0
Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries FAQ
Last revised: 17 October 1996
This document answers many Frequently Asked Questions about Mechwarrior 2:
Mercenaries.
The original copy of this document is located at
http://www.activision.com/mercnet/mercfaq.htm .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
* Other sources of info
* Planned Improvements
* Installing Mercenaries
* Graphics Card Support
* Performance
* Sound
* Joysticks
* The 'Mech Lab
* Crashes
* Controls and Keystrokes
* MercNet and the Internet
* MercNet and Direct Ethernet Connections to the Internet
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other sources of info
The two files README.TXT and INTERNET.TXT on the Mercenaries CD-ROM contain
lots of helpful info. Also, the two best non-Activision online sources of
info are
* Will Day's Unofficial Mechwarrior 2 FAQs
* the Usenet news group alt.games.mechwarrior2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planned Improvements
We hope to have a patch available by the end of October which will address
the following issues:
* problems with the 'Mech Lab
* extra weapons appearing on your 'Mech after battle
* problems with CD-ROM changers
* problems configuring input devices
* problems completing a couple of missions
* problems connecting for Internet play
The patch will be downloadable for free, and will update your copy of
Mercenaries 1.0 to Mercenaries 1.05.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installing Mercenaries
How do I install in DOS? I keep getting "Bad Command or Filename."
You must be in the CD's \DOS\ directory to run INSTALL.EXE.
What are the system requirements?
* 486 DX2/66 MHz processor
* 8 MB RAM
* Win95 or Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 operating system with MSCDEX 2.10.
* Double-speed CD-ROM drive (300K/second sustained transfer rate)
* 65 MB of uncompressed hard disk space
* VESA local bus (VLB) or PCI video with 1 MB RAM
* 256 Color SVGA (640 x 480) video card
For modem/internet play:
* One of the following:
o 14.4 Hayes-compatible modem and 16550 UART for 3 players;
o 28.8 Hayes-compatible modem and 16550 UART for 5 players; or
o direct Internet connection or ISDN modem for 8 players.
* A PPP account with an Internet service provider
Here are some recommended performance guidelines:
* 486 (all speeds): 320x200, all options off
* Pentium (60-75mhz): 320x200, all options off
* Pentium (90-133mhz): 320x200, all options on -or- 640x480, all options
off except shadows
* Pentium (150-200mhz): 640x480, all options on
(The options can be adjusted by pressing the ESC key while in a mission or
in the shell, and selecting "Combat Variables.")
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphics Card Support
What's the story on 3-D card support for Mercenaries?
We haven't announced 3-D card versions of Mercenaries yet. It's fair to
assume we're working on something, but for now stick to the standard
version. Writing a well optimized Direct-3D version or a version tailored
for a particular 3-D card would take some time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performance
I have a 486DX2/66Mhz, and Mercs runs too slow and choppy!
On a 486/66, you have to turn off the extra display options, and choose
320x200 resolution. In the shell (before launching), you can do this by
pressing ESC, then Combat Variables, then turn all the DETAIL settings to
OFF or LOW, and choose 320x200 for RESOLUTION. (You can also set all but
the resolution in the sim after launching.)
I have a great graphics card, but the movies in Win95 Mercs still runs
slow!
If your display is set for 24 bit color, the Mercs shell may run slowly,
but the Mercs sim will run just fine. If the movies in the shell are too
jerky for you, switch your graphics card to 8 bit color. This is done by
right-clicking the desktop background, choosing Properties / Settings, and
setting Color Palette to 256 colors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sound
How do I get sound in DOS Mercs?
If you used the Win95 setup to install Mercs, you'll need to run SETSOUND
by hand to set up sound in DOS Mercs. You can use SETSOUND to test whether
the sound is working, too.
Why is there no sound in MercNet?
There is sound in the MercNet Sim once you launch the mission, but there is
no sound while setting up missions in the MercNet Shell. (The Shell is
where you set up games; the Sim is when you're driving a 'Mech around.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joysticks
I get divide overflows with DOS Mercs when I use my Sidewinder in digital
mode!
Set your Sidewinder to use analog mode- this should get rid of the divide
overflows. To do this, set the switch on the base of the joystick to the
"one dot" position, and set up Mercs for "CH Pro" joystick.
I have trouble calibrating my Thrustmaster F16 FLCS!
One user reports:
I found the problem for my calibration with my TH F16 FLCS.
If I set up the trigger to digital instead of analogue,
I can calibrate normally in Mercs.
We have not confirmed the problem or the fix.
How come there's no way to reverse the direction of my rudder pedals?
See the discussion of Cockpit Configuration below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 'Mech Lab
I'm having problems adding Ferro-Fibrous or Endo-Steel to a 'Mech.
When you highlight "Endo-Steel Internals Upgrade" or "Ferro-Fibrous Armor
Upgrade", and see "Assign Crits" appear, you must double-click on the units
of endo or armor that appear below "Assign Crits!" This will add the unit
to an empty critical slot of the selected 'mech part. The Mercs 1.05 patch
will fix this and other 'mech lab problems; after installing the patch, the
"Assign Crits" function will be a little easier to understand and use.
