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Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries
Developer(s)	Cyberlore, FASA Studio
Publisher(s)	Microsoft
Platform(s)	Arcade, Microsoft Windows
Release	November 7 2002
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries is an action-based video game for the PC, based on the Battletech Mechwarrior game universe. The original Battletech game is a turn-based board game where the player controls battles between mechs, large, powerful, piloted robot-like vehicles. Each video game in the extensive Mechwarrior series has gradually edged further from the Battletech ethos, in order to produce a dynamic real-time video game with fair and balanced elements. Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries, released in 2002, is currently the last game in the MW4 series. In play, MW4: Mercs feels like a strategic FPS.

Many of the comments on this page also apply to other games in the Mechwarrior series.

Basic story

In the game, you, Spectre, are a mercenary battlemech pilot travelling throughout the Mechwarrior Battletech universe during a confused civil war, earning cash and useful salvage for completing contracts for various factions. With this cash you can buy weapons, mechs, allies, and mech repairs. To add to the realism you have some choice in which missions you accept. In addition, how you perform every mission you accept has an impact on your timeline. For example, killing civilans and neutral targets results in infamy points- the more you have, the less likely you are to land safe jobs and more the more likely you are to be offered brutal missions. Also, you must choose how you balance your allegiance to the different sides of the war (Steiner vs. Davion).

Game play

The Mechwarrior series is rather more of a simulation game than a pure reaction video game (like Virtual-On) or a console game like MechAssault. A keyboard is essential in the game for the sheer number of controls these include:

• various weapons and weapon control options
• movement controls
• throttle and heat controls
• commands for your lancemates (allies).

Before fighting, decisions are necessary about which weapons to fit, armour options, engine options, cooling efficiency and so on. Favourite configurations can be saved, but are not always available in mission play (not all weapons are available at any particular time).

On the field of play, the pilot has a complex head-up display that shows radar, location of targeted enemy, your weapons in range, ammunition remaining for each weapon, damage situation for your own, friendly and enemy units, and much more.

Tactics and tactical issues include typical FPS issues, such as the 'Circle-of-Death' (circlestrafing), sniping, camping, 'spawn-raping' (waiting for and then attacking an opponent as s/he just appears in the game, and is not yet ready to fight). The art to being a good player in this game is the understanding of tactics, not the speed of your reactions and as such can give the game extended life beyond just killing the enemy.

Features

Game types

This mech piloting game also has tactical, technical decisions and resource management elements. There is a training mission, the main campaign missions, and access to most missions for 'instant action' play. Instant action can be mission-based, or wave-based. The 'instant action' mode is flexible but the interface is so slow to use that it puts off players. Mercenaries also has sophisticated online play options, with a good connection interface. It is relatively easy to host an online game if you wish. The single-player game includes 19 different maps. There is the single-player ability to command up to seven other mechs at one time (your 'lancemates'). In multiplayer there is also the ability to communitcate with your teammates/opponents via a built in chat function.

MechWarrior 4 vehicles

The game revolves around the mechs, which have varying weights, roles and characteristics.

Mechwarrior mechs do not generally appear to be actual robots carrying loose weapons. The US-designed Mechwarrior Mechs are notably less anthropomorphic than the more cartoon-like Japanese Gundam-style mecha. All mechs in the game are user-drivable. The standard game has 8 light mechs, 7 medium mechs, 9 heavy mechs, and 12 assault mechs available - a total of 36 mechs. Other (non-drivable) vehicles in the game include jets, helicopters and tanks. There are no quad (four-legged) mechs in the video version of the game. A full version of MW4: Mercs with up-to-date Mektek patches (MP3.02a as of 5 June 2006) and both the Inner Sphere and Clan MechPak add-ons will have 109 different base-model mechs available. All of these mechs will be customisable in the game. With some effort and technical ability, the appearance and logos on your mech, can be customised to a further extent than the choices available in the game.

