SWAT 4

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.^[1]
GOG.com		Includes The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
The Stetchkov Syndicate

Demos

A demo is available here.

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch 1.1

Skip intro videos

Launch the game with -nointro parameter^{[citation needed]}

GameSpy alternative

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

Use SWAT 4 Stats Master Server Patch.

Use Swat 4 Server Browser Alternative.^[2]

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.

Regardless of the changes, the mod is highly recommended even on the first playthrough.

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^[3]

Download and extract the folder "SEF" of SWAT: Elite Force inside SWAT 4 directory.
If necessary download and extract the newest patch for your version of the mod and extract it inside SWAT 4 directory.
Launch the mod using <path-to-game>\SEF\LaunchSEF.bat or <path-to-game>\SEF\Extras\LaunchSEF.exe for a nice icon.

Notes

Requires The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion to work.

User should extract the SEF folder itself and not its content. Root folder should look like this after successful installation.

To change the game's language whilst using the mod see changing language in SWAT: Elite Force.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Content\System\Swat4.ini^{[Note 1]} <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System\Swat4X.ini^{[Note 1]}

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Content\System\Campaign.ini^{[Note 1]} <path-to-game>\ContentExpansion\System\Campaign.ini^{[Note 1]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy

Video

Make sure game is running with admin rights^{[citation needed]}

Video settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution		See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor		Disable intros to fix flickering
Ultra-widescreen		See Widescreen resolution for Vert- scaling.^[4]
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.

Widescreen resolution

Use SWAT: Elite Force
Widescreen options are available in the menu but resolution resets after every launch. To prevent this edit INI files to your chosen resolution, before restarting the game.

Edit INI files^[5]

Open your configuration file with a text editor (make sure you have run the game at least once)
Adjust the following lines accordingly to your resolution

WindowedViewportX=
WindowedViewportY=
FullscreenViewportX=
FullscreenViewportY=
MenuViewportX=
MenuViewportY=

Can cause text chat to have hidden/invisible text.

The following prevents resolution being reset. No need to make your configuration file read-only.

Edit INI files^[6]

Base game

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open SwatGUIState.ini.
Add or Adjust the following lines accordingly to your resolution

ScreenResolutionChoices=800x600
ScreenResolutionChoices=1024x576
ScreenResolutionChoices=1024x768
ScreenResolutionChoices=1280x720
ScreenResolutionChoices=1280x1024
ScreenResolutionChoices=1366x768
ScreenResolutionChoices=1600x1200
ScreenResolutionChoices=1920x1080
ScreenResolutionChoices=2560x1440
ScreenResolutionChoices=3840x2160

The Stetchkov Syndicate

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open SwatGame.int.
Add or Adjust the following lines accordingly to your resolution

ScreenResolutionChoices=("800x600","1024x576","1024x768","1280x720","1280x1024","1366x768","1600x1200","1920x1080","2560x1440","3840x2160")

Can cause text chat to have hidden/invisible text.

Field of view (FOV)

Use SWAT: Elite Force

Edit ini file^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open SWATPawn.ini (make sure you have run the game at least once).
Go to class [SwatGame.SwatPawn].
In this section adjust line FirstPersonFOV=.
Change from 85.0 to 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 your configuration file with a text editor (make sure you have run the game at least once)
Find Suppress=WindowedMode and comment it (put a ; at beginning of the line)

Notes

You can toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode with Alt+↵ Enter now

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Edit ini file^{[citation needed]}
Open `Swat4.ini` within Configuration file(s) location with a text editor (make sure you have run the game 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^{[citation needed]}
Open `Swat4.ini` within Configuration file(s) location with a text editor (make sure you have run the game at least once) Go to class `[D3DDrv.D3DRenderDevice]`. In this section find `UseVSync=False` which can be set to true to enable v-sync

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration		Mouse acceleration and smoothing enabled by default
Mouse sensitivity		See Mouse sensitivity.
Mouse input in menus
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 you have run the game 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 your 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.^[7]

Surround sound

OpenAL Soft method^{[citation needed]}

In the System folder of the game, 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.

or

Using Directsound 3D restoration software^{[citation needed]}

The game use by default openAl with a Directsound 3D output ("Generic Hardware" output).

Do not delete or replace the gamefolder 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 your configuration file with a text editor (make sure you have run the game at least once)
In this section set Use3DSound to True.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
Czech				Retail version only.
English
French				Retail version of base game only. Unofficial translation for The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion available here
German				Retail only, download.
Hungarian				Retail only, download.
Italian				Retail only.
Japanese				Retail only.
Polish				Retail only, download.
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation, download.
Russian				Retail only.
Spanish				Retail only, download. For SEF mod use this.
Traditional Chinese

Switching language to English (due some widescreen issues with Czech language for example)
Open your configuration file with a text editor (make sure you have run the game at least once) Change Language=xyz to Language=int Save the config (doesn't require read-only)

Changing language in SWAT: Elite Force^{[citation needed]}

Open Swat4x.ini within SEF/system with a text editor (make sure you have run the game at least once)
Go to language=int and SpeechLanguage=int.
In this section change int to your desired language; example: language=spa for spanish.

Speech language= changes the voice language, whilst language= changes subtitle and interface language.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Notes
Local play		Co-op, Versus Use Nucleus-Coop Unofficial mod.
LAN play
Online play		GameSpy server browser has been shut down. See GameSpy Alternative

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting		Windows dedicated server software included in the installation folder.^[8]
Direct IP

Ports

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

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

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

Screens flickering^{[citation needed]}

Some users with multiple monitors have issues with their screens flickering.

Unplug your second monitor's cable that goes to your graphics card (unplugging the power cable is not enough) and start the game.

Alternatively, press ⊞ Win+P to bring up the display switch dialog (on Windows 7 and up), and disable the secondary monitor.

Alternatively, run the game with the -nointro parameter, after having run the game at least once before with any additional monitors disabled.^[9]

Alternatively, launch the game windowed (see Windowed and Widescreen resolution if you don't know how), 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]}

Other information

API

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

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

Modifications

Requires The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion for mods to work.

SSF Realism

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

Also known as Sheriff's Special Forces Realism.

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
Hard disk drive (HDD)	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.

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References

[gamedir-4] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[1] SecuROM™ Support Website - SWAT 4

[2] SWAT 4 Multiplayer Tutorial - Mod DB

[3] How to install SWAT: Elite Forces - Mod DB

[5] SWAT 4 - PC Ultra Quality (3440x1440) - last accessed on 2019-08-18

[6] Widescreen Gaming Forum, SWAT 4 article

[7] , SWAT 4 Widescreen Mod (Gold Edition)

[8] SWAT 4 with 3D spatial sound 🎧 (OpenAL Soft HRTF audio)

[9] Team Element - Forums :: SWAT4

[10] GAZCHAP - SWAT4 Dual Monitor Fix

[1]

[2]

[3]

[Note 1]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

Developers

	Irrational Games
Publishers
Retail	Sierra Entertainment
Digital	Activision
Engines
	Unreal Engine 2
Release dates
Windows	April 5, 2005
Reception
Metacritic	85
Taxonomy
Monetization	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