SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle - Gameplay

Gameplay

As the name indicates, the game is based on CQB tactics. The player is in charge of a five-man SWAT element, and unlike other tactical shooters, such as the comparable Rainbow Six games, the player is a police officer; therefore arresting rather than simply shooting suspects on sight is the primary objective.

The single player game features four elective weapons; the HK MP5 and MP5SD, the Benelli M1 Super 90 and the Colt M4A1, in addition to the modified Springfield M1911 side arm issued to all LAPD SWAT officers. All of these feature a flashlight and some have modifications to give SWAT a tactical advantage in certain situations; for example, the M4A1 can fire 'beanbag' less than lethal rounds which hurt but do not kill targets, and the M1 Super 90 has secondary breaching ammunition for shooting locks out of doors. Others have a selection of full metal jacket and expanding hollow point ammunition, whose effectiveness depends upon the situation and the target.

Unlike some other games, some weaponry and ammunition is actually able to penetrate through walls, which makes spray-firing a risk, as a stray bullet can pass through a wall and hit an innocent.

Firearms are augmented by a number of tactical aids, such as CS gas and flashbang grenades, chemical lightsticks, breaching explosives and the 'opti-wand'; a miniature camera on a telescopic wand used for searching around corners.

SWAT officers are outfitted much like in real life, with some advancements for the game's near-futuristic setting; these are used to explain aspects of the gameplay, such as the HUD; officer's fully enclosed helmets have relevant information, such as ammunition counts and a target reticule projected onto the faceplate.

Instead of traditional health points, SWAT3 has a health 'scale' more similar to a life bar, representing sensors monitoring blood loss and body temperature. Wounds cannot be healed mid-mission, and an officer can take very few hits before being incapacitated. This necessitates the use of flashbangs and chemical irritants before entering an area to disorient armed criminals waiting in ambush.

The game has three difficulty levels; easy, medium and hard, which increase the aggression and tactical intelligence of suspects and reduces their likelihood of surrender. There is also a 'reaction time' option for AI officers and suspects, ranging from 1 to 20 milliseconds, which dictates how quickly officers and suspects respond to changing situations.

Within a mission, the game has two 'modes': stealth, and dynamic. In stealth mode, officers move slowly and cautiously, use the opti-wand on doorways and corners, speak softly, do not use flashbangs and pick locked doors instead of destroying them. Suspects are unaware of or can lose track of the SWAT team in stealth mode, potentially giving the player the element of surprise. When a suspect is encountered, the game automatically switches to dynamic mode. In dynamic mode, officers move quickly, speak loudly and shout, and use flashbangs and breaching explosives when appropriate. The player can switch freely between stealth and dynamic modes.