SWAT 4

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SWAT 4
Image:SWAT 4 Coverart.png
Developer(s) Irrational Games
Publisher(s) Vivendi Universal
Designer(s) William Gardner
Paul Hellquist
Ian Vogel
Engine Unreal Engine 2.0
Version 1.1
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date NA April 5, 2005
PAL April 8, 2005
JP July 29, 2005
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Mature 17+
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 18+
Media CD-ROM
System requirements Minimum: Recommended:
  • 2.4 GHz Pentium 4, Athlon XP 2500+, or equivalent
  • GeForce 4 Ti (not MX) with 128 MB, ATI Radeon 9500 with 128 MB with Microsoft DirectX 9 drivers installed
  • Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed
Multiplayer:
Input methods Keyboard, Mouse

SWAT 4 is a tactical first-person shooter computer game developed by Irrational Games and released by Vivendi Universal on April 5, 2005. It was built on Irrational Games's Vengeance engine powered by Unreal Engine 2.0 technology. In SWAT 4, the player leads a SWAT tactical element in resolving various situations, such as hostage standoffs or apprehensions of dangerous subjects. An expansion to SWAT 4, entitled SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate, was released on February 28, 2006.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Single player

SWAT 4 features a single-player campaign in which the player has to lead their SWAT element through 14 missions. The missions are not related and there is no overarching storyline. The game aims to have gameplay similar to the real SWAT experience. For example, it encourages the use of non-lethal weapons to subdue and arrest subjects rather than shooting them. In addition, players must follow strict protocol to ensure proper use of force. Players may not fire on suspects with lethal weapons unless the suspect points their firearm at a fellow officer or a civilian. Penalties are given for unauthorized use of force, injuries to hostages, officer incapacitation, and personal injury. On the higher difficulty levels, more points are required to pass the mission, with 100 being perfect. On the most difficult level, Elite, players need a 95/100 to pass, and will fail for killing even a single suspect, losing more than two team members without committing an infraction, or committing any infraction in addition to being injured, as each of these actions result in the loss of more than 5 points.

The player is the leader in a five-man SWAT "element" made up of the leader and four other men that are divided into two pairs, called "teams". The teams are assigned colors, "red" or "blue". The player does not assume direct control over the other officers. However, orders can be issued from an order selection menu, ranging from clearing a room to covering an area and handcuffing a compliant person. Additionally, a video camera is mounted on each police officer's helmet. This allows the leader to see what other members of the element see, and to issue appropriate orders to a team that is in another location.

All missions start with a pre-mission briefing which describes the situation and gives whatever details are available on the suspects and / or hostages. For some missions, a 911 call is heard, which can give a clue on what to expect, and what equipment should be chosen for that situation. The briefing identifies mission goals, which consists of bringing order to chaos by arresting or neutralizing all suspects, and rescue all hostages or other civilians. Sniper support may also be provided, but the snipers' views are limited to static parts of the map, often covering a single window. Different objectives may include the capture of a specific suspect, finding out the fate of an undercover officer, or defusing explosives. After the briefing, the player can choose equipment for themselves and the other four officers. Some mission maps also provide for multiple entry points.

The SWAT element preparing to enter and clear a room.
The SWAT element preparing to enter and clear a room.

A perfect score may be gained in a campaign by arresting all suspects and rescuing all civilians, securing all weapons, reporting all status updates, not suffering any losses to the team, and not receiving personal injury. The missions progress from poorly armed suspects to well-equipped soldiers with rifles such as AK-47s. Suspects may also obtain gasmasks, helmets, and body armor. Suspects who cannot be arrested or who will not cooperate when verbally challenged must be neutralized according to SWAT protocol.

