SWAT 4

SWAT 4

Developers
	Irrational Games
Publishers
Retail	Sierra Entertainment
Digital	Activision
Engines
	Unreal Engine 2
Release dates
Windows	April 5, 2005
Reception
Metacritic	85
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Expansion pack
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control, Menu-based
Genres	Action, FPS, Tactical shooter
Themes	Contemporary, North America
Series	Police Quest

Police Quest
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel	1987
Police Quest II: The Vengeance	1988
Police Quest III: The Kindred	1991
Police Quest: Open Season	1993
Police Quest: SWAT	1995
Police Quest: SWAT 2	1998
SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle	1999
SWAT 4	2005

Warnings

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM 5 DRM disc check.
GOG.com		Gold Edition.

A demo is available from SierraHelp, ModDB and GameFront.

Version differences

The Gold Edition includes the base game and The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion.

Monetization

Type	Notes
Expansion pack	The expansion pack includes a new campaign, weapons and items.
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
The Stetchkov Syndicate

Essential improvements

Patches

The latest official patch for the base game is 1.1, and is available from SierraHelp, GameWatcher, GameFront, and Patches-Scrolls.

The expansion did not receive an official patch, but there is a fix for the Polish localization specifically.

The GOG.com release is already patched to version 1.1, and includes the expansion pack.

Skip intro videos

Launch the game with -nointro parameter[citation needed]

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Content\System\Swat4.ini <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System\Swat4X.ini

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Content\System\Campaign.ini <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System\Campaign.ini

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy

Video

300px

Video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor			Disable intros to fix flickering
Ultra-widescreen			See Widescreen resolution for Vert- scaling.
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)		85°, Vert-. See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed		See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		For SWAT 4, see Vertical sync (Vsync). For The Stetchkov Syndicate, the option is available in the options menu.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS		No frame rate or refresh rate cap.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Widescreen resolution

Use SWAT: Elite Force

Edit INI files

Open the configuration file with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once) Set the following values according to the desired resolution: WindowedViewportX= WindowedViewportY= FullscreenViewportX= FullscreenViewportY= MenuViewportX= MenuViewportY= Notes Widescreen resolutions can cause text chat to have hidden/invisible text. See Text is not displayed properly in widescreen resolutions. Screen resolution may reset on launch. See Screen resolution resets on launch. Intro videos remain in 4:3 resolution, to fix this Skip intro videos.

Field of view (FOV)

Use SWAT: Elite Force

Edit INI file[citation needed]

Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open SWATPawn.ini (make the game has been launched at least once). Go to class [SwatGame.SwatPawn]. In this section adjust line FirstPersonFOV=. Change from 85.0 to the desired value. Notes Not recommended to edit as this will cause sensitivity issues when using gadgets like the optiwand. Only affects weapon viewmodel. Editing SWATPawn.ini may not allow people to join your server.

Windowed

Edit Swat4.ini file[citation needed]
Open the configuration file with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once). Find Suppress=WindowedMode and comment it (put a ; at the beginning of the line). It is now possible to toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode with Alt+↵ Enter.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Edit INI file[citation needed]
Open Swat4.ini at the Configuration file(s) location with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once). Go to class [D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]. In this section, adjust line LevelOfAnisotropy=1 (maximum is 16).

Vertical sync (Vsync)

Use SWAT: Elite Force

Edit INI file
Open Swat4.ini within Configuration file(s) location with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once). Go to class [D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]. In this section, find UseVSync=False which can be set to true to enable Vsync.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse sensitivity		See Mouse sensitivity.
Mouse acceleration		Mouse acceleration and smoothing enabled by default.
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Mouse acceleration

Use SWAT: Elite Force

Edit User.ini

Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open User.ini (make sure the game has been launched at least once). Add the following lines at the bottom: [Engine.PlayerInput] bInvertMouse=False MouseSmoothingMode=0 MouseSmoothingStrength=0.000000 MouseSensitivity=1.00000 MouseSamplingTime=0.001 MouseAccelThreshold=0.000000 DoubleClickTime=0.200000 [Engine.PlayerInput] entries are created upon inverting mouse Y-axis.