How come double heat sinks take up 3 critical slots instead of 2?
According to the Battletech Compendium, Inner Sphere double heat sinks take
up 3 critical slots; Clan double heat sinks take up 2 critical slots.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crashes
I have 8 Meg of RAM, and am playing DOS Mercs. Why does the game lock up
after a few minutes?
Here are a few tips that should help resolve the problem:
1. Improperly configured memory managers can cause crashes. If you use
EMM386 or a similar memory manager, be sure to follow any instructions
in your graphics card's manual about excluding ranges of memory from
use by memory managers! Or try disabling your memory manager entirely
by editing CONFIG.SYS and inserting the word REM in front of any line
containing EMM386.EXE, HIMEM.SYS, or any other memory manager. You may
want to make a boot floppy and edit the boot floppy's CONFIG.SYS
rather than editing your hard disk's CONFIG.SYS. In any case, make a
copy of CONFIG.SYS before changing it, so you can get back the
original if something goes wrong.
2. Using the Sidewinder joystick in digital mode with DOS Mercs causes
trouble. If you have a Sidewinder, be sure to set the switch on the
base of the joystick to the "one dot" position, and set up Mercs for
"CH Pro" joystick. (If you don't, you'll probably experience "Divide
Overflow" errors every other game or so.)
3. Some old mouse drivers cause trouble. If you have followed the above
steps, are still having trouble, and are using an older mouse driver
or a non-microsoft mouse driver, try loading a version 9.xx Microsoft
mouse driver instead of your current one.
4. If all else fails, try turning off the sound or music - this sometimes
keeps the crash from happening.
When I get into the Merc95 sim, it says "Error 53: CD Not Mounted," but
MercDOS sim works fine.
One person reports "It was because I had the MS powertools flexi CD loaded.
When I exited flexi CD (closed it from the sys tray) the game ran fine."
When I try to run with a multiple-CD-ROM-turntable drive, it takes forever
to sense the drive, or exits with "Error 53: CD Not Mounted."
One person reports that switching his CD-ROM drive to take just one drive
letter seems to fix this problem. If you can't disable your CD-ROM drive's
extra drive letters, make sure that the Mercs disc is in the cd-rom slot
with the lowest drive letter.
When I get into the DOS sim, it sits on the neurohelmet screen forever,
with that little EKG animation going, and I can't get into the game!
This seems to be a problem reading the CD-ROM drive. People report that
ejecting and reinserting the CD fixes the problem and lets you continue the
game.
A few missions into the game, it starts to lock up or page fault!
This is a bug that should be fixed by the Mercs 1.05 patch. For now, try
selling your 'Mech every few missions and buying a new one - the fusion
reactors in the 'Mechs shipped with the game were made using inferior
container vessels, and accumulate radiation damage much sooner than
anticipated.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Controls and Keystrokes
Hey! Where'd Image Enhancement go? 'w' doesn't work anymore.
You can get it back by adding the line
ENHANCED_VISION w
into GAMEKEY.MAP. It was taken out partly because the Inner Sphere doesn't
have image enhancement technology, and so the feature wasn't quite finished
- lasers don't show up when it's on.
The custom config screen can't flip the direction of torso twist, nor will
it let me use CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT!
The Cockpit Configuration is missing the columns that let you flip the
direction of each control. This will be fixed in the patch. Will Day's
Mech2 web page has some discussion about what one can do about this until
the patch arrives.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MercNet and the Internet
How do I play MercNet over the Internet?
The file INTERNET.TXT has step by step instructions for how to dial up your
ISP using MERCPPP.
Why do I have to use MERCPPP? Why can't I use the Win95 TCP/IP stack?
MercNet is currently a DOS application. We are investigating creating a
native Win95 version of MercNet which will be compatible with the Win95
TCP/IP stack.
I use SLiRP or TIA to access my Internet account. Why can't I see anyone in
the Pilot's Lounge?
MercNet requires true PPP. SLiRP and TIA are PPP emulators that don't
support features needed by the MercNet internet driver. You may be able to
get around the problem by using a 3rd party IPX emulator such as Kali, but
we have not confirmed this.
When I run MERCPPP and enter in my ISP's phone #, etc., it takes all my
inputs and seems to "save to net.cfg" just fine, but I never get the main
menu afterwards. It only gives me the "current" selection again.
The first time you go through MERCPPP.BAT and enter in your COM port, you
*must save and exit* before you can see the main menu. That's right - hit
ESC again after saving and say YES when it asks if you want to leave.
MERCPPP will then take you to the main menu. (The main menu won't show up
until PPP is loaded, and it can't load PPP until you tell it what COM port
you have and exit.)
I can almost log in with MERCPPP, but it says BAD USERNAME OR PASSWORD even
though I typed them in right!
