Ready or Not

Ready or Not is a tactical first-person shooter developed by Void Interactive. The game is a spiritual heir to the cult-classic game, SWAT 4.

Plot

Ready or Not takes place in the contemporary United States that were consumed by chaos due to the expanding stratification of the society. The player assumes the role of a member of the famous SWAT, trained for special missions that require fast, professionally coordinated, and perfectly planned actions.

Mechanics

Each mission in Ready or Not is preceded by the planning phase. During this phase, the players can analyze room layout, turn off the power in the building, block escape paths or create new entrances. In this phase, the players can also select weapons for the missions and equipment (including shields, battery rams, and ladders).

Once the actual mission starts, the action is presented from the first-person perspective. The players are accompanied by up to seven companions whom they can give orders. When playing the game alone, the companions are controlled by an advanced artificial intelligence that also controls enemies and hostages. This artificial intelligence makes sure that the behavior of virtual humans is realistic and unpredictable. The civilians might panic during the shoot-outs and they might try to escape, the adversaries are taking tactical advantage of their surroundings (for example, they might hide behind obstacles). The members of players’ team are following orders while having a bit of autonomy as well. They can act quietly and they will avoid firing their guns unless given permission. Before opening a new room, they might throw a smoke grenade inside.

During the missions, the players can use various weapons, mostly varied guns – pistols, machine guns, shotguns. The weapons can be modified, for example by adding a crosshair. The possibility to look from behind each cover, to hide under low obstacles and to gradually open doors increases tactical options available for the players. It is even possible to change the movement speed.

The developers put much attention into delivering a high level of realism. Each equipment piece is perfectly visible (spare ammunition, grenades and smaller gadgets can be seen in specific sockets) and moves performed by characters are clear. The behavior of bullets was recreated as well – they can ricochet from objects depending on the angle and the material from which the obstacle was created. Body damage is dynamically mapped as well – the wounds not only look convincing, but they can impact the effectiveness of the shot person (both the enemies, allies and the protagonist). For example, shooting a leg will slow it down and a wounded hand will make it harder to aim. It is worth mentioning that the weapon can be reloaded in two ways and the player can check the magazine or the type of loaded ammunition.

Game modes

In addition to a singleplayer campaign, Ready or Not features a cooperation mode for up to eight players. The game also features a PvP mode.

Technical aspects

Ready or Not is powered by Unreal Engine 4 that provides high-quality three-dimensional graphics. Polished character models and many motion capture animations are especially worth mentioning. In order to provide a high level of immersion, the developers limited the interface to a minimum.

Last updated on May 29, 2018