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ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND
ERIDANI
PRIMER
LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
Table of Contents
THE BATTLE RAGES ON:
A Letter From Jordan Weisman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
CHAPTER 1: CADET INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . 1
Attention! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 2: STRATEGIC OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . 2
Running MechWarrior 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Joystick Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Playing the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CHAPTER 4: GAME BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
MechWarrior 3 Jump Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Operation Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Rebirth of the Star League . . . . . . . . . . .4
Creating and Selecting a MechWarrior . . . . . . . 11
Supplemental Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Game Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Types of BattleMechs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Military Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Inner Sphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Clans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Star League/Eridani
Light Horse Ranks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Fedcom Office of
Strategic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Smoke Jaguars . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
CHAPTER 5: BATTLEMECH OPERATIONS . . . . . . 13
BattleMech Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Mission Briefing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Tactical Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Enemy Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Mission Briefing Screen Options . . . . . . . . . 15
CHAPTER 3: GAME SETUP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Minimum System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 7
Recommended System Requirements . . . . . . . 7
Required for Multiplayer Option . . . . . . . . . . 7
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
DirectX Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The ReadMe File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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CHAPTER 6: BATTLEMECH OVERVIEW,
INTRODUCTION AND BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
BattleMech Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
BattleMech Systems and Components . . . . . . . 17
Armour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Internal Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chassis Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
E ST R 6: BATTLEMECH OVERVIEW, INTRODUCTION AND BASICS
RCHAPTER
ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
Heat Sinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Jump Jets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Weapon Selection and Status Display . . . . . . 26
Flamer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Weapon Fire Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Alpha Strike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
TAG Targeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Location Targeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Anti-Missile System (AMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Movement Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Gauss Rifle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Speed/Throttle Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Autocannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Movement Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
LB-X Autocannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Torso Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Ultra Autocannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Crouching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Machine Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Standing Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Long Range Missiles (LRMs) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Jumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Short Range Missiles (SRMs)/Streak SRMs . . . 20
Jump Jet Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Artemis IV Fire Control System . . . . . . . . . . 20
Damage Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Particle Projection Cannon (PPC) . . . . . . . . . 19
Beagle Active Probe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
C3 Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ECM Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
MASC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Heat Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Overheating and Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Deliberate Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Heat Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Narc Missile Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Targeting Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Target Acquisition Gear (TAG) . . . . . . . . . . . 21
CASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Radar and Sensor Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Radar Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Map Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Cockpit Display and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Display Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
External Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Left/Right Views and
Weapon Targeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Lancemate Command and Control . . . . . . . . . . 31
Lancemate/Ally Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Lancemate/Ally Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Command Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Targeting Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The Mobile Field Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Reticle Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Target Indication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Target Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Weapon Controls and Configuration . . . . . . . 25
Commanding the MFB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Firing Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Missile Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Weapon Recycling and Reloading . . . . . . 25
Initiating Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND
ERIDANI
PRIMER
LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
Mission Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
’Mech Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Mission Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Salvage Obtained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Allocating Salvage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
CHAPTER 7: THE ’MECH LAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
The ‘Mech Lab Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Thinking About Heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
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CHAPTER 10: MULTIPLAYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Modem Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
LAN Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
LAN Play Over IPX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
LAN Play Over TCP/IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Internet Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
MSN Gaming Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Multiplayer Access Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Net Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
The Main ’Mech Lab Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Connection Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
BattleMech Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Modifying Internal Structure . . . . . . . . . 39
Modifying Armour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Modifying the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Modifying Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Installing and
Removing Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Ammunition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Modifying Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Installing and Removing
Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Weapon Grouping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Host Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Weapon Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Energy Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Ballistic Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Missile Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
New Session Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Max Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Allow Team Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Multiplayer Game Setup Screen . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Game Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Player Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Free-for-All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Team Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Remove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Kick Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Pick Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Lock Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
CHAPTER 8: GAME MODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
In the Multiplayer Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
In-Game Chat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Instant Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CUSTOMER SUPPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
CHAPTER 9: GAME OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
LICENCE AGREEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Gameplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Graphics and Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
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R E S6:T BATTLEMECH OVERVIEW, INTRODUCTION AND BASICS
The Battle Rages On
Welcome to MechWarrior® 3, the third installment of the best-selling science fiction
combat sim of all time. If you are new to the MechWarrior® series, welcome aboard
and be prepared for a wild ride. Based on the internationally known BattleTech®
series of boardgames and novels, MechWarrior 3 takes place in the far future where
giant humanoid war machines, known as BattleMechs®, dominate the battlefield.
’Mechs®, however, are not robots. Strapped tightly into the cockpits of these
powerful combat machines are pilots known as MechWarriors. Some came from noble
birth, descended from one of the five noble Great Houses that rule much of known
space. Others fought their way up from the bottom, be it from some backwater
agricultural world or even the teeming, choked streets of one of the capital planets.
