SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle - Elite Edition

Moby ID: 2651

Description official descriptions

The Elite edition is identical to the original game, but includes the following additional scenarios:

  • Chang's Chinese Theater
  • LA Subway
  • Hollywood Hills
  • Whitman Airport
  • City of Angels Hospital

The Elite Edition includes the multiplayer update and a mission editor. Existing SWAT3 owners can download these updates, missions, and the mission editor for free from the Sierra website.

Spellings

  • 霹雳小组3之精英版 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

117 People (68 developers, 49 thanks) · View all

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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 14 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 26 ratings with 2 reviews)

Great tactical sim in desperate need of a technology update

The Good
Random threats and objectives -- each time you play the mission it's different. The suspects can be in different rooms, armed different, have different attitudes, and so on

Bullet penetration -- behind a door doesn't mean you're safe. Suspects CAN and will shoot through doors, walls, etc.

Random amount of extra enemies -- you never know if you've really gotten everybody until you actually do so. (random amount of hostages too!)

Hostage behavior -- unsecured hostages (and suspects) will run around, and sometimes pick up weapons!

do things yourself or let AI do it -- you can be as hands-on as you want or as laid-back as you want, lots of flexibility

lots of mod support -- mod community have extended the game with lots of mods, from extra weapons to better AI, and so on.

The Bad
it's old and behind the times -- many games have surpassed it in detail. Soldier of Fortune series surpassed it in actual damage to specific body parts. Many other games have much better AI for both friendlies and opponents.

Can't use flashbangs properly -- AI have problem with door penetrations and proper use of flashbangs

Still not quite realistic -- no shield man, no ram man, no sniper, it's all shooters. almost no non-lethal weapons

The Bottom Line
SWAT3 is the first wave of tactical simulations. Its minimal-violence approach is refreshing among all the other tactical shooters on the market, both then and now. Having hostages around adds an extra dimension to your tactical environment. Proper use of tear gas and/or flashbangs is vital in ensuring the survival of you and your AI teammates.

Most of the game is spent on missions. Before each mission you get a thorough briefing on what has been done. If it's a crime / barricade / hostage situation, you get a list of hostages, possible suspects, weapons, events leading up to this, criminal records if available, etc.

Your team is then sent in to perform the mission. Ideally, it would be to arrest every suspect without violence and rescue every hostage. It is not always possible to do that, but hostages are still more important than criminal lives. You have strict rules of engagement... Shooting suspects in the back is NOT allowed, nor is shooting surrendered suspects. All suspects (and hostages) must be secured and evacuated from the premise.

Missions steadily ramp up in difficulty. You start with simple sniper/barricade, and end up with full terrorist attack with dozens of civilians and/or hostages and perhaps a dozen terrorists (against only 5 of you!) You may also have to diffuse bomb(s) under a time limit.

Interface is very simple and functional... You have a first-person viewpoint as team leader. Give orders via a simple number-based menu system that is context-sensitive (depending on what you are pointing toward). Point it toward a door, and you get breach choices. Point it toward a hostage and you get secure choices. Access inventory via the various function keys. The only thing missing is a map.

Even the same mission, when played multiple times, will be different, as the suspect location can be randomized, their attitude can be randomized, and so on and so forth.

Later patches added a 10-men special campaign that let you clear a building with 10-men (two teams) instead of just your team. You can't control the other team though.

Another feature is picture-in-picture, where you can view what your other team members (and if two-team missions, the other team's members) are doing.

Extra maps, mods, skins, and weapons are plentiful, many of them are full-blown huge maps, some are professional and others are fan-made, many are extremely impressive.

All in all, SWAT3 is an excellent achievement given what was available back then. Even now, with AI turned up to maximum and some enhancement packs thrown in, it will be a challenge to most players. With SWAT4 already in pre-sell, this classic is being included free as a part of SWAT4 pre-sell package, and should be savored.

Windows · by Kasey Chang (4598) · 2005

Great game tarnished by shoddy AI

The Good
The in game interface is simple yet highly effective, the first 7 number keys each correspond to a separate command which often have numerous sub menus, all of which can be instantly exited to the 'main' menu by pressing tab. Mission set up is fairly simple; the mission background is fairly in depth while you are given a (comparatively simple) choice of entry position (if available) and choice of stealth or dynamic (opposite of stealth) entry, element selection and weapon selection. All the missions have some random factors to them, suspects are often randomly placed and can behave differently each time the mission is replayed. Depending on material, walls and doors can be shot through meaning no more risking an officer to take out that last guy you know is behind that door.

The Bad
The AI of team mates is hopeless, a simple 'breach, bang and clear" usually results in at least two blinded officers and/or one down officer, instead of standing to the side of a door the officer will stand dead in front of it, even once it is open, making them a prime target for anyone on the other side. The officer with the Flashbang will then wander around the door as if checking to see if anyone is inside before throwing the device (which usually bounces off either the first officer or the top of the door frame), instead of bursting into the room the second after the device explodes the officers will usually wait long enough to lose any advantage. You will often get stuck between an officer and a wall, there is no 'get out of my way' button and the 'fall in' button sometimes doesn't gather a physical response. The voice messages can get cluttered up and slow, there will be a long delay between sending a message/command and it actually being voiced, the challenge command, usually along the lines of 'hands up, drop your weapon' have no urgency in them at all, they sound like the SWAT officer has just gotten home and is telling his son to let his little sister watch the tv. One major flaw in the mission setup is the lack of nominating the ammunition loaded(FMJ or JHP) into the firearm at mission start for either your self or your team mates, this leaves you to change once the mission starts.The damage models are a bit strange, shooting a suspect in the hand does not cause them to drop their weapon, shooting them in the leg or knee doesn't make them any more likely to surrender.

The Bottom Line
SWAT 3 is most like Ghost Recon placed indoors, that is Rainbow 6 with relaxed realism. Great fun despite the annoying AI and also highly informative in the 'SWAT History' section. A good stepping stone for Quakers looking to get into tactical shooters or hardcore realists looking for some relaxed fun.

Windows · by Evil-Jim (145) · 2002

Trivia

Server shutdown

The official online servers were shut down on 1st November 2008.

Awards

  • GameSpy
    • 2000 – Tactical Game of the Year

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kasey Chang.

Additional contributors: Sciere, CaesarZX, Patrick Bregger, Plok.

Game added November 26, 2000. Last modified March 3, 2024.