MW4: Mercenaries Online

Online play is an important part of MW4: Mercenaries, with servers hosting up to 24 players and bots at a time. MW4 has a built in chat function, but it is very inconvenient to type comments while playing. In some sophisticated online MW4 games, voice communications systems such as Teamspeak 2 are used. Originally the 'Zonestats' online ranking system recorded the victories and other statistics of other players, but it is now defunct. It is possible to play MW4:Mercs online with a dial-up internet connection. MW4 is also enjoyable played on a local LAN network. It is relatively easy to set up, with or without a dedicated server.

Technical issues and support

System requirements

A typical installation of this game takes up more than one gigabyte (1 Gb) of space on a PC hard drive, although some of this can be reduced by tricks such as substituting the built-in movies for short blank MPEG files. The numerous additional unofficial add-ons and maps necessary for much online play will take up hundreds more megabytes. The game can be played (with low graphics settings) acceptably on a Pentium III PC with a speed of 500MHz or more, if the graphics card has reasonable (for 2003) 3D processing power. A 16MB video card and 500MB hard disc space is enough for a minimum install. The game runs on a PC running Windows 98 or a more recent version, with DirectX 8.1 graphic support (supplied on the CD). A 28.8 kbps modem or better is required for online play via TCP/IP supporting up to 24 players at broadband speeds.

Microsoft - the publisher of Mechwarrior 4

MW4 Mercenaries was developed by Cyberlore Studios Inc. in conjunction with Microsoft's FASA, the Microsoft game studio. Microsoft, the publishers of Mechwarrior 4 (but not earlier versions of the game) have been seriously criticised for lack of support, e.g. for not producing sufficient patches for bugs in the game, for problems with the game interface (e.g. set-up menus for "instant action" games is not at all "instant"), and for overcharging for the add-on mecha in the two add-on MechPak CDs, which fans could have designed for themselves, if the development tools had been made available. Finally, some argue that Mercenaries is merely a glorified expansion pack, and not a new game.

Microsoft have not announced any intention of developing a sequel to Mercenaries. No other mod team or software publisher can do so while Microsoft hold the rights to the game, although there is wide interest in doing so. There is a slight chance that Microsoft may release the full source code as they have done for MechCommander 2.

MW4 mods

Many recent video games are sold with development tools as standard to encourage modification (or mods) by users. This often extends the popularity of the game. Some customised modes of play can become more popular than the original game (as Counter-Strike became more widely played than Half-Life, the game it is based on). Despite the lack of supplied development tools, Mercenaries has been modded extensively. Two of the main groups (mod teams) customising the game are "Mektek" and "NBT". Many teams play in organised leagues and have their own websites. League play often requires a further download of (free) software to make your installation of MW4 compliant to the league rules.

Additional maps and missions

A add-on single-player or multiplayer mission will be playable after downloading and installing only if the relevant map is also in the map directory of your MW4: Mercs installation. A map may be one from another version of MechWarrior 4, or one created by another user or mod team.

MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries product support and patches

Microsoft have been widely criticised for issuing only one official patch for Mercenaries, the "PR1 patch", although after this patch there still remained several notable bugs in the game. Independent support groups Mektek and NBT have issued further patches and enhancement for the MechWarrior 4 series of games.

In what has been seen by some players as a betrayal and lack of support of their product, Microsoft have been further criticised for not maintaining the in-game "Zonecom" master server, which has disappeared, although it is essential for locating servers for online play. Mektek have recently released a Java-based patch that replaces the "Zonecom" server with their own community master server, so that players can still locate games to play online.

Microsoft have also dropped Mechwarrior game hosting from the Microsoft Network (MSN) GameZone server, despite the large player base, and the fact that it is a game that they produced.

Another common complaint is that Microsoft did not support peripherals such as their own Game-Voice and dual controllers for the MechWarrior 4 series.

