The shotguns in the game are long and heavy, which makes them difficult to
use in tight halls and rooms. Moving even the slightest will throw off the
reticule, so you should stick with SMGs in tight environments.
The M4 can use either 00 Buckshot or 12 Gauge Slugs. Slugs are solid pieces
of metal that penetrate armor pretty well, but are somewhat inaccurate.
Buckshot is a series of pellets that spread out to devastate unarmored
targets, but are pretty much stopped by body armor. Buckshot is a hair more
accurate.
+---------+
|Nova Pump|
+---------+
Also by Benelli, the Nova Pump is a give-and-take version of the M4. It has a
larger magazine, able to hold eight rounds instead of five. However, it fires
slower. The accuracy seems comparable.
The Nova Pump also uses either Buckshot or Slugs at your discretion.
+-------------------+
|Less Lethal Shotgun|
+-------------------+
The Less Lethal Shotgun (LLS) is just a Benelli Nova Pump, but it's painted
green to indicate its non-lethal ammo. It only carries beanbags, which hurts
enemies without killing them.
I've said it before to people who have watched me play this game, and I'll
believe it till the end of time: there is no greater joy in the world than
shooting a guy in the temple with a beanbag. It's that fun.
Beanbags don't have the power to penetrate skin, let alone armor. If you're
expecting armored enemies, you're basically screwed by choosing this weapon.
If you stun an armored suspect with CS gas or a flashbang, you could use the
LLS to lower his morale even more. Just be sure to aim for his legs or his
head, because with the body armor on his torso, he won't feel a thing with a
shot there.
+---------------+
|Pepper-Ball Gun|
+---------------+
The pepper-ball gun is designed from paintball guns. It fires small balls of
pepper spray, turning targets to coughing, gagging, harmless people. It has a
very limited range, which makes it worthless outside. Inside, the puffs of
gas that are made from the balls' impact hang in the air for a second, which
can affect other people aside from the exact one you shot at.
The pepper-ball gun comes with only a single "clip." Its repository holds a
whopping 200 pepper balls, so unless you're a complete idiot when you shoot,
you'll never run out of ammo in a mission. It only has a semi-auto fire mode,
but if fires as quickly as you can pull the trigger, so you can lay down a
dozen shots in a fairly short time.
+---------------------+
|3b. Secondary Weapons|
+---------------------+
Your sidearm will probably not be used, but it's still helpful to have. You
could, for example, have JHP ammo in your primary weapon. Then, if you
encounter an armored target, you can draw a pistol with FMJ rounds to deal
with him. Plus, if you get trigger happy and don't have time to reload,
drawing your sidearm could save your life.
+-----+
|M1911|
+-----+
The Colt M1911 handgun is the standard pistol. Firing .45-caliber FMJ or JHP
rounds, it can penetrate armor fairly well. Its 8-round magazine isn't much,
but holds enough to get you through missions.
+-----------------------+
|9mm Handgun (GLOCK G19)|
+-----------------------+
What I believe is a GLOCK G19, this handgun is lighter than the M1911. It
doesn't have as much power, but its impressive 17-round magazine will easily
get you through missions. It's more stable and easier for its reticule to
recover too.
Like the M1911, you can use FMJ or JHP rounds.
+--------------+
|Taser Stun Gun|
+--------------+
The taser is a great weapon for pretty much any situation. Its shots will go
through all armor and everything to shock the crap out of your target. Plus,
no matter what difficulty level or enemy you see, the taser is near-
guaranteed to completely destroy the target's morale. That means he *will*
comply after being hit. (This simulates the fact that real tasers force
victims to fall to the ground and shake as if suffering a seizure, thus being
completely compliant.)
There are two weaknesses to the taser. First, it can only fire a single shot
before being reloaded. You'll carry about 15 cartridges into a mission, which
is quite a bit, but it's a very slow weapon and totally worthless in a
crowded room.
Second, its range is only 21 feet. It's worthless outside, therefore, and not
even very reliable in hallways. I never use it as the first weapon when I
enter a room unless I'm sending in the whole element first; I only draw it
when someone is gassed and non-compliant. If you try entering a room with it,
you're gambling with your life.
Unlike literally every other weapon in the game, the taser does not have a
flashlight.
+-----------------+
|3c. Tactical Aids|
+-----------------+
Inventory space is far more limited in SWAT 4 than SWAT 3. You can only carry
five of these items into missions. You can carry as many of a given item as
you wish, up to the maximum total of five. That means you could carry three
flashbangs and two CS gas grenades if you desired, for example.