SWAT 4 has the concept of authorized and unauthorized use of weapons. Most situations require the officers to give the suspect a warning to give them the chance to surrender. Shooting without warning is considered unauthorized use of force or deadly force, depending on whether the player kills the suspect. A non-compliant suspect that does not point his weapon at another person may not be lawfully shot. A single unauthorized use of force deducts 5 points, while deadly force deducts 10 points - in addition to the loss of score because of not taking suspects alive. Shooting without warning is allowed if the suspect is pointing their weapon at a hostage or a SWAT team member or if they open fire. Suspect reactions to warnings differ - some may attempt to hide and set up and ambush, some immediately surrender, others will flee and some will open fire. Some suspects may also pretend to surrender and open fire or run. If a hostage is killed, the mission is automatically deemed a failure.

Also, it should be noted that characters in SWAT 4 are easily injured. Even though all members of the element are equipped with armor, they can be incapacitated quickly. If the player is incapacitated, the mission ends in failure. Lightly wounded players suffer gameplay penalties depending on injury locations. Leg injuries result in a limp, and arm injuries result in loss of accuracy.

[edit] Multiplayer

A SWAT team clearing out a subway maintenance tunnel during a multiplayer CO-OP- game.
A SWAT team clearing out a subway maintenance tunnel during a multiplayer CO-OP- game.
The player can select equipment for each of the officers.
The player can select equipment for each of the officers.

SWAT 4 also features several multiplayer game modes, all of which are team-based: SWAT versus Suspects. The multiplayer modes are:

  • Barricaded Suspects. Teams gain points by arresting or killing members of the other team. The team which hits the score limit first or has the highest score when the round time ends wins.
  • VIP Escort. A random member of the SWAT team is selected to be the VIP. The suspects must arrest the VIP, hold him for two minutes and then execute him. The SWAT team must escort the VIP to an extraction point on the map. If the suspects kill the VIP without holding him for two minutes, SWAT wins. If a SWAT team member kills the VIP, suspects win.
  • Rapid Deployment. 3 to 5 bombs are placed throughout the map. The SWAT team must locate and disable them all within a time limit, if they fail to do so, suspects win.
  • Co-op. This allows the player to play through the single-player missions with up to four other people taking the place of computer-controlled SWAT officers. In the expansion, Co-op can run on custom missions and with up to ten players per game, which can further be split into two completely separate teams (red and blue) with a leader each. This is not similar to single player teams where an element leader controls both teams. Many players and clans use the game as a platform for realistic operations, using real life tactics and organization.

[edit] Weapons & Equipment

Several firearms are available for use in SWAT 4 (Note some weapons have been renamed but still mimic the original weapons both cosmetically and functionally):

For most guns, it is possible to choose between standard hollow point ammunition (which is better suited for those enemies in light armor or with no armor as it has quite good stopping power and can cause most damage to unarmoured targets), and full metal jacket ammunition, which provides better penetration and is advised for usage against heavily armored targets. It is advised not to use FMJ ammunition against those with light armor as there is a chance that it may go through the one wearing it and hit someone behind, who may be a civilian.

In addition, the player can choose a loadout of 'Less than lethal' weapons, which do not have the capacity to incapacitate or kill:

A major factor in SWAT 4 is selecting appropriate equipment to use for the mission. The tactical equipment available to the player is:

  • Flashbang Grenade - Used to disorientate those in the vicinity of deployment for a short period of time
  • CS Gas Grenade - Fills a room with CS gas, temporarily incapacitating all those without gas masks in the affected area
  • Sting Grenade - On detonation, this grenade sprays small rubber balls around the room, causing severe pain to anybody who is at a close proximity
  • Pepper Spray - Handheld canister of pepper spray that can be sprayed onto targets at close range to encourage compliance
  • Optiwand - A tool which uses fiber optics to examine under doors or around corners without exposing the officer
  • Multi-Tool - Can be used to pick locks on doors and remove door wedges.
  • Door Wedge - Tactical wedge used under doors to prevent them from being opened
  • Breaching Shotgun - Shotgun modified to fire breaching rounds, which break locks and enable rapid entry into locked rooms
  • C2 Explosive - An explosive device which is used to disable locks on doors

When playing online, the player has an added protections tab in the equipment selection. The player has to choose between gasmask or protective helmet, therefore even the SWAT team can be effected by CS gas if the helmet is selected. When choosing the gasmask however, the view of the player is partly blocked and therefore the view becomes smaller and player will be most vulnerable in the head without a helmet. The second option is to choose between light or heavy armor. At first it may feel like an obvious choice, but the movement speed of the player is greatly reduced when wearing the heavy armor so the light armor may be considered as an option if speed is important.