All, however, have the edge and the attitude required to be a MechWarrior.
The BattleTech universe and its story line is one of the richest and most
documented in the world, with literally millions of words of fiction written to date
about its characters, battles and history. MechWarrior 3 steps into the story
midstream, but this manual contains more than enough information for the new
player to understand what’s going on. As a member of the Eridani Light Horse, one of
the—if not the—most elite combat units in BattleTech, you are asked to uphold a
tradition of honour that goes back centuries. You’ll learn more about the Eridani
Light Horse and your enemies, the Smoke Jaguar Clan, in the next section.
Veteran MechWarrior players will immediately feel right at home and will be sorely
tempted to jump right into the cockpit, but we recommend that you review the
command and control chapters of this manual. Much should be familiar, but
at the same time much has changed. There are now more options, more
capabilities and more possibilities than ever before, including enhanced
targeting, heat management, and command and control ability of your
AI-controlled lancemates. In addition, there’s real battlefield salvage and
the full ability to modify a ’Mech chassis in your stable to match your idea
of the perfect configuration.
Newcomer or seasoned veteran, we believe that you will find this MechWarrior
experience like none other. Enjoy, and good hunting.
Jordan Weisman
co-creator of BattleTech
ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
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CADET INTRODUCTION
ATTENTION!
The Eridani Light Horse, Cadet, is now your life.
The training you are about to begin will be the hardest days you have ever experienced. There is
nothing that you may have done or learned that could have prepared you for what starts now.
There will be days when you curse your own birth for signing up with the Light Horse, but in the
end you will understand your abilities and limitations far more acutely than you’d ever thought
possible—and you will be among the finest of warriors the Inner Sphere has ever known.
As a MechWarrior and a member of the elite Eridani Light Horse, you will be required to understand
every system, subsystem and backup system on your ’Mech. You will be required to understand how
all the systems cross-link, fold-back or integrate with each other. You will be able to dismantle it
in your sleep and put it back together under the harshest conditions, including enemy fire.
More importantly, however, you will learn how to fight in your BattleMech. Anything else you
might learn is ultimately secondary to understanding how to push your BattleMech and yourself
beyond all preconceived limitations. You will also be taught to understand how your enemy
lives, thinks and fights. With this knowledge, you can gain control of a battle and limit your
enemy’s tactical choices.
Even with all that, neither this manual, nor anything the Eridani Light Horse Training Corp will
do, can teach you how to be a MechWarrior. We can and we will do everything possible to help
you learn to command your BattleMech with the best of the best, but ultimately your success or
failure on the battlefield comes down to you.
In the end it will be you, your machine and your enemy.
Know yourself, know your machine and know your enemy. That’s the best we can teach you.
The rest is up to you.
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CHAPTER 1: CADET INTRODUCTION
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ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
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Chapter 2: Strategic Overview
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OPERATION BRIEFING
Supplemental
For almost a thousand years, humans have journeyed into the far reaches of space, colonizing
thousands of worlds and forming star-spanning alliances. From these grew the Great Houses that
make up the Inner Sphere.
2
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ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND
ERIDANI
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LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
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But the Inner Sphere was divided. Its ruling dynasties warred constantly over colony
worlds with valuable resources. These titanic struggles led to the development
of BattleMechs: gigantic, humanoid battle machines bristling with lethal weapons.
From the 25th century onward, these walking tanks ruled the battlefields.
BattleMechs and their skilled pilots, known as MechWarriors, changed combat forever.
In 2766 the Star League, the unified governing body of the Inner Sphere, was in chaos. A
usurper had gained power, and the resulting civil war raged for 13 years until the Star League
military under General Aleksandr Kerensky finally defeated him. In the aftermath, however, the
five Council Lords of the Star League began to fight among themselves to fill the power vacuum
left by the defeat of the usurper. Faced with the spectre of his beloved Star League military
becoming divided against itself and entering into decades of warfare, General Kerensky
conceived a daring and fateful plan. He announced that he was leaving the Inner Sphere for
parts unknown beyond charted space, to form a new society based on honour and justice, and
he was willing to take whomever of the Star League military that wanted to come.
An astounding 80 percent of the standing Star League military force chose to leave the Inner
Sphere and travel out into the unknown. In doing so, they left behind an Inner Sphere still
wracked with battle, threatening to descend into a new Dark Ages, and began a journey that
300 years later would bring a rebuilt Inner Sphere to the brink of ruin.
