Children of Taronne Tenement is the ninth mission of SWAT 4 campaign, and the twelfth mission in SWAT: Elite Force. The SWAT team is needed to serve a high risk arrest warrant after the police had learned that a group of cultists under the leadership of Andrew Taronne intends to blow up their home and their neighborhood. This mission is notable for its dark and disturbing content, similar to the Fairfax Residence.
Mission Briefing[]
Ok, men, what we have here are some dangerous headcases, to themselves and to their neighbors. Approximately an hour ago we got a tip from a public phone that some cultist nut-jobs calling themselves the Taronnians intend to blow their house sky high, taking a chunk of the neighborhood with them.
The detectives ran the paper trail, which uncovered disturbing deliveries to the Taronnians. Recent purchases included several suspicious chemicals, as well as an ominous amount of fertilizer; we're taking this one very seriously. Our caller didn't give a time or date, and hung up before we could get anything else from them. We assume our leak is a recent break from the cult; we are checking relatives to see if an ex-cultist has returned home, but that hasn't panned out yet. Since our best information indicates there's imminent danger, we're not waiting. Detectives attempted to serve the warrant by surrounding the location and calling the suspects out. They received no response whatsoever.
About the Taronnians. They broke off from a separatist group up in Idaho, and followed their leader, Andrew Taronne, out here. Their official name is something like the Children of Taronne; they view Taronne as a combination all-knowing guru and prophet. They showed up here about three years ago, used cash to purchase an old apartment building needing serious rehab, and moved into it en masse. They only leave the building in groups of three or more, and they refuse entrance to any outsiders.
Anything they're doing was ordered by Taronne, which means he's the one we need to talk to. However, Taronne never leaves the house, so we'll be going in after him. The group they split from believes in strong self defense, and there's no reason to think the Taronnians have changed that tenet. Expect armed resistance, and don't be surprised if even the unarmed cultists are stubborn about surrendering. Keep your eyes out for any children belonging to members of the cult.
The building was a standard apartment building before the Taronnians moved in, but they may have altered it. The floor plans are a guideline. Expect to be surprised. Assume they have taken no precautions with their explosives. A careless bullet might cause some unwanted casualties, so put some thought into your gear choices for this assignment.
Timeline[]
- 11:30: Warrant acquired - Warrant acquired for Andrew Taronne.
- 11:49: SWAT Arrives - SWAT Arrives. Containment perimeter and high ground established.
- 12:00: Call out - Surround and call out. No response.
- 16:45: Tactical entry begun - After hours with no response from inhabitants, the decision is made to go tactical. Entry team assembled.
Entries and Snipers[]
The primary entrance starts the player at the front door on the first floor, whereas the secondary entrance starts the player at a fire escape exit on the second floor at the back of the building.
Two snipers are available in this mission. Sierra 1 is covering the office on second floor on side 1, while Sierra 2 is covering the armory on the second floor on side 2.
Map Layout[]
The intel provided on this mission is too ambiguous to provide any useful insights on the map layout. Surprisingly, the intel also failed to mention that the middle of the building is divided by an observable outside space despite the fact that it is part of the original architecture. Furturemore, the intel did not provide any info on the basement level.
Children Of Taronne Tenement can be roughly described as three U-shaped floors stacked together, along with a basement level. The first floor contains the front entrance at the bottom of the U located on side 1 with three apartments attached to the outside of the U. However every apartments in this tenement have been repurposed to serve different roles. The apartments on the first floor serve as a dining area located on side 1, a bunkroom, also located on side 1 and a nursery located on side 2 plus one that serves as a workshop, mixing and storage room for explosive substances which is located on the corner of side 3 and side 4. The second floor can be accessed either by the main staircase at the front entrance or another one from the nursery on left side of the U, and it also contains the stairs to the basement. On the second floor there are other apartments with different roles. There is an apartment that has been partially demolished to connected with the explosive workshop on the first floor via a wooden staircase, plus apartments that serves as a chapel located on side 1, a cluttered office, also located on side 1 and an armory located on side 2. There is also another entrance to the second floor via the fire escape at the back. The third floor is inaccessible with the stairs blocked off by garbage and debris. The basement level is just like any other typical apartment building basements and it contains the laundromat, the lockers and the furnace. However, the basement has another more grim role, which it serves as a graveyard for Taronnians' children.