[edit] Trivia

  • SWAT 4 is the first game in the SWAT series that takes place in a location other than Los Angeles, California. It is not officially licensed by the Los Angeles Police Department SWAT Team like previous SWAT games. The game is set in the fictional city of "Fairview". Clues within the game (such as the color scheme, precinct numbers, and patch on some police cars, accent of team mates, and Sonny Bonds and most importantly the fact that the dispatcher in the A-Bomb Nightclub mission briefing dispatches the player into an area of the Bronx) remind the player of New York City. Another piece of evidence that it could be in NYC is that dialogue your teammates use upon restraining a suspect, includes the line: 'Have fun in Rikers', Rikers being a prison in New York. However, on the Old Granite Hotel call-up, there is a clear view of the city's skyline, which appears to be that of Boston, Massachusetts. The Prudential Tower and 111 Huntington Avenue are clearly visible. This may be due to the fact that Irrational Games has a studio in Quincy, Massachusetts, which is just outside of Boston.
  • The version 1.1 update for SWAT 4 added in-game advertising to the game, delivered by Massive Incorporated.[1] This caused controversy from the gaming community, and citing this example, GameSpot gave SWAT 4 the Best & Worst of 2005 award for "Most Despicable Product Placement".
  • Sonny Bonds, the protagonist of the original Police Quest games, appears in this game as the player's superior officer. He instructs the player throughout the game's tutorial level, and also provides the player with mission briefings during the mission loadout. Jessie Bains, Bonds' arch-enemy on the first two Police Quest sequels, has his name in the entry lobby in the Red Library stage.
  • In the A-Bomb nightclub, extra points are added for shooting a hostage in the head with a taser.

[edit] Critical response

SWAT 4 has been generally well received by computer game reviewers. Following is a small list of some of the reviews.

[edit] The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion

SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate
Image:SWAT 4 - The Stetchkov Syndicate Coverart.png
Developer(s) Irrational Games
Publisher(s) Vivendi Universal
Engine Unreal Engine 2.5
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date NA February 28, 2006
PAL March 10, 2006
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Mature 17+
PEGI: 18+
Media CD-ROM
Input methods Keyboard, Mouse

An expansion pack for SWAT 4 was released on February 28, 2006 in North America. The expansion includes seven new missions featuring the fictional Stetchkov crime family.

[edit] New Features

  • VoIP capability has been added to multiplayer games.
  • There are eight new missions. (One of the missions is secret and only enabled with a cheat code)
  • Two new multiplayer modes; "Smash and Grab" and "Co-op QMM" are included.
  • The FN P90, Tec-9, the Desert Eagle, Cobra stun gun, Colt Accurized Rifle, M249 SAW and the HK69 grenade launcher have been included.
  • Players may strike suspects or hostages with their weapon to prompt compliance, which has the same effect as a non-lethal weapon. This was included to address the problem of a player having few options when they find themselves with no non-lethal weaponry and a non-cooperative suspect or hostage.
  • Suspects will now pick up their weapons if they are not swiftly arrested.
  • 10 player Co-op up to 2 teams of 5.
  • Weapons and equipment for both SWAT members and suspects.
  • Stat tracking and ladders and rankings for multiplayers.
  • Held Commands: Orders can be held in single player until the leader gives the GO Command.
  • Unique Leader In Co-op: Option to have only one person issue commands and lead the team.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
SWAT video games
Police Quest
SWAT