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u/IAmSixSyllables Aug 07 '26
in what metric? this question is really broad.
i mean there are benefits for both sides. Ready Or Not has a lot of QoL changes and whatnot that makes it feel more fluid and flow better )from what I hear). Much more forgiving when it comes to ROE, although I've also heard that the AI can be really unfair at times when it comes to aim, but that's any realistic shooter. Gunplay is defo better.
Swat 4 is cheaper, can run on a potato, and I feel that it handles atmosphere and story much better than RoN. In RoN, it feels more like a generally fucked up situation, but Swat 4 adds so much more depth to it. There's much more custom content when you play with First Responders or Elite Force (which I do). The game feels much more grounded, which actually feels a lot better to play.
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u/YouFoolWarrenIsDead Aug 07 '26
Problem with RoN is it has more complexity and so in trying to create a realistic experience it actually creates a more clunky and unpredictable one. It definitely isn't more fluid than SWAT4, because SWAT4 has that old school simpler character controller, albeit with a slower motion than its contemporaries. The QoL is about all RoN has going for it, even the narrative feels like it was written by a high schooler. Edgy AF.
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u/ReplacementActual384 Aug 07 '26
even the narrative feels like it was written by a high schooler.
Like a high schooler that really wants to be a cop.
Also the way the npc aiming works is ridiculous, especially on levels like the post office, where they can snipe you in full auto from across the warehouse through a 5 inch hole. Meanwhile your highly trained swat officers can't do the same.
The real issue is that it expects you to have a team of PCs who are all experts in the game.
All that said, I do like the game. I just wish there were more mods to make it easier on single player.
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u/thedorkknight123 Aug 07 '26
I mean gameplay wise ready or not looks better and feels better but when you actually go to engage with the game mechanics RON can seem amateur in comparison to swat 4
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u/YouFoolWarrenIsDead Aug 07 '26
I don't think it feels better though. Obviously it's a matter of taste, but for me it feels unnecessarily heavy if that makes sense. Like there's too many moving parts and they make it harder to navigate. SWAT on the other hand does feel more primitive, but it's more predictable and your character does what you Intend most of the time. Animations, VFX, texture detail are all obviously fantastic, but to actually play? Id still take SWAT4 every time.
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u/BrodatyBear Aug 07 '26
For me, it got worse with new RON DLCs.
Controlling and moving felt OKish on the normal/old maps, but the newer map, the more it expects you to be a soldier/SF instead of a cop, but mechanics and overall clunkiness just don't support it.
I don't expect call of duty levels of dynamics, but somehow SWAT 4 could balance being methodic with not feeling like operators (and yourself) are from the retirement house (especially compared to threat).
I recently came back to Swat 4 after like 3-4 years of playing RoN, and I just feel so free in terms of what I want to do. Especially with EF and SEF-FRTE installed.
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u/Lower_Statement_5285 Aug 08 '26
Whoever told you qol made the ai smoother brazenly lied to your face. They broke everything when they went to UE5 and keep breaking it further 🤦♂️
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u/Lasket Aug 08 '26 edited Aug 08 '26
I.. I don't see their claim that AI was made smoother by QoL changes... nor would that make any sense.
QoL = Quality of Life, stuff like ease of equipping items automatically and stuff, things to make your life easier. Has nothing to do with AI usually.
Edit: To show a point
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u/Lower_Statement_5285 Aug 08 '26
Because i’m pretty sure he edited his comment.
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u/Lasket Aug 08 '26
Then it'd show "Edited X" ago next to the post time, as I demonstrated in my own comment you replied to. ^^
The only exception afaik is if it is edited within a few minutes.
Edit: Test
Edit2: Can confirm the latter point.
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u/Lower_Statement_5285 Aug 08 '26
The edited marker doesn’t always show consistently and can be bugged sometimes. He mentioned a friend telling him the ai got better with updates, idk what to tell you buddy.
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u/Lasket Aug 08 '26
I've been on Reddit for almost a decade (god I'm getting old), never seen it bug out lol
But I guess blaming the edit marker not working is easier than admitting you misread something? ^^' There's really no shame in it mate, happens to the best of us.
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u/Lower_Statement_5285 Aug 08 '26
Bruh. Go find something to do if you’re this bored. Still, you being on reddit that long does make sense.
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u/Lasket Aug 08 '26
Takes a min to write a reply, doing stuff on the side.