+---------+
|Flashbang|
+---------+
Also known as a stun grenade, flashbangs are great entry devices. Banging a
room will attract everyone's attention, plus temporarily blind and deafen
anyone near it. That momentary delay may be all you need to run in and secure
everyone.
Flashbangs can't hurt you (health-wise), but they can blind and deafen you
too. If any wall is between you and the bang, you'll hear the explosion, but
you won't suffer the other side effects. If getting around a wall isn't an
option, at least turn your camera so you're not looking at it when it
explodes. That way, you'll at least have your eyes.
+------+
|CS Gas|
+------+
The bread and butter of getting high scores, the CS gas canisters emit what's
commonly called "tear gas." It will cause everyone in the room aside from
your officers to suffer eye burning and skin irritation. They will hack and
cough, and be unable to do anything. It's the perfect time to shout
compliance, and follow up with a taser shot if they don't comply.
CS gas is emitted for quite awhile. Even without the emission length, people
will suffer the effects of the CS gas canisters longer than they suffer from
the pepper spray balls. I once gassed a room with two non-compliant suspects.
I shot one with a taser, yelled at him to comply, reloaded my weapon, went
across the room, and shot the other one with my taser. They were both gagging
and coughing the whole time; yes, CS gas is powerful.
The only weakness with CS gas is that the gas will not affect the target
*instantly*. So you'll have to gas a room, count to 1, *then* go in and clear
it. If you don't, the suspects may get in a shot before they cough.
+--------+
|Stingers|
+--------+
Stingers are grenades, but not the standard fragment type that the military
uses despite how they look. When detonated, Stingers explode and fling a
myriad of small hard rubber balls everywhere. This disorients the target, but
causes no physical damage.
Stingers work much faster than CS gas canisters, and have slightly better
effectiveness than bangs (because enemies don't have to look at it to be
blinded). Stingers' effects don't last as long as the other two, however.
+--------+
|Optiwand|
+--------+
A camera on a stick, the Optiwand is your tool for looking under doors before
entering through them, and around corners before exposing yourself. Enemies
never notice your using the Optiwand, although if you get too close to a
corner, they'll see your hand.
Depending on how you play, you probably shouldn't equip all your officers
with an Optiwand. Not only are you taking away a valuable inventory slot, but
it's more than likely a *wasted* inventory spot because not everyone will end
up scouting.
AI officers will only report numbers if they scout, not locations. For
example, if you tell an officer to mirror a door, they may reply "One suspect
and one hostage" or "Multiple armed suspects." I find that very unhelpful, so
I am the only one who scouts.
That way, I only need to "waste" one inventory slot. If I'm the only one who
scouts, then I'll always have a scout unless I die (in which case the mission
is over anyway). Plus, I can see the actual locations of the enemies who may
be around, so I know how to enter.
+----------+
|Door Wedge|
+----------+
Door wedges can either be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on
how they are applied. A wedge can be applied to any door, and it effectively
locks the door. If a door is simply locked, then enemies can kick it open;
but if it's wedged, nothing will open it.
The key to wedges is to control the paths of the suspects. In a best-case
scenario, you wedge as you go, and you make a single linear path through the
area. This way, enemies have two options: advance to your officers, or
retreat to a room you'll eventually get to.
You can remove the wedge by cutting it with the Wave, which is the tool that
SWAT carries around (everyone has a Wave and it does not take an inventory
slot).
Note that there's a glitch in the game involving the wedge. It's a little
specific, but bear with me.
If you come to a locked door, then wedge it, then pick the lock, then remove
the wedge, the door will STILL be locked, and no amount of picking will open
it. If you trigger this glitch, you will have to breach the door with
breaching equipment (see below).
Simply put... If you see a door you want to wedge, make sure it's unlocked.
Simply tell a team to Stack Up, and they'll tell you if the door is locked.
If it is, pick it, *then* wedge it. Then, when you cut out the wedge, you'll
be able to open the door. Alternatively, be sure to cut your wedge *before*
picking the lock.
Some stages become significantly easier with a few well placed wedges.
Conversely, some stages are best left without wedges. I'll note that as usual
in my walkthroughs.
+------------+
|Pepper Spray|
+------------+
Pepper spray is a light version of CS gas. For gameplay purposes, pepper
spray and CS gas have same effect, but pepper spray doesn't last as long.
Every pepper spray can you carry holds 10 "rounds."
I find pepper spray useless. If you need to get that close to peacefully take
down a non-compliant target, the taser is a far better option. If you're just
trying to make them cough, a CS canister or the pepper-ball gun are both
better.
+-----------------------+
|3d. Breaching Equipment|
+-----------------------+
You have two options for breaching equipment.
+--+
|C2|
+--+
|
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