Many ISP's require you to type in a prefix in front of your username. On
some systems, it's #; on others, it's P; and on others it is the name of
the service! Consult your ISP's online support web pages for clues. (You
may need to look in surprising places; sometimes the needed info is buried
in Mac Dialup or Unix Dialup support pages.)
In general, you should try Terminal Login first, rather than PAP. When
setting up MERCPPP, don't enter in a password or username in the menus; do
set Authentication to None; and do set Connection Type to "modem -
terminal".
Specific instructions for a few popular ISPs follow.
I use Earthlink's national access, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
Earthlink's list of dialup numbers says:
National numbers require ELN/ to prefix their login username. POPs followed
by an "X" do not require the "ELN/".
I use Netcom, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
Netcom's dialup documentation says:
MAKE SURE YOU PUT A POUND SIGN (#) BEFORE YOUR USERNAME.
There seem to be longer synonyms for #. One user reports that Netcom's own
client software sometimes uses a prefix of us,ppp, for US dialup customers
using PPP, ca,ppp, for Canadian dialup customers using PPP, us,slip, for US
customers using SLIP, etc., and that he gets the same results with # and
us,ppp,.
I use The Concentric Network, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
Concentric's PPP dialup documentation says:
Change your login name from "userid@slip" or "userid@tia" to "userid@ppp."
(Do not include the quote marks.)
I use Sprynet, and I can't connect with MERCPPP!
1. You need version 1.43 of the ppp dialer. See the instructions on
upgrading to the latest dialer.
2. When you connect, you should see some garbled stuff on the terminal
screen. (This is 7 bit + parity ASCII; we need to switch to 8 bit + no
parity ASCII.) Type + then the ENTER key, and you should see a HOST
prompt. (The old version of the dialer refused to show the prompt
here.)
3. At the HOST prompt, type SPRY01 and press the ENTER key. (SPRY02 may
also work.)
4. Finally, enter your username (e.g. SPRY188123) and password. When you
see another line of garble, press ALT+S and you should see the IPCP
OPEN message. You can now EXIT the MERCPPP program and start MERCNET.
How do I upgrade to the latest PPP dialer?
The dialer shipped with Mercs was version 1.42, and had some problems with
PAP and with connecting to Sprynet. The latest version, 1.43, works better.
(An older version, 1.36, is also known to work well. Contact us if the
latest version still gives you trouble.) Here's how to upgrade to the
latest. Please read all the steps before plunging in!
1. First, delete the old copy of PPPSHARE.EXE and the PPPSHARE folder in
your Mercs directory (either using the DOS commands
CD \MERCS (or wherever you installed Mercs)
DEL PPPSHARE.EXE
DELTREE PPPSHARE
or by dragging both icons named PPPSHARE from the Mercs directory into
the recycle bin in the Win95 Explorer),
2. Second, download the new version of PPPSHARE.EXE from
http://www.klos.com or ftp://klos.com/demo/pppshare.exe into your
Mercs directory.
3. Third, run MERCPPP again to unpack and set up. (You'll have to enter
your ISP's phone number and everything again, sorry... If you're
ambitious, you can avoid this by saving the file NET.CFG before
deleting the PPPSHARE folder, and copying it back in to the new
PPPSHARE folder after briefly running MERCPPP to unpack PPPSHARE.)
You should now be ready to connect with MERCPPP and MERCNET!
I use ATT Worldnet, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
I think ATT Worldnet requires CHAP. I suspect you will need to download the
demo version of the retail KLOS dialer, as the one we ship doesn't support
CHAP. Follow the instructions above for upgrading to the most recent ppp
dialer, but rename PPPDEMO.EXE to PPPSHARE.EXE after downloading. The demo
is restricted to 15 minutes. Finally, in MERCPPP's menus, use Terminal:
Modem, Authentication: CHAP, and enter your username and password in the
Authentication menu. (If you have the patch (Mercs 1.05), follow the
directions in INTERNET.TXT regarding switching to PAP from Terminal login,
but choose CHAP instead of PAP.)
I can connect to my ISP using MERCPPP, and it says IPCP OPEN like it
should, but there's nobody there in MercNet!
This is usually caused by having the wrong IP address. In particular, you
should usually *not* enter an IP address in the MERCPPP menus; it will
figure the address out for you (it changes every time).
I can get into a game using MERCPPP and MercNet but after a little while,
the other player disappears, although I can still chat with them, and I
still see his shadow!
This can be caused by excessive lag or excessive packet loss. (MercNet
hides players it doesn't have good position info for.) Both excessive lag
and excessive packet loss can be caused by trying to play against people
who have bad connections or are too far away.
Excessive packet loss can also be caused by trying to put too many players
into a game. The practical limit is 3 for 14.4 modems, and 5 for 28.8
modems.
Excessive lag can also be caused by error correction or compression
protocols in your modem, because they gather data up into large blocks
before sending, causing noticable delay.