Mouse sensitivity

Edit User.ini[citation needed]
Set in-game sensitivity slider to 1.00 Calculate your sensitivity for UT2004 on mouse-sensitivity.com Edit User.ini with a text editor: [Engine.Input] MouseX=Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX Speed=2.0 MouseY=Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY Speed=2.0 [Engine.PlayerInput] MouseSensitivity=1.00000 [Engine.PlayerInput] entries are created upon inverting mouse Y-axis.

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Up to 7.0 output. See Surround sound.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		DirectSound3D
Royalty free audio

Surround sound

Using OpenAL Soft[citation needed]
In the <path-to-game>\System folder, rename DefOpenAL32.dll to DefOpenAL32.bak Download OpenAL Soft and copy soft_oal.dll (bin\Win32) into the same folder. Rename soft_oal.dll to DefOpenAL32.dll. Using OpenAL Soft causes most voice clips to not play.

Using Directsound 3D restoration software[citation needed]

The game uses OpenAL by default with a DirectSound 3D output ("Generic Hardware" output). Do not delete or replace DefOpenAL32.dll when using this method, using a more recent openal32.dll will crash the game. Use creative alchemy or similar DirectSound3D restoration software. Open the configuration file with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once). In this section set Use3DSound to True.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				Separate US and UK releases, affected by different patch executables.
Traditional Chinese				Retail only.
Czech				Retail only.
French				Retail version of base game only. Unofficial translation for The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion available here
German				Retail only; download for digital release.
Hungarian				Retail only; download for digital release.
Italian				Retail only.
Japanese				Retail only.
Polish				Retail only; download for digital release.
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation; download.
Russian				Retail only.
Spanish				Retail only, download. For SEF mod use this.

Changing speech language

Edit INI file[citation needed]

Open Swat4.ini (Swat4X.ini for The Stetchkov Syndicate) with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once). Set SpeechLanguage= to the country code corresponding to the desired language (refer to this alpha 3 code list. Save and close. Speech language= changes the voice language, whilst language= changes subtitle and interface language. Does not work for most recent version/GOG version.

Changing text language

Edit INI file
Open Swat4.ini (Swat4X.ini for The Stetchkov Syndicate) with a text editor (make sure the game has been launched at least once). Set Language= to the country code corresponding to the desired language (refer to this alpha 3 code list. Save and close. Does not work for most recent version/GOG version.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
Local play		Co-op, Versus Use Nucleus-Coop Unofficial mod.
LAN play		Co-op
Online play		Co-op The official GameSpy service has been shut down; see GameSpy Alternative.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting		Dedicated server software included in the installation folder.
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
UDP	10480-10483

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

GameSpy alternative

Due to the GameSpy server shutting down, it is highly recommended to use one of the alternatives.

Use SWAT 4 Stats Master Server Patch.
For the base game, back up <path-to-game>\Content\System\Engine.dll and replace wit with this patched file. For The Stetchkov Syndicate and the Gold Edition, back up <path-to-game>\Content\System\Engine.dll and replace it with this patched file.

Use Swat 4 Server Browser Alternative

Hosting a server

Open <path-to-game>\Content\System\SwatGUIState.ini. Set bLAN=False and save the file. Open <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System\SwatGUIState.ini. Set bLAN=False. Set bUseStatTracking=False and save the file. Open <path-to-game>\Content\System\Swat4DedicatedServer.ini (run Swat4DedicatedServer.exe first if the file is not found). Under the section [Engine.GameEngine], make sure the line ServerActors=IpDrv.MasterServerUplink is present. Open <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System\Swat4XDedicatedServer.ini (run Swat4XDedicatedServer.exe first if the file is not found). Under the section [Engine.GameEngine], make sure the line ServerActors=IpDrv.MasterServerUplink is present. Disable any mods (or reconfigure their listen ports) that may clash with the port range 10481-10483 (or join port +1 - join port +3 if your server has a non default join port). Such mods may include AMMod.AMServerQuery, GS1, and GS2. If the server is listed at Game Tracker, change the query port to 10481 (or join port +1 if your server has a non-default join port)

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
vorpX		G3D User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction.

Issues unresolved

Player character gets stuck in map elements

Occurs at high frame rates as object hitboxes become enlarged.

At high frame rates (above 150 fps), the player character can more easily get stuck on map elements.