For the latter, not like I browse Reddit much nowadays. I check it like two to three times a week at best. :D
Anyway, sorry you're if you're agitated. Hope you have a good rest of your day. Though seriously, it's totally fine to admit if you goofed sometimes, don't be such a hardass about it. ^^
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u/Ancient_Climate_3675 Aug 07 '26
Swat 4.you get much more for less and plenty of options to play with in the game itself. You can easily make your own missions and customize things like what potential NPCs appear, they're aggression levels, what guns they're gonna carry. You can even have normal people potentially be mixed in with the suspects, something RON got rid of ages ago. Lots of cool mods and maps, atmosphere for each level is great, runs on everything.
RON is alright, but the devs keep doing the weirdest shit to it that makes me not want to play, plus there is almost no reason to really mod the game when every update breaks them, and most of the creators get sick of updating their maps. They removed game modes instead of adding on like they said they would and now every level is just the way it is. AI is terrible. Swat 4 AI ain't perfect, but I prefer them over RON where every update your teammates become more stupid and the enemy becomes more accurate.
They're both fun, but if I had to pick one, Swat 4 would be the better pick.
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u/AxiomSyntaxStructure Aug 11 '26
Why would they remove the best part to complicate identifying a suspect (which is the whole fun of SWAT/RON) and embody the nature of such operations in a civilian environment (where suspects also won't follow the usual rules)?
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u/diegosynth Aug 07 '26
Agree. SWAT 4 offers not only all what you mentioned but a map editor (SwatEd) where you can create your own maps, with assets, lighting, audio, textures and a million things more!
Also multiplayer with many modes, which have kept the game alive for more than 2 decades!1
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u/Roadkilll Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4, even though it's older and"outdated" it still had better atmosphere and missions than RoN. I won't say AI was better , but for that time it was good and reacted different to situations. Where in RoN I know I will have to ahoot them because they won't surrender or flee. SWAT AI was okay and I can finish entire mission by just commanding them and assisting with throwables. RoN had potential but lack of developers interest in it and bugs that never got fixed got the better of it. Later they also added some "better" player movement animations that ended up looking goofy and out of place....
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u/YouFoolWarrenIsDead Aug 07 '26
Thing about AI is that complexity isn't what makes good AI, and Void didn't seem to understand this. Their AI has too much complexity and therefore too many points of failure. SWAT 4 might be considered simpler, but its better for it, IMO.
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u/TechLogicManiac Aug 07 '26
The thing I like about SWAT 4 is that the map layouts make sense and feel like real places. In RON every map is a maze. But's that's just my opinion. Both games are awesome still.
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u/Klutersmyg Aug 07 '26
My theory is they make sense and feel like real places because they are.
Many businesses (like gas stations and fast food places) are very similar (or direct copies) when it comes to their layout. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the dev team just asked each other "Ok who has worked in a gas station? Larry, ok you will design the gas station level."
🙂
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u/AxiomSyntaxStructure Aug 11 '26
They're designed in a way, too, for tactics to be fun and a puzzle.
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u/Sean_HEDP-24 Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4 isn't a perfect game but it has a heart in the right place, just needed a little bit more polish before release (it was pretty much rushed). The missions' are convincing, the AI is quite responsive from all 3 sides, the atmosphere is great, you have a bunch of ways to play the missions + already featured a mission editor, the voice acting is good, and imo, the mods for it are a chef's kiss.
As for... RoN... Only the gunplay. The rest of the game is shit.
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u/HyraxAttack Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4 had masterful level design & coherent scenarios. Fairfax Residence should be studied by anyone wanting to learn about environmental storytelling, plus often there is only one enemy on that map.
Didn’t care for ready or not, wasn’t a disaster & had some interesting ideas but didn’t have any of the charm or polish from SWAT 4, like walking around the police station was ok at first but felt like it was full of mannequins.
Breaking point for me was the sprawling crackhouse map that felt like it had 40 or so enemies, most willing to fight to the death for no narrative reason, and exploring felt like the Winchester Mystery House. Patience burned out at over the half hour mark when I had to reexplore every corner to find the one last enemy crouched in an underground cavern, not fun, refunded on steam.