As per mission briefing, it is important to note that the whole building is filled with unstable explosives such as gas cylinders, pipe bombs and jerrycans. Also for the first and second floors, the inside of the U is separated by large glass windows, which exposes the SWAT team to the suspects despite being on the opposite side of the building.
The multiplayer version of this map has a very similar layout, but it has an outdoor area linked to the basement on side 4 plus full access to the third floor. The third floor apartments are also shown to have already been blown up with the roof ripped open, contrary to the story within the single player and co-op game modes.
Tactical Approach[]
Suspects on this map are heavily armed with combat shotguns, submachine guns and assault rifles, but they do not wear any body armors or gas masks. Additionally there are many female suspects in the tenement unlike other missions. Also, some of the suspects might behave with civilian like animations and therefore making them harder to distinguish from unarmed cultists.
The main source of hazards on this map are the explosives that litters the map, particularly near at the workshop/mixing room on the corner of side 3 and side 4, plus the rooms that are linked to the mixing room on both the first and second floor. A stray bullet can easily cause a detonation, and it can wipe out half the element or incapacitate the player outright. Using the CS Gas as oppose to other grenade options will lower the risk of explosions.
It is recommended to enter the building via the back fire escape since the player will only need to cover a single corridor as oppose being surrounded by doors on both flanks at the front entrance. Clearing the map is straight forward if the player can control the following three access points between the floors: the stairs between the first and second floors at the front the building, the stairway that connects to basement, and the workshop/mixing room on the corner of side 3 and side 4 that connects the first and second floors. Once the access points are covered by either door wedges or a team, the player can take rest of the element and clear the rooms one by one.
Changes in Elite Force[]
- Andrew Taronne is made polite, meaning he will hesitate when shooting civilians.
- This map is loaded with explosive traps that are unique to this mission. There can be up to four traps on the mission, and every door needs to be checked. One particular trap that will mostly likely to spawn is the door to access the workshop/mixing room from the second floor. In the event that door is trapped, the player will be forced to clear the room from the first floor while under fire from the second floor balcony.
- The suspects' default loadout have been adjusted. They now start to carry SG552 Commando assault rifles, P226 pistols, Browning Hi-Power pistols, Desert Eagle pistols and Benelli M1 Super 90 shotguns, while HK53 SMG, Beretta 92 pistols and Skorpion machine pistols have been removed.
- All suspects and civilians (except Taronne) now have a 10% chance to suffer cardiac arrest.
- All civilian's minimum morale have been set to 0 while the max morale value is set to be very stubborn when encountering police officers. They also have the fearless flag enabled. This will allow for a more varied response.
- This mission unlocks the Night Vision Goggle.
Trivia[]
- This mission is one of the most memorable in the game due to its controversial depiction of filicide. Despite persistent rumors, there is no evidence to suggest that Irrational Games ever intended to show the player the dead children, and the basement graveyard wasn't a "cop out" to appeal to censors. Irrational later used the motif of children with the Little Sisters from the BioShock video game series.
- Sometimes, upon surrendering, Andrew Taronne will say "I left you something in the basement". He is referring to the graveyard found there. He has around 33% chance to say this, however.
- The cult's holy book, The Word and the Coming Times, was written by one Dr. Theodore Drodszowski, which is a subtle reference to the Unabomber. The book can also be found on the desk in one of the offices on the A-Bomb Nightclub mission.
Gallery[]
Soundtrack[]
| SWAT 4 Missions | ||
|---|---|---|
| SWAT 4 | Original | Riverside Training Facility - Food Wall Restaurant - Fairfax Residence - Qwik Fuel Convenience Store - A-Bomb Nightclub - Victory Imports Auto Center - Red Library Offices - Northside Vending and Amusements - DuPlessis Wholesale Diamond Center - Children of Taronne Tenement - St. Michael's Medical Center - The Wolcott Projects - Old Granite Hotel - Mt. Threshold Research Center |
| The Stetchkov Syndicate | FunTime Amusements - Sisters of Mercy Hostel - Sellers Street Auditorium - Department of Agriculture - Drug Lab - Fresnal St. Station - Stetchkov Warehouse | |
| Extra Missions (SEF) | Meat Barn Restaurant - Brewer County Courthouse | |