To disable error correction and compression, you'll need to enter a Modem
Init String. In MERCPPP, this is under Profile List/ F1 / Configure / Modem
/ Command Strings / Initialization String 3. When playing head-to-head with
direct modem connections without MERCPPP, you add a new Modem Init String
by editing MODEM.LST with a text editor (like Notepad or EDIT).
The right Modem Init String depends on your modem type; you build it by
starting with AT and adding the commands from your modem's user guide for
turning off compression, error correction and flow control. For example,
here are the init string pieces for some common modem types (please e-mail
corrections to any errors you find!):
No flow control No error correction No compression
Hayes &K0 &Q0
Rockwell&K0 &Q0 or \N &K0
USR &H0&I0 &M0 &K0
Microcom\Q0 \N1
You can also find a few possible examples in the file MODEM.LST. It's also
worth searching the Web for modem init strings used by other multiplayer
games (NOT init strings for general internet use!), since most multiplayer
games face the same problem of trying to minimize latency for small
packets. For instance,
* DOOM Modem Help
* Command & Conquer Modem Help
But be careful- a lot of the init strings listed on those are just plain
wrong in that they don't turn off compression etc. like you want.
The best way to see if a particular init string will help without actually
playing a game is to use the /ping command in MercNet 1.05. The smaller the
ping time, the better the connection. If an init string lowers your ping
time (all other things being equal!), it is good. Be careful not to compare
apples to oranges, though - for a ping time comparison to be meaningful, it
should be from a two-player room with the same player both times,
preferably only a few minutes apart.
MercNet and Direct Ethernet Connections to the Internet
MercNet's built-in TCP/IP driver uses Packet Drivers to access your
ethernet card or modem. Mercs ships with a Packet Driver for your modem,
MERCPPP. If you want to use your ethernet card instead of your modem to
play MercNet, you'll need to install a Packet Driver.
What is a packet driver and where do I get one?
A packet driver is a TSR that lets programs send and receive packets using
the Packet Driver API.
Many Ethernet cards come with Packet Drivers on their setup floppy. Packet
drivers for most cards can also be downloaded either from the card maker's
web page, or from http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr.
If you can't find a Packet Driver for your card, you can almost certainly
find a Novell ODI driver, and there are instructions below on where to find
a 'shim' that lets you use ODI drivers with MercNet.
The original DOS version of the popular KALI utility also uses packet
drivers, so if you know someone who has DOS KALI running, they may be able
to help you load a packet driver.
I have Netware's DOS client software installed. Isn't that a packet driver?
No, those are ODI drivers. Luckily, the ODI drivers you load in NWCLIENT
can be adapted to work with Packet Driver clients by using ODIPKT, which
you can get from ftp://hsdndev.harvard.edu/pub/odipkt. There are a few
documents that explain how in more detail, e.g.
http://www.xylogics.com/home/mikeo/clam-update.html. In particular, you
need to create a text file NET.CFG and load the program LSL.COM (which
comes with Mercs) before loading the ODI driver TSR for your card and
ODIPKT.
I have Microsoft's DOS client software installed. Isn't that a packet
driver?
No, those are NDIS2 or NDIS3 drivers. The NDIS drivers you load via NET
START may be adapted to work with Packet Driver clients using the shareware
shims DIS_PKT.COM (for NDIS2) or NDIS3PKT (for NDIS3), but I haven't tried
DIS_PKT.COM, and NDIS3PKT doesn't seem to work well with MercNet. It is
probably better to install true packet drivers.
I need help setting up my direct ethernet connection I just got in my dorm
room to work with MercNet... mercppp will not recognize it. I do have the
packet drivers.
First off, be sure you're in DOS. (Windows doesn't like DOS programs trying
to access the Ethernet card using packet drivers.)
Run your card's packet driver before starting MercNet. (No other driver
needed; don't run MERCPPP. That's for modems) If it doesn't print out a
plausible ethernet address, stop it may be having trouble finding the card.
If possible, use the packet driver that came with the card. Otherwise,
check the card maker's web site or www.crnwyr.com for drivers.
MercNet needs to know three things:
* Your internet address
* Your network's netmask
* Your network's gateway's internet address
If your campus network supports BOOTP, great - delete the file WATTCP.CFG
if present, and start MercNet. It will use BOOTP to learn those three
things. Otherwise, you need to create a text file named WATTCP.CFG
containing those three things. For example (but don't use these numbers):
my_ip = 212.170.66.45
netmask = 255.255.255.0
gateway = 212.170.66.1
Whether or not you're using BOOTP, you can test whether tcp/ip is working
by using the program WATPING that comes with Mercs. Run it with the IP
address of a nearby computer, e.g. your network's gateway. For example:
WATPING 212.170.66.1
If it reports that it got a response, great - everything's working. If it
gets no response, there's a problem with your wattcp.cfg, your packet
driver, your network connection, or your network's gateway.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Mercenaries Home Page
Back to Activision Home Page
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Kegel
Copyright 1996, Activision
Last revised: 17 October 1996
This document answers many Frequently Asked Questions about Mechwarrior 2:
Mercenaries.