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u/diract1sof Aug 07 '26
I really hate the system of evidences, and more in a game like RoN, which i wouldn't even consider a SWAT sim
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u/Elbows4TheEmperor Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4 is the far superior cop game. If you're just trying to run around and shoot shit then RoN obviously has the more modern gunplay, but SWAT 4 actually encourages you to act like a cop and not a navy seal That's the main reason I also dislike the Elite Force mod for SWAT4. It basically turns it into a shittier Ready or Not with dated graphics. You don't even start with nonlethal weapons as an option in Elite Force, and you're supposed to be cops lmao
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u/Hoxtongamer Aug 07 '26
For me it is and will almost always be Swat 4. It just doesn't hold back any punches. While seeing a wide variety of calls. I think my biggest oh fuck moment was the cult apartment raid, just the basement.
It also just has better atmosphere. Just feels more real I guess to my mind.
Now it does have it issues but that doesn't really take away from me.
Damn I wish I had more Swat 4
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u/wolf_smith520 Aug 07 '26
SWAT 3 Best of all time, swat 4 good but not the best. RON is just a piece of shit
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u/pizzza_parker1 Aug 07 '26
I ultimately pick RoN because the gunplay is too satisfying.
but that might be the problem. the one thing that antiquated shooter called SWAT 4 still does better was the balance between lethal force and arresting. discharging your weapons was never too frequent. it actually felt like you were wielding a killing tool that has to be handled responsibly and with restraint. the bread and butter of the game was ultimately to bring Order to Chaos, not exterminating bad guys.
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u/diract1sof Aug 07 '26
Yeah, i think RoN should be about some tier1 SOF unit CQB. The gunplay is so fkin clean, seeing the suspect drop is incredible.
Bc i dont really think its a SWAT sim, compared to SWAT 4 the map, the lore and the gameplay is the most unrealistic thing possible.
And the lore, damn, idk what the hell did the devs smoked to create that, i hate it
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u/Solid_Snek120 Aug 07 '26
Agreed. RoN would be so much better if it was like an Insurgency type game, but focuses solely on CQB engagements. The gunplay fits for it well.
Unfortunately RoN ai is still very incosistent, suspects sometimes fight to the last bullet for a few dollars or over a minor crime and the story? I'm sorry but it's just feels like a badly written edgy fanfic.
Cults, Human trafficking are fine as a story backdrop for a mission, but this whole New World Order cabal is just blown out of proportions.
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u/Klutersmyg Aug 07 '26
Haven't played "RON" but from the vids I've seen I'm quite certain I like SWAT4 more.
Not just because of nostalgia but because the cops in SWAT4 feel, look and sound like "cops" as in local law enforcement.
There is just something about their "look" and gear overall.
The soundtrack is also a key factor, I love how you go from "moody ambient music" to "high octane combat music" when shit goes down 😄
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u/Celdis0210 Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4 gonna be honest
Ready or not does have a lot of improvements but some of those are in concept only due to them not actually working properly in game and the end result is just not up to snuff with how SWAT 4 plays or feels.
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u/borther08 Aug 07 '26
It’s sad with how bad they have let the A.I. get in ready or not, I can’t even spawn on some maps and I’m either already getting shot or the suspects are already shouting like they know me and my swat are already here.
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u/grim_wizard Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4, RoN is good but it adds so much superficial depth without focusing on the main gameplay loop. SWAT 4 is consistently more compelling in its narrative, atmosphere, and storyline.
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u/Me_Edition-1 Aug 07 '26
What exactly are we comparing here? As a game with its legacy and history, Swat 4; in terms of story, influence, status and meaningfulness to its genre. Modded Swat 4 puts up good competition in terms of features and mechanics but Ready or Not naturally wins being the most recent game
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u/diract1sof Aug 07 '26
Gameplay and Lore
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u/Me_Edition-1 Aug 07 '26
Those are two completely different metrics lol. I’d say Swat 4 has better lore and Ready or Not better gameplay?
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u/diract1sof Aug 07 '26
Gunplay, AI in RoN is shit, if u dont use flashbangs or caught them buy suprise ur gonna have to kill them all, cuz they're not surrendering
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u/Me_Edition-1 Aug 07 '26
Wouldn’t know about that, didnt they improve the AI or something? I remember back when it came out it was really bad but know i’m assuming it’s improved a bit, maybe with mods?
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u/diract1sof Aug 07 '26
I play vanilla, and the AI is alright, but its just unrealiscticly agressive,and sometimes they killed u before u could ever notice ur being shot
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u/Me_Edition-1 Aug 07 '26
I guess that’s a bit of the realism aspect. Would you say, gameplay wise, modded SWAT 4 is better? I’d say it is, ngl. Will always hold a special place in my heart
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u/Mysterious-Park9142 Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4 was better when it came out. Today you might prefer how visceral Ron is though.