Issues fixed

Screens flickering (multi-monitor setup)

Screens flickering[citation needed]

Some users with multiple monitors have issues with their screens flickering. Disable the other monitors by doing one of the following: Unplug the monitor's cable that is connected to the graphics card (unplugging the power cable is not enough) and start the game. Press ⊞ Win+P to bring up the display switch dialog, and disable any additional monitor. On Windows 7 and up, run the game with the -nointro parameter, after having run the game at least once before, and with any additional monitor disabled. Launch the game windowed (see Windowed and Widescreen resolution), then once on the main menu press Alt+↵ Enter to return to fullscreen.

Player doesn't move in online co-op

Make sure a sound card driver is installed[citation needed]

Text is not displayed properly in widescreen resolutions

Change text language to english[citation needed]
See Changing text language.

Screen resolution resets on launch

Edit INI files

Base game: Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open SwatGUIState.ini. Add or adjust the following lines according to the resolution: ScreenResolutionChoices=800x600 ScreenResolutionChoices=1024x576 ScreenResolutionChoices=1024x768 ScreenResolutionChoices=1280x720 ScreenResolutionChoices=1280x1024 ScreenResolutionChoices=1366x768 ScreenResolutionChoices=1600x1200 ScreenResolutionChoices=1440x1080 ScreenResolutionChoices=1920x1080 ScreenResolutionChoices=2560x1440 ScreenResolutionChoices=3840x2160 The Stetchkov Syndicate: Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open SwatGame.int. Add or adjust the following line according to the resolution: ScreenResolutionChoices=("800x600","1024x576","1024x768","1280x720","1280x1024","1366x768","1600x1200","1440x1080","1920x1080","2560x1440","3840x2160") Can cause text chat to have hidden/invisible text. See Text is not displayed properly in widescreen resolutions.

"Insufficient onboard video memory" error message

Occurs with GPUs with over 4 GB of VRAM. This is a false positive that doesn't prevent one from playing and can be safely skipped.

Edit executables with a hex editor
With a hex editor (e.g. HxD), edit SWAT4.exe in <path-to-game>\Content\System. Search for bytes 0F 85 5C 01 and replace them with 90 E9 5C 01. For The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion, repeat with SWAT4X.exe in <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Multiplayer	GameSpy	GameSpy services are offline. See GameSpy Alternative

Editor

The official editor is available here.

Modifications

The following mods require the The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion to work.

SWAT: Elite Force

A total overhaul mod that improves SWAT 4 experience by adding cut content, better AI, more equipment, multiplayer features, general bugfixes, QOL improvements and much more.

Allows both the original and The Stetchkov Syndicate campaign to be played as one.

Can be played online (See GameSpy alternative).

Install SWAT: Elite Force

Download and extract the folder SEF of SWAT: Elite Force into <path-to-game>. Launch the mod using <path-to-game>\SEF\LaunchSEF.bat or use <path-to-game>\SEF\Extras\LaunchSEF.exe to create a shortcut with an icon. Notes User should extract the SEF folder itself and not its content. See this article on how to install the mod properly and update it if needed. To change the mod's language, see Changing text language and Changing speech language. SEF's configuration file is Swat4X.ini in SEF\System.

SSF Realism

A mod that provides realistic gameplay while adding gameplay improvements for SWAT 4 single player and co-op.

Replaces the original campaign with a new custom campaign featuring levels inspired by SWAT 3.

Can be played online (See GameSpy Alternative).

SAS

Adds Special Air Service (SAS) themed gameplay and provides a more realistic gameplay.

Adds bugfixes and QOL improvements.

Limited online support due to the current version of the mod (v1.1).

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum		Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98 SE		2000, XP
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium III 1.0 GHz Intel Celeron 1.2 GHz AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz		Intel Pentium 4 2.4 GHz AMD Athlon XP 2500+
System memory (RAM)	256 MB		512 MB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	2 GB		2.5 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce2 ATI Radeon 8500 32 MB (Nvidia), 64 MB (ATI) of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible		Nvidia GeForce4 Ti ATI Radeon 9500 128 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device)	DirectX 8.1 compatible		DirectX 9.0 compatible

Nvidia GeForce2 MX200 and MX400 cards are not supported by the game.