The original copy of this document is located at
http://www.activision.com/mercnet/mercfaq.htm .
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
* Other sources of info
* Planned Improvements
* Installing Mercenaries
* Graphics Card Support
* Performance
* Sound
* Joysticks
* The 'Mech Lab
* Crashes
* Controls and Keystrokes
* MercNet and the Internet
* MercNet and Direct Ethernet Connections to the Internet
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other sources of info
The two files README.TXT and INTERNET.TXT on the Mercenaries CD-ROM contain
lots of helpful info. Also, the two best non-Activision online sources of
info are
* Will Day's Unofficial Mechwarrior 2 FAQs
* the Usenet news group alt.games.mechwarrior2
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planned Improvements
We hope to have a patch available by the end of October which will address
the following issues:
* problems with the 'Mech Lab
* extra weapons appearing on your 'Mech after battle
* problems with CD-ROM changers
* problems configuring input devices
* problems completing a couple of missions
* problems connecting for Internet play
The patch will be downloadable for free, and will update your copy of
Mercenaries 1.0 to Mercenaries 1.05.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installing Mercenaries
How do I install in DOS? I keep getting "Bad Command or Filename."
You must be in the CD's \DOS\ directory to run INSTALL.EXE.
What are the system requirements?
* 486 DX2/66 MHz processor
* 8 MB RAM
* Win95 or Microsoft MS-DOS 6.22 operating system with MSCDEX 2.10.
* Double-speed CD-ROM drive (300K/second sustained transfer rate)
* 65 MB of uncompressed hard disk space
* VESA local bus (VLB) or PCI video with 1 MB RAM
* 256 Color SVGA (640 x 480) video card
For modem/internet play:
* One of the following:
o 14.4 Hayes-compatible modem and 16550 UART for 3 players;
o 28.8 Hayes-compatible modem and 16550 UART for 5 players; or
o direct Internet connection or ISDN modem for 8 players.
* A PPP account with an Internet service provider
Here are some recommended performance guidelines:
* 486 (all speeds): 320x200, all options off
* Pentium (60-75mhz): 320x200, all options off
* Pentium (90-133mhz): 320x200, all options on -or- 640x480, all options
off except shadows
* Pentium (150-200mhz): 640x480, all options on
(The options can be adjusted by pressing the ESC key while in a mission or
in the shell, and selecting "Combat Variables.")
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphics Card Support
What's the story on 3-D card support for Mercenaries?
We haven't announced 3-D card versions of Mercenaries yet. It's fair to
assume we're working on something, but for now stick to the standard
version. Writing a well optimized Direct-3D version or a version tailored
for a particular 3-D card would take some time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Performance
I have a 486DX2/66Mhz, and Mercs runs too slow and choppy!
On a 486/66, you have to turn off the extra display options, and choose
320x200 resolution. In the shell (before launching), you can do this by
pressing ESC, then Combat Variables, then turn all the DETAIL settings to
OFF or LOW, and choose 320x200 for RESOLUTION. (You can also set all but
the resolution in the sim after launching.)
I have a great graphics card, but the movies in Win95 Mercs still runs
slow!
If your display is set for 24 bit color, the Mercs shell may run slowly,
but the Mercs sim will run just fine. If the movies in the shell are too
jerky for you, switch your graphics card to 8 bit color. This is done by
right-clicking the desktop background, choosing Properties / Settings, and
setting Color Palette to 256 colors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sound
How do I get sound in DOS Mercs?
If you used the Win95 setup to install Mercs, you'll need to run SETSOUND
by hand to set up sound in DOS Mercs. You can use SETSOUND to test whether
the sound is working, too.
Why is there no sound in MercNet?
There is sound in the MercNet Sim once you launch the mission, but there is
no sound while setting up missions in the MercNet Shell. (The Shell is
where you set up games; the Sim is when you're driving a 'Mech around.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joysticks
I get divide overflows with DOS Mercs when I use my Sidewinder in digital
mode!
Set your Sidewinder to use analog mode- this should get rid of the divide
overflows. To do this, set the switch on the base of the joystick to the
"one dot" position, and set up Mercs for "CH Pro" joystick.
I have trouble calibrating my Thrustmaster F16 FLCS!
One user reports:
I found the problem for my calibration with my TH F16 FLCS.
If I set up the trigger to digital instead of analogue,
I can calibrate normally in Mercs.
We have not confirmed the problem or the fix.
How come there's no way to reverse the direction of my rudder pedals?
See the discussion of Cockpit Configuration below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 'Mech Lab
I'm having problems adding Ferro-Fibrous or Endo-Steel to a 'Mech.
When you highlight "Endo-Steel Internals Upgrade" or "Ferro-Fibrous Armor
Upgrade", and see "Assign Crits" appear, you must double-click on the units
of endo or armor that appear below "Assign Crits!" This will add the unit
to an empty critical slot of the selected 'mech part. The Mercs 1.05 patch
will fix this and other 'mech lab problems; after installing the patch, the
"Assign Crits" function will be a little easier to understand and use.
