v7 Release Date news - SWAT 4

SWAT: Elite Force v7 will release on June 7th, 2020.

Yes, that is a hard date. I have finally resolved all of the issues involved with the mod. I have locked down all of the features for v7, and over the next two weeks there will be a bug-hunting and fixing session among the community. If you want to get in on the action, you can head on over to our Discord server.

It has taken me longer to come out with this version of the mod than any other version previously. This is in part due to the sheer complexity of the changes involved with v7, and due to real life circumstances making it difficult to find the time to work on the mod. (And as I noted previously, I was working for VOID Interactive until very recently).

Probably the most annoying bug to fix with the game was the sharing bug.

What is the sharing bug?

In v7, a Share feature was introduced. When you walk up to a teammate and press the Melee key with a tactical item equipped, you will give that item to another teammate. This is incredibly useful in cases where you don't want to swap the formation of your officers in multiplayer. It's also useful because you can issue this order to your AI squad members and have them give you equipment.

Unfortunately, the code itself was bugged, and in multiplayer, it would not give the piece of equipment correctly. Fixing it proved to be incredibly annoying; I had to set up two virtual machines on my computer to run on a dedicated server to try and replicate the bug, and of course, Unrealscript doesn't have a proper debugger. Any kind of information I had to fish out had to be done with the game's Log() function. Ultimately I had to completely rewrite the system and use a different approach which thankfully accomplished the same thing and provided new flexibility to the game by allowing for more loadout slots. The new slots will allow me to work on new features that I have planned for the mod. More on that at a later date. But the fix also corrected a number of obscure, random bugs that were caused by the incorrect way that I had implemented the Share feature.

So yeah, it took me over two years just to fix that issue, between working two jobs. Thankfully, the mod is in a much better position because of it. I didn't just fix that issue over the past two years. I also implemented a number of other new features...

New Equipment

v7 adds a whole lot of new equipment. Some of it was lifted from the SWAT 4 1.2 mod, whose authors were kind enough to give me permission to use the equipment models. Others were created by the community.

(Above pictured equipment, from top left, clockwise: Colt Model 635 9mm SMG, FN FAL, XDM Pistol, SCAR-H)

The following is a list of newly-added or upgraded equipment:

• SCAR-H (+suppressed, +suppressed/aimpoint, +aimpoint variants)
• AKs-74su (only available in All Missions or Multiplayer)
• MP5K PDW (+suppressed variant)
• Colt Model 635 9mm SMG (+suppressed variant)
• Glock 18 and Glock 19
• XDM pistol
• FN FAL
• New Desert Eagle model (only available in All Missions or Multiplayer)
• Changed texture on G36K, silenced MP5, silenced UMP.
• Added Brettzie's M4A1 model (+suppressed, +suppressed/aimpoint, +aimpoint variants)
• Heavy Kevlar Armor (Level IIIA) and Heavy Ceramic Armor (Level IV)
• Lightsticks will now attempt to "un-fall" out of the level, making them much less likely to disappear.
• Added equipment cabinets to the Training mission which let you test out the guns.
• Added "no weapon" option (note, you must take at least one gun as the engine requires it)

Improved AI

• Swat AI doesn't stop to engage targets when issued a MOVE TO or FALL IN command. They will continue following you as they engage targets.
• Swat AI will now cover each others backs when they're issued movement commands, and won't run when issued a MOVE TO command.
• Swat AI can now use grenade launchers.
• Swat AI can now be affected by less lethals, making gas masks that much more important in early missions.
• Swat AI doesn't move out of the way when bumped by a door, which makes them better at blocking the suspects' path.
• Suspects will attempt to escape when they have given up, and aren't being watched. (note, in the vanilla game, they did this when there was a weapon nearby)
• Suspects can randomly investigate noises now, instead of the investigators being determined by the map.
• Suspects will flee the area when there is gas.
• Suspects remain barricaded after shooting at doors.
• Suspects can randomly close and lock doors that have been opened when they are barricading.

Improved Quick Mission Maker

• Quick Mission Maker missions aren't played through the PLAY QUICK MISSION menu any more. They are now played through the Career menu, and can be played as a campaign, meaning Quick Missions now have access to permadeath, career co-op and other campaign features.
• You can now rearrange the order of missions in a Quick Mission Maker pack.
• Quick Mission Maker packs can be turned into campaigns with unlocks and progression.
• You can customize the weapons and items available in a Quick Mission Maker pack.
• You can now use custom maps in the Quick Mission Maker
• You can now allow traps, the dispatch audio, original mission scripts, and inanimates to appear in a Quick Mission.
• You can now write your own briefings for Quick Mission Maker missions.
• You can now customize the suspects and civilians that appear in a Quick Mission Maker mission in greater detail, including where they spawn, and even their voice type.
• Those pesky INVALID stamps don't appear when you are using campaign objectives.

Other

• Added Hardcore mode (fail one mission = campaign over!)
• Added REQUEST >> tab with options to give you grenades, lightsticks, C2, optiwand, pepper spray, or wedges.
• CHECK FOR TRAPS and MIRROR/SCAN DOOR have been changed. Officers now require the optiwand to check for traps. Both this command and MIRROR/SCAN DOOR (which has been renamed to MIRROR FOR CONTACTS) are faster than they were before. There is also a command called MIRROR FOR ALL, which checks for both traps and contacts, but is slower than those commands.
• Gas and pepperballs are much less effective.
• Added 21:9 resolutions to the options menus.
• Fixed numerous bugs, both in the vanilla game and introduced in SEF.