Popular topics on MW4 forums

Bugs in the game

It is generally conceded that some level of bugs is likely in such a large, complex game. Well-known bugs in unpatched versions of the game include jump-jet bugs, building bugs, and various damage bugs, where a weapon is seen to hit an enemy successfully, but no damage results. Patches issued to balance gameplay, restrict online cheating and hacking and fix bugs often introduce other bugs at the same time, but they are generally less serious than the original problem.

Installation and other technical difficulties

The game can be difficult to install and patch but a lot of help is available in various MW4:Mercs forums.

Degree of fidelity of the game to the Battletech Universe

The demands of good video game-play, realism and the rules of the traditional Battletech Universe all compete with each other in the game design.

Degree of real-world physics and other game physics questions

Concerns about these issues include:

• The mechs move at an unrealistic speed
• Their weight doesn't match their size (compare with a real-life main battle tank at 60+ metric tonnes)
• Conversely, it can be said that the mechs are incorrectly scaled.

Music to play while playing.

The consensus seems to be for dramatic music such as metal, heavy indie, hard-core hip hop or Wagnerian-style opera, perhaps inspired by the epic Sturm und Drang scale of the action and scenario in the game. The music that comes with the game is of a good standard.

AI and bot behaviour

The artificial intelligence in the game has come on since early games, but it is generally thought that it still has a long way to go. Even on the highest-level settings, a computer-controlled mech has set behaviours that make it no match for the average human pilot.

Tactics and enforced tactical restrictions desirable for online play

Desirable new weapons

Common requests on Mechwarrior 5 wishlists

• Autopilot function.
• Meleé weapons.
• Better, more varied destruction animations for mechs.
• Return of specific old weapons from earlier editions of Mechwarrior.
• Mech ability to sidestep.
• More destroyable environment.
• More environmental hazards.
• Return of other features from earlier versions of Mechwarrior, e.g.: AMS sound-effects.
• Return of favourite mechs from earlier versions of Mechwarrior.
• New weapon types.
• More specific mech damage graphics
• Jump-jets to be made available to all mechs.
• Further distance visibility.
• Better artificial intelligence for computer-controlled opponents and lancemates.

There are many more common wishes for Mechwarrior 5. Many popular wishes for additional features are contradictory to other wishes or would obviously unbalance the game.

Other common wishes are contrary to the spirit of the game, while still others would either take the game very far in the direction of a reaction-based arcade game, or would restrict the game by forcing it to conform too much to the style of the table-top game.

Mechwarrior players

Players are very loyal to the Mechwarrior series of video games, and many have played the game from Mechwarrior 2 onwards. Because of the longevity of the MW series and the complexity of game-play, players tend to be more mature than players of newer games. Forums are generally helpful, and trash-talking is at a noticeably lower level than usual for such boards. An experienced player can recognise any one of 50 or 60 mechs at first sight.

The game developers have done a reasonable job of balancing the speed, acceleration, weight, armament, armour and accessories of the various mechs, but even so, some mechs are definitely more popular than others, especially online.

• Popular standard mechs in the single-player game include the Uziel and Black Knight.
• Popular add-on mechs include the Cauldron-Born and the Kodiak
• Popular weapons in MW4 include AC10s (autocannon)

The controls of MW4 are very complex. In this it resembles Defender, a classic side-scrolling arcade game from the early 1980's, that was notoriously difficult to learn to control. In addition to the technical issues, this might limit the game's appeal to the casual console gamer. Paradoxically, the game can be completed in a very few days once the controls have been mastered.

The issues are that the BT board-game has only imaginary physics that are limited by credulity of the player, while the equally imaginary physics in MW4 have to satisfy those limits, and in addition help contribute to a balanced real-time game. Much time and energy is expended in various Mechwarrior 4 forums arguing about issues that would only be pertinent if the mechs were real, existing vehicles, usually without reflection on the fact that back-story is not necessarily connected to the requirements of game balance.

For example: 'If mech jump-jets are powered by venting the mech's 'plasma reactor' engine, then how come it leads to a rise in heat, rather than heat-levels falling?' (Heat control is an important area in MW4).