We, the Eridani Light Horse, chose not to travel with General Kerensky on his Exodus. Instead,
we stood in silent attention as he and his armada of ships departed, for we knew in that
moment one era of history had ended and another had begun. We honour him and his beliefs to
this day with the black ring around our insignia and by flying our banner always at half-mast.
We will always speak the name of the General with respect for we have stood for these hundreds
of years since his departure in defence of the Inner Sphere, awaiting a return to the glory of
the Star League.
We remained in the Inner Sphere to defend our homes and loved ones, as we had always done and
will continue to do. Though we honour the name Kerensky, we will not stand by and allow his corrupt
descendants to defile all he stood for, no matter how loudly they shout his name with reverence.
How the descendants of Kerensky’s Exodus and his grand ideals devolved into the Clans that
10 years ago attacked the Inner Sphere to regain it in his name is speculation for another
book at another time. For perhaps in the greatest of all ironies, their invasion and conquest
of a significant portion of the Inner Sphere has finally achieved what the General had always
dreamed of—a reformed Star League. Flying that banner, proudly beside our own, we will take to
the field against the Clans and explain to them the true meaning of honour and justice in a way
they are sure to understand.
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CHAPTER 6: BATTLEMECH
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STRATEGIC OVERVIEW
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ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
The Rebirth of the Star League
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Two years ago in 3058, the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere convened to create
the Star League Constitution, resurrecting with a pen what they had failed to
accomplish through the force of arms—a new Star League. The main impetus of
this historic occasion, however, was to end the Clan threat once and for all. With
the Houses united, they could combine their militaries under a single command structure to
attack a single Clan and utterly annihilate it, thus proving to the other Clans that the Inner
Sphere was a foe worthy of respect. Operation Bulldog, the massive invasion of the Smoke
Jaguar Occupation Zone by a multinational force, began in 3059. Far more quickly than any
analyst had predicted possible, the Inner Sphere force swept the Jaguars before them.
The Star League commander knew, however, that destroying the body would not accomplish their
ultimate goal of ending the Clan threat if the head was allowed to live. Using information acquired
from a Clan traitor, the Star League hatched a daring plan that required a force to travel through
uncharted space to directly attack the home of Clan Smoke Jaguar, the planet Huntress. As
Operation Bulldog began, Task Force Serpent was well on its way, heading blindly toward its destiny.
Under the command of Marshal Morgan Hasek-Davion, we comprised the backbone of Task Force
Serpent. Our three reinforced regiments, transported on 13 JumpShips and 34 DropShips, were the
single largest group of forces in the Task Force. As appropriate, our commanding officer, General
Ariana Winston, was named second in command of the operation under Marshal Hasek-Davion.
During the long trip to Huntress, Marshal Hasek-Davion was murdered by an assassin who would
not reveal his patrons, leaving General Winston in charge of Task Force Serpent.
The plan was simple though devious: a small advance force of the flotilla of WarShips, JumpShips
and DropShips (115 vessels in the main body) would approach Huntress using identification codes
supplied by the Jaguar traitor. Using a ruse devised to make it appear that the battle armourequipped commando force dropping from orbit was debris from a damaged DropShip, the Huntress
orbital defence headquarters was targeted first. The plan worked perfectly, allowing the remainder
of the ships to begin the assault on the Smoke Jaguar homeworld.
Though ultimately we were victorious on Huntress, General Winston was killed in the last hours
of the battle. She stood valiantly with her troops as wave after wave of suicidal Smoke Jaguar
warriors attempted to force them out of their defensive position. They were not successful,
though the effort cost General Winston her life. Her death was not in vain. Though we do not
accompany our fellow warriors on the Clan homeworld of Strana Mechty, they will carry with
them the name of General Ariana Winston and the understanding of her sacrifice and the ideal
that the Eridani Light Horse has carried since the days of the first Star League.
Task Force Serpent is victorious, as will be the force of Star League warriors destined for Strana
Mechty. It is time for us to bury our dead, learn what we can from our mistakes and prepare for
the long journey home.
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ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND
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Supplemental Information
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Types of BattleMechs
Generally speaking, Inner Sphere and Clan ’Mechs come in four classifications:
Scout or Light . . . . . 20 to 35 tons
Medium . . . . . . 40 to 55 tons
Heavy . . . . . . . . . . 60 to 75 tons
Assault . . . . . . 80 to 100 tons
Military Organization
The Inner Sphere and the Clans use different systems for organising their military forces.