How come double heat sinks take up 3 critical slots instead of 2?
According to the Battletech Compendium, Inner Sphere double heat sinks take
up 3 critical slots; Clan double heat sinks take up 2 critical slots.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crashes
I have 8 Meg of RAM, and am playing DOS Mercs. Why does the game lock up
after a few minutes?
Here are a few tips that should help resolve the problem:
1. Improperly configured memory managers can cause crashes. If you use
EMM386 or a similar memory manager, be sure to follow any instructions
in your graphics card's manual about excluding ranges of memory from
use by memory managers! Or try disabling your memory manager entirely
by editing CONFIG.SYS and inserting the word REM in front of any line
containing EMM386.EXE, HIMEM.SYS, or any other memory manager. You may
want to make a boot floppy and edit the boot floppy's CONFIG.SYS
rather than editing your hard disk's CONFIG.SYS. In any case, make a
copy of CONFIG.SYS before changing it, so you can get back the
original if something goes wrong.
2. Using the Sidewinder joystick in digital mode with DOS Mercs causes
trouble. If you have a Sidewinder, be sure to set the switch on the
base of the joystick to the "one dot" position, and set up Mercs for
"CH Pro" joystick. (If you don't, you'll probably experience "Divide
Overflow" errors every other game or so.)
3. Some old mouse drivers cause trouble. If you have followed the above
steps, are still having trouble, and are using an older mouse driver
or a non-microsoft mouse driver, try loading a version 9.xx Microsoft
mouse driver instead of your current one.
4. If all else fails, try turning off the sound or music - this sometimes
keeps the crash from happening.
When I get into the Merc95 sim, it says "Error 53: CD Not Mounted," but
MercDOS sim works fine.
One person reports "It was because I had the MS powertools flexi CD loaded.
When I exited flexi CD (closed it from the sys tray) the game ran fine."
When I try to run with a multiple-CD-ROM-turntable drive, it takes forever
to sense the drive, or exits with "Error 53: CD Not Mounted."
One person reports that switching his CD-ROM drive to take just one drive
letter seems to fix this problem. If you can't disable your CD-ROM drive's
extra drive letters, make sure that the Mercs disc is in the cd-rom slot
with the lowest drive letter.
When I get into the DOS sim, it sits on the neurohelmet screen forever,
with that little EKG animation going, and I can't get into the game!
This seems to be a problem reading the CD-ROM drive. People report that
ejecting and reinserting the CD fixes the problem and lets you continue the
game.
A few missions into the game, it starts to lock up or page fault!
This is a bug that should be fixed by the Mercs 1.05 patch. For now, try
selling your 'Mech every few missions and buying a new one - the fusion
reactors in the 'Mechs shipped with the game were made using inferior
container vessels, and accumulate radiation damage much sooner than
anticipated.
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Controls and Keystrokes
Hey! Where'd Image Enhancement go? 'w' doesn't work anymore.
You can get it back by adding the line
ENHANCED_VISION w
into GAMEKEY.MAP. It was taken out partly because the Inner Sphere doesn't
have image enhancement technology, and so the feature wasn't quite finished
- lasers don't show up when it's on.
The custom config screen can't flip the direction of torso twist, nor will
it let me use CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT!
The Cockpit Configuration is missing the columns that let you flip the
direction of each control. This will be fixed in the patch. Will Day's
Mech2 web page has some discussion about what one can do about this until
the patch arrives.
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MercNet and the Internet
How do I play MercNet over the Internet?
The file INTERNET.TXT has step by step instructions for how to dial up your
ISP using MERCPPP.
Why do I have to use MERCPPP? Why can't I use the Win95 TCP/IP stack?
MercNet is currently a DOS application. We are investigating creating a
native Win95 version of MercNet which will be compatible with the Win95
TCP/IP stack.
I use SLiRP or TIA to access my Internet account. Why can't I see anyone in
the Pilot's Lounge?
MercNet requires true PPP. SLiRP and TIA are PPP emulators that don't
support features needed by the MercNet internet driver. You may be able to
get around the problem by using a 3rd party IPX emulator such as Kali, but
we have not confirmed this.
When I run MERCPPP and enter in my ISP's phone #, etc., it takes all my
inputs and seems to "save to net.cfg" just fine, but I never get the main
menu afterwards. It only gives me the "current" selection again.
The first time you go through MERCPPP.BAT and enter in your COM port, you
*must save and exit* before you can see the main menu. That's right - hit
ESC again after saving and say YES when it asks if you want to leave.
MERCPPP will then take you to the main menu. (The main menu won't show up
until PPP is loaded, and it can't load PPP until you tell it what COM port
you have and exit.)
I can almost log in with MERCPPP, but it says BAD USERNAME OR PASSWORD even
though I typed them in right!
