SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle is a 1999 tactical first-person shooter video game developed by Sierra Northwest and published by Sierra Entertainment exclusively for Microsoft Windows. It is the seventh installment of the Police Quest series and the third installment in the SWAT subseries. Set in the then-future year of 2005, the game follows the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Metropolitan Division SWAT unit as they combat a wave of violent crime and terrorism in Los Angeles in the lead-up to a nuclear disarmament treaty signing.

Unlike many other first-person shooter games, SWAT 3 places an emphasis on realistic police methods and tactics, including close-quarters battle tactics, proper use of force, and ideally arresting enemies rather than simply shooting them.

SWAT 3 was met by positive critical acclaim, with praise toward its graphics and AI sophistication. A sequel, SWAT 4, was released in 2005, developed and published by Irrational Games and Sierra owner Vivendi Universal.

Gameplay

thumb|upright|Computer-controlled SWAT officers attempting to coax a stunned suspect into surrenderingIn SWAT 3, players control a police tactical unit as they are deployed to handle situations such as arrest warrants, hostage-takings, bomb threats, and shootouts. SWAT 3 is a tactical shooter, where characters can be killed easily and in few hits; therefore, tactics and planning are emphasized over mere brute force. SWAT 3 has the player command an "element" of five or ten computer-controlled officers divided into "Red" and "Blue" teams, from the perspective of the "White" player-controlled team leader, over a 16-mission campaign. Enemies, referred to as "suspects", range from individuals and small groups to trained and heavily-armed terrorist cells, with the game maintaining a learning curve for players as the complexity of suspects intensifies.

Unlike military shooters, such as the comparable Rainbow Six series, SWAT 3 emphasizes that the player is part of a police unit tasked with arresting suspects instead of killing them. Much of the game centers around following the rules of engagement, use of force policies, and proper police procedure. Violations of such policies—such as failing to recover evidence or dropped weapons, not securing hostages or surrendered suspects, attacking civilians or other officers, or using excessive force—results in penalties ranging from losing points to mission failure.

thumb|upright|The pre-mission loadout screen. The weaponry and ammunition loadout of each officer in the element is customizable to suit different situations.

The weapons and equipment available to the player are tailored to fit the police setting of the game. Lethal firearms—handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns—are mostly based on real weapons issued to the LAPD SWAT, such as their custom Springfield Armory M1911A1 that appears as the standard-issue sidearm. Firearms can be supplied with different ammunition types, such as hollow-point, full metal jacket, armor-piercing, or bean bag rounds depending on the weapon. Bullet penetration is simulated, making "spray and pray" fire risky due to the possibility of hitting an unseen NPC. All officers carry equipment including stun grenades, CS gas grenades, explosive breaching charges, a multi-tool, glow sticks, and an "Opti-Wand" fiberscope camera. Officers wear body armor and enclosed combat helmets with built-in respirators and head-up display projectors inside the faceplate, used to explain the presence of the HUD. The HUD is minimal displays the player's crosshair, stance, commands, and health (the latter as vital sign sensor readings).

Missions can be approached in stealth or dynamic modes. In stealth mode, the SWAT team moves methodically and avoids aggressive actions (e.g. quietly picking a locked door instead of forcing it open), giving the player more control at the cost of speed. In dynamic mode, the team moves with combat in mind and has more aggressive options (such as breaching charges and flashbangs) to clear an area rapidly while risking their safety. Modes are not set, and the player can freely shift between them, though the game automatically shifts from stealth to dynamic when the team is compromised by a loud noise or contact with a suspect. Difficulty levels range through easy, medium and hard, affecting the aggression and likelihood of surrender of suspects. The player can also separately adjust the amount of time the AI has to determine its actions, from 1 to 20 milliseconds.

When originally released, SWAT 3 did not contain a multiplayer mode, which ultimately drew criticism from both critics and fans; however, roughly a year after the game's release, Sierra made the 1.6 patch available freely online. Among other things, the patch implemented a multiplayer mode, including traditional deathmatch and team deathmatch modes, as well as cooperative play using the singleplayer missions. The 1.6 patch was also implemented into SWAT 3: Elite Edition around the same time. Following the purchase of Sierra by Activision, the SWAT 3 multiplayer servers went down permanently, though unofficial third-party servers are still maintained by players.

SWAT 3 includes tools and support for modifying the game. A modding community has grown around SWAT 3, producing new missions, maps, weapons, and character models for use in both singleplayer and multiplayer modes.

Plot

thumb|upright|An armed suspect with a hostage. Suspects' AI will often try to place innocents between themselves and SWAT officers as [[human shields. and the designer is Tammy Dargan; both were part of the team that developed Police Quest: SWAT. Initial development of SWAT 3 began in May 1997 and took over 18 months to complete, with 20 developers working on the game.

A Dreamcast version was planned for release in 2000, but it was ultimately cancelled for unknown reasons.

SWAT 3 was released in three main versions:

  • SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle (November 19, 1999), the initial release.
  • SWAT 3: Elite Edition (October 6, 2000), adding multiplayer, new game modes, and new missions. Included in the version 1.6 update.
  • SWAT 3: Tactical Game of the Year Edition (October 10, 2001), adding new missions. Included in version 2.0 update. Retail copies included an 'Advanced Tactics CD' containing real-life SWAT training footage; this content is also available in the game's GOG.com release.

Older versions of the game can be upgraded to a newer version through a free download from the game's website.

Reception

Close Quarters Battle

SWAT 3 received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. GameSpot commented that "SWAT 3<nowiki/>'s most impressive feature has to be the amazing artificial intelligence employed by friend and foe alike" and praising the graphics and level design, but criticized the lack of multiplayer in the initial release, the tendency for some dialogue to repeat, the need to "radio in" every suspect or hostage secured, and the need to restart missions from scratch should the player be wounded.

The game was a runner-up for Computer Gaming Worlds "Action Game of the Year" and PC Gamer US "Best Action Game" awards, both of which went to Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear. The staff of PC Gamer US wrote of the game's singleplayer mode, "graphically, environmentally, and tactically, it was unsurpassed among action games this year."

Elite Edition

The Elite Edition received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. indicating sales of at least 100,000 units in the UK.

See also

  • Ready or Not, a 2021 tactical shooter considered to be a spiritual successor to the SWAT series

Notes

References

  • Official website via Internet Archive