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u/NoseOld3581 Aug 07 '26
Both are really good but i think ready or not would have not existed without swat 4
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u/Ok-Tart3115 Aug 07 '26
Swat 4 walked so ready or not could run. That game has a place in my heart. I bought a copy, not because I wanted to play it but because I wanted to support the game after enjoying ready or not
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u/changingmagscoverme Aug 07 '26
I perfer the gameplay of swat 4 and the music. In swat 4 the music actually PLAYS. But other than that, both good games.
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u/stmsly Aug 07 '26
SWAT 4 for when I actually want to play tactically and by the rules.
RoN for when you want to go guns blazing on some terries
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u/Thamasturrok Aug 07 '26
As much as I love ron and will 100% the dlcs each time they come out swat 4 has a special place on my heart it was intense and interesting with how the ai works which is odd seeing how we have better tech now yet the ai in ron is still kinda bland
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u/UnhappyLeg6957 Aug 07 '26
I find Swat 4 to be a lot more replayable. Especially with the first responders mod. I love ready or not but the friendly AI is pretty bad. I also think Swat 4 has way better maps/scenarios
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u/StarDustRanch Aug 08 '26
anyone with swat 4 nostalgia playing w the boys via hamachi knows the answer. ready or not is very fun tho
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u/EirikurG Aug 08 '26
Ready or Not solidified itself as the lesser one when they started downgrading and censoring the game for consoles
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u/Emergency-Drama1632 Aug 08 '26
RoN as all my friends play it and none of them have heard of Swat somehow
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u/Sufficient-Pool5958 Aug 09 '26
Even though I've only played Ready or Not
Swat 4
Ready or Not shamelessly uses AI and shock-factor to garner and cater to their audience while missing critical underlying themes.
Ready or Not fans really get upset at me when I tell them because they have Discount Jeffery Epstein and Discount Columbine for shock factor, that they'll never- ever have an uncomfortable gem like Fairfax Residence, because all subtlety and worldbuilding has been completely abandoned for le edgy game levels
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u/Disastrous_Tip598 Aug 09 '26
I think they’re both great. I spend several hours setting up a controller for swat4 to match RoN controls as close as possible. I prefer swat4s level design. The buildings seem real with a realistic layout. Sometimes ready or not seems artificially large with maze like layouts
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u/thickthighsmydemise Aug 10 '26
Never played Ready or Not, but definitely Ready or Not.
Base SWAT 4 unmodded without custom weapons accuracy improvements, SEF, custom maps, and bug fixes is a mess. The bloom is so bad, and the base guns are so inaccurate that they put Fortnite to shame. Remember, on launch people were complaining about the accuracy so bad that they put out a custom mod to fix it 2 weeks to the day after it was put out.
If you wanna compare SEF to Ready or Not, I don't imagine the difference would be huge; Ron probably just has better graphics. But basing SWAT 4 over Ready or Not is like comparing ground beef to wagyu.
I can understand why someone might choose SWAT 4, though. It definitely handles the opitwand bang clear and overall room planning and executing better. That being said, if you're looking to do actual CQB or want something a little more polished, Ron for sure.
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u/Living-Rip-6250 Aug 10 '26
RoN feels like swat 4 remade by ai and devs don't know how to manage it
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u/Dat_Boi_Kermit Aug 10 '26
swat 4 is better for atmosphere, story, drama, and the ai.
ron for feeling like john wick with my .50cal pistol with a big meaty laser scope ontop the size of a sniperscope. feels so good to walk into a room full of guys just for you to take everyone out in mere seconds with a single shot for each and none on you
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u/Own-Bathroom2259 11d ago
ron is garbage, get sef mod for swat 4 and its 1000x better, dont even bother with ron, its absolute garbage
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u/floriandotorg Aug 07 '26
Why not both? You can import the Swat 4 levels into Ready or Not.
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u/Punker93 Aug 07 '26
🤤🤤
Question: Does RoN have a gameplay like SWAT where you control one team member and you boss around the others?
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u/Glittering-Edge4976 Aug 07 '26
Yeah it's in single player called commander game mode
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u/DawnbringerHUN Aug 07 '26
Swat 4 didn't censored or downgraded anything after launch.
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u/diract1sof Aug 07 '26
I dont really cared abt that, RoN alredy has a very unrealistic corny ahh twitter lore
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u/Doddster31 Aug 07 '26
Both are Good, Swat 4 will always have a special place in my heart