Many ISP's require you to type in a prefix in front of your username. On
some systems, it's #; on others, it's P; and on others it is the name of
the service! Consult your ISP's online support web pages for clues. (You
may need to look in surprising places; sometimes the needed info is buried
in Mac Dialup or Unix Dialup support pages.)
In general, you should try Terminal Login first, rather than PAP. When
setting up MERCPPP, don't enter in a password or username in the menus; do
set Authentication to None; and do set Connection Type to "modem -
terminal".
Specific instructions for a few popular ISPs follow.
I use Earthlink's national access, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
Earthlink's list of dialup numbers says:
National numbers require ELN/ to prefix their login username. POPs followed
by an "X" do not require the "ELN/".
I use Netcom, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
Netcom's dialup documentation says:
MAKE SURE YOU PUT A POUND SIGN (#) BEFORE YOUR USERNAME.
There seem to be longer synonyms for #. One user reports that Netcom's own
client software sometimes uses a prefix of us,ppp, for US dialup customers
using PPP, ca,ppp, for Canadian dialup customers using PPP, us,slip, for US
customers using SLIP, etc., and that he gets the same results with # and
us,ppp,.
I use The Concentric Network, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
Concentric's PPP dialup documentation says:
Change your login name from "userid@slip" or "userid@tia" to "userid@ppp."
(Do not include the quote marks.)
I use Sprynet, and I can't connect with MERCPPP!
1. You need version 1.43 of the ppp dialer. See the instructions on
upgrading to the latest dialer.
2. When you connect, you should see some garbled stuff on the terminal
screen. (This is 7 bit + parity ASCII; we need to switch to 8 bit + no
parity ASCII.) Type + then the ENTER key, and you should see a HOST
prompt. (The old version of the dialer refused to show the prompt
here.)
3. At the HOST prompt, type SPRY01 and press the ENTER key. (SPRY02 may
also work.)
4. Finally, enter your username (e.g. SPRY188123) and password. When you
see another line of garble, press ALT+S and you should see the IPCP
OPEN message. You can now EXIT the MERCPPP program and start MERCNET.
How do I upgrade to the latest PPP dialer?
The dialer shipped with Mercs was version 1.42, and had some problems with
PAP and with connecting to Sprynet. The latest version, 1.43, works better.
(An older version, 1.36, is also known to work well. Contact us if the
latest version still gives you trouble.) Here's how to upgrade to the
latest. Please read all the steps before plunging in!
1. First, delete the old copy of PPPSHARE.EXE and the PPPSHARE folder in
your Mercs directory (either using the DOS commands
CD \MERCS (or wherever you installed Mercs)
DEL PPPSHARE.EXE
DELTREE PPPSHARE
or by dragging both icons named PPPSHARE from the Mercs directory into
the recycle bin in the Win95 Explorer),
2. Second, download the new version of PPPSHARE.EXE from
http://www.klos.com or ftp://klos.com/demo/pppshare.exe into your
Mercs directory.
3. Third, run MERCPPP again to unpack and set up. (You'll have to enter
your ISP's phone number and everything again, sorry... If you're
ambitious, you can avoid this by saving the file NET.CFG before
deleting the PPPSHARE folder, and copying it back in to the new
PPPSHARE folder after briefly running MERCPPP to unpack PPPSHARE.)
You should now be ready to connect with MERCPPP and MERCNET!
I use ATT Worldnet, and I can't log in with MERCPPP!
I think ATT Worldnet requires CHAP. I suspect you will need to download the
demo version of the retail KLOS dialer, as the one we ship doesn't support
CHAP. Follow the instructions above for upgrading to the most recent ppp
dialer, but rename PPPDEMO.EXE to PPPSHARE.EXE after downloading. The demo
is restricted to 15 minutes. Finally, in MERCPPP's menus, use Terminal:
Modem, Authentication: CHAP, and enter your username and password in the
Authentication menu. (If you have the patch (Mercs 1.05), follow the
directions in INTERNET.TXT regarding switching to PAP from Terminal login,
but choose CHAP instead of PAP.)
I can connect to my ISP using MERCPPP, and it says IPCP OPEN like it
should, but there's nobody there in MercNet!
This is usually caused by having the wrong IP address. In particular, you
should usually *not* enter an IP address in the MERCPPP menus; it will
figure the address out for you (it changes every time).
I can get into a game using MERCPPP and MercNet but after a little while,
the other player disappears, although I can still chat with them, and I
still see his shadow!
This can be caused by excessive lag or excessive packet loss. (MercNet
hides players it doesn't have good position info for.) Both excessive lag
and excessive packet loss can be caused by trying to play against people
who have bad connections or are too far away.
Excessive packet loss can also be caused by trying to put too many players
into a game. The practical limit is 3 for 14.4 modems, and 5 for 28.8
modems.
Excessive lag can also be caused by error correction or compression
protocols in your modem, because they gather data up into large blocks
before sending, causing noticable delay.