Or: 'Given the shots-per-ton of gauss rifle ammunition, one shot is so heavy it should knock a mech over. The slugs should also travel at the speed of light...'

Mechwarrior slang

The complexity of the game has generated many terms, definitions and abbreviations specific to the Mechwarrior 4 game.

Buying the game

MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries was released in November 2002. It still has relatively high popularity and online activity for its age. Given the speed of development of games, and their relatively short shelf-life, at the time of writing (5 June 2006), the best way to obtain a copy of MW4: Mercs is in the second-hand market. Copies are often downloaded from peer-to-peer networks, but even after this time, this is an offence of infringement of copyright and will be so until 2097 in the USA and 2077 in most EU countries.

External links

MW4 forums

• Mektek — Extensive MW4 forums from the well-known MW4 mod team. Their goals are to make the game easier to play for those who still have not mastered it after 5 years of playing. Although their mods are widely accepted and praised by the general community, many of the better players consider their mods unbalanced and have accused Mektek of ruining the game by catering to the wants and needs of lesser skilled players.
• Dropshipcommand forums
• Mech listings for Mechwarrior 4 games —

Clickable for different game versions

• Net Battletech (NBT) — A planetary style league that focuses on Role Play through their mod entitled 'HardCore'. Other leagues are under development (solaris, and MegaMek).
• Empire League
• newbattlefields MW4 mod team
• Microsoft Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries pages. — Includes PR1 patch, desktop wallpapers, 120Mb trial version.
• Early MW4 demo download, 67Mb.
• The Mechwarrior registry — Excellent Mechreg download page that includes a no CD patch.
• MechWarrior Leagues (MWL)— Online league system for MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries supporting Ladders, Bracket-style tournaments, Solaris-style gameplay, and 1-on-1 competition.
• FASA — Microsoft games developer's Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries page
• Original Battletech table-top game. — Includes gamesets, maps, models, as well as novels and background books and more. There are also many websites dedicated to the Battletech board-game.
• Yahoo MW4: Mercs games page
• FAQ/Walkthrough guides to MW4:Mercs
• Original review
• Long review. — Many screenshots, but non-graphic, non-ad version available at the bottom of the page
• MW4: Mercs information at gamestats.com.
• Add-on maps for download.
• Usenet MW4 group. — Not very active now, but past posts interesting.
• Microsoft games discussion on Usenet
• General mecha games discussion on Usenet
• Movies/full motion video

Mechwarrior games have short intro movie animations on disc/when installed.

• Mechwarrior-type Trailer for student short movie
• Mechwarrior Trailer on Microsoft site
• MechWarrior 4 intro movie

See also

• Mechcommander
• Virtual On — Very fast classic Japanese arcade-style mecha games by Sega.
• Mechwarrior
• Battletech
• Defender — Classic side-scrolling arcade game from the early '80s.

The Mechwarrior video-game series

• First version Mechwarrior is available for download here - as a 720kb DOS file.

(BugMeNot is recommended for easy log-in.)

• MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat — Dos-based game, still well-remembered
• Mechwarrior 3 — Earlier game in series, often claimed to be a better game than the MW4 series, but notoriously bug-ridden.
• MechWarrior 4: Vengeance — Preceding game to MW4: Mercs

Add-ons

• MechWarrior 4: Black Knight Expansion Pack. For MW4: Vengeance
• MechWarrior 4: Inner Sphere Mech Pak. Additional IS Mechs
• MechWarrior 4: Clan Mech Pak. Additional Clan Mechs

Other related games

• MechCommander 2 — (Microsoft Battletech-based real-time strategy game). Regarded by many players as enjoyable, but seriously flawed.
• Heavy Gear — Activision mech sim game from 1999
• Starsiege —Mech combat and strategy sim series.
• Mechwars (Total Annihilation). Mech strategy game.
• Mech Crusaders — Free online mech strategy game.