designed to withstand substantial fire from any angle.
Above: Officers practicing at a large multi agency training even at a hospital.
Conclusion
This concludes our 44th biweekly briefing where we learned more about our police advisors background and contributions. Be sure to tune in next time for more development news!
If you’d like to help us test new content during playtesting periods on the Supporter exclusive experimental branch, provide us with your game feedback, and keep up with the Supporter community; you can become a supporter at www.voidinteractive.net or at our Steam store page.
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