To disable error correction and compression, you'll need to enter a Modem
Init String. In MERCPPP, this is under Profile List/ F1 / Configure / Modem
/ Command Strings / Initialization String 3. When playing head-to-head with
direct modem connections without MERCPPP, you add a new Modem Init String
by editing MODEM.LST with a text editor (like Notepad or EDIT).
The right Modem Init String depends on your modem type; you build it by
starting with AT and adding the commands from your modem's user guide for
turning off compression, error correction and flow control. For example,
here are the init string pieces for some common modem types (please e-mail
corrections to any errors you find!):
No flow control No error correction No compression
Hayes &K0 &Q0
Rockwell&K0 &Q0 or \N &K0
USR &H0&I0 &M0 &K0
Microcom\Q0 \N1
You can also find a few possible examples in the file MODEM.LST. It's also
worth searching the Web for modem init strings used by other multiplayer
games (NOT init strings for general internet use!), since most multiplayer
games face the same problem of trying to minimize latency for small
packets. For instance,
* DOOM Modem Help
* Command & Conquer Modem Help
But be careful- a lot of the init strings listed on those are just plain
wrong in that they don't turn off compression etc. like you want.
The best way to see if a particular init string will help without actually
playing a game is to use the /ping command in MercNet 1.05. The smaller the
ping time, the better the connection. If an init string lowers your ping
time (all other things being equal!), it is good. Be careful not to compare
apples to oranges, though - for a ping time comparison to be meaningful, it
should be from a two-player room with the same player both times,
preferably only a few minutes apart.
MercNet and Direct Ethernet Connections to the Internet
MercNet's built-in TCP/IP driver uses Packet Drivers to access your
ethernet card or modem. Mercs ships with a Packet Driver for your modem,
MERCPPP. If you want to use your ethernet card instead of your modem to
play MercNet, you'll need to install a Packet Driver.
What is a packet driver and where do I get one?
A packet driver is a TSR that lets programs send and receive packets using
the Packet Driver API.
Many Ethernet cards come with Packet Drivers on their setup floppy. Packet
drivers for most cards can also be downloaded either from the card maker's
web page, or from http://www.crynwr.com/crynwr.
If you can't find a Packet Driver for your card, you can almost certainly
find a Novell ODI driver, and there are instructions below on where to find
a 'shim' that lets you use ODI drivers with MercNet.
The original DOS version of the popular KALI utility also uses packet
drivers, so if you know someone who has DOS KALI running, they may be able
to help you load a packet driver.
I have Netware's DOS client software installed. Isn't that a packet driver?
No, those are ODI drivers. Luckily, the ODI drivers you load in NWCLIENT
can be adapted to work with Packet Driver clients by using ODIPKT, which
you can get from ftp://hsdndev.harvard.edu/pub/odipkt. There are a few
documents that explain how in more detail, e.g.
http://www.xylogics.com/home/mikeo/clam-update.html. In particular, you
need to create a text file NET.CFG and load the program LSL.COM (which
comes with Mercs) before loading the ODI driver TSR for your card and
ODIPKT.
I have Microsoft's DOS client software installed. Isn't that a packet
driver?
No, those are NDIS2 or NDIS3 drivers. The NDIS drivers you load via NET
START may be adapted to work with Packet Driver clients using the shareware
shims DIS_PKT.COM (for NDIS2) or NDIS3PKT (for NDIS3), but I haven't tried
DIS_PKT.COM, and NDIS3PKT doesn't seem to work well with MercNet. It is
probably better to install true packet drivers.
I need help setting up my direct ethernet connection I just got in my dorm
room to work with MercNet... mercppp will not recognize it. I do have the
packet drivers.
First off, be sure you're in DOS. (Windows doesn't like DOS programs trying
to access the Ethernet card using packet drivers.)
Run your card's packet driver before starting MercNet. (No other driver
needed; don't run MERCPPP. That's for modems) If it doesn't print out a
plausible ethernet address, stop it may be having trouble finding the card.
If possible, use the packet driver that came with the card. Otherwise,
check the card maker's web site or www.crnwyr.com for drivers.
MercNet needs to know three things:
* Your internet address
* Your network's netmask
* Your network's gateway's internet address
If your campus network supports BOOTP, great - delete the file WATTCP.CFG
if present, and start MercNet. It will use BOOTP to learn those three
things. Otherwise, you need to create a text file named WATTCP.CFG
containing those three things. For example (but don't use these numbers):
my_ip = 212.170.66.45
netmask = 255.255.255.0
gateway = 212.170.66.1
Whether or not you're using BOOTP, you can test whether tcp/ip is working
by using the program WATPING that comes with Mercs. Run it with the IP
address of a nearby computer, e.g. your network's gateway. For example:
WATPING 212.170.66.1
If it reports that it got a response, great - everything's working. If it
gets no response, there's a problem with your wattcp.cfg, your packet
driver, your network connection, or your network's gateway.
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Dan Kegel
Copyright 1996, Activision