Inner Sphere
Lance . . . . . . . . . . . 4 combat units (’Mechs or vehicles, rarely mixed)
Company . . . . . . . . 3 Lances (plus support vehicles)
Battalion . . . . . . . . 3 Companies (plus a Command Lance and support vehicles)
Regiment . . . . . . . . 3 to 5 Battalions (plus support vehicles and space transport)
Clans
Point . . . . . . . . . . . 1 OmniMech or 5 Elementals (power armour)
Star . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Points (led by a Star Commander)
Nova . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Star of OmniMechs plus 1 Star of Elementals
Binary/Trinary . . . . . 2 or 3 Stars of OmniMechs (led by a Star Captain)
Cluster . . . . . . . . . . 3 to 5 Binaries or Trinaries (led by a Star Colonel)
Galaxy . . . . . . . . . . 3 to 5 Clusters (led by a Galaxy Commander)
Star League/Eridani Light Horse Ranks
The Eridani Light Horse has continued to use the ranking structure of the Star League. It is
reproduced here for reference:
Sergeant
Master Sergeant
Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Colonel
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The Smoke Jaguars
Overview (Brief)
Edited for Classified Content
Like many Clan warriors, the predator for whom Clan Smoke Jaguar is named owes its
existence to science tampering with nature. Its genes are those of the Terran jaguar,
altered in the laboratory to enable it to survive in a harsher environment. Aleksandr
Kerensky’s followers brought the smoke jaguar to the world of Strana Mechty, where it
thrived in the fertile jungles abundant with suitable prey.
Members of Clan Smoke Jaguar take fierce pride in their symbol, which the Clan’s revered
founder, Nicholas Kerensky (son of the leader of the Exodus), chose for them. They believe
Nicholas modeled all of Clan society on the smoke jaguar and point proudly to an entry in one
of his many journals in which he extols the beast’s virtues. Modern day Smoke Jaguars often
quote from this journal entry, which they revere above all other literature save for the Clan’s
epic poem, “The Remembrance.”
An excerpt:
Remember Franklin Osis,
Father of his Clan.
Three strengths he gave us:
The jaguar’s spring that brings an enemy down,
The jaguar’s claws that rend the enemy’s heart,
The jaguar’s taste for the enemy’s hot blood.
–“The Remembrance” (Clan Smoke Jaguar), Passage 104, Verse 18, Lines 5–10
Clan Smoke Jaguar worships its symbol animal with fanatical fervour, so much so that its
members have faithfully modeled every aspect of their society on the animal’s behavior. The
Smoke Jaguars claimed dubious distinction as the most bloodthirsty of the Clans when they
wantonly destroyed the city of Edo on the world of Turtle Bay—a city whose only crime was
resisting Smoke Jaguar occupation.
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MechWarrior 3 is designed to take advantage of the latest in 3D hardware acceleration technology.
The game can also run well on a machine that does not have 3D hardware acceleration. Not all of
the advanced graphic features will be enabled, but nothing essential is eliminated.
All configurations of MechWarrior 3 require Windows 95 or 98 to run and DirectX 6.1 or later
(which you can install during setup).
Minimum System Requirements
Recommended System Requirements
• 166MHz Pentium
• 200MHz Pentium or faster
• Windows 95 or Windows 98
• Windows 95 or Windows 98
• 32MB RAM
• 64MB RAM
• High Colour graphics
• High Colour graphics
(640 x 480 x 16-bit colour–2MB video RAM minimum)
(1024 x 768 x 16-bit colour)
• Double-speed CD-ROM drive
• Direct3D graphics accelerator
• Hard drive (240MB free)
• Quad-speed CD-ROM drive
• DirectX-compatible sound card
• Hard drive (390MB free)
• Joystick
Required for Multiplayer Option
• Windows-compatible 28.8 kps modem or faster
• Local area network (LAN) with IPX or TCP/IP
• Internet play requires a true TCP/IP connection
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Before installing MechWarrior 3, we recommend that you run the Disk Defragmenter utility
supplied with your copy of Windows on the drive you will install the game to. To run this utility,
click the Start button and select Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
Insert the MechWarrior 3 game in your CD-ROM drive. If the drive has AutoPlay enabled,
installation begins automatically.
If installation does not begin, follow these instructions:
1. Insert the MechWarrior 3 disc into the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click on the Start button on the Windows taskbar.
3. Select Settings and then Control Panel.
4. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
5. Click the Install tab and select “MechWarrior 3.”
6. Follow the onscreen instructions.
During installation, you can choose between a Typical, Compact or Custom install. Typical
requires 390MB free and installs the game files needed for optimal performance. Compact
requires 240MB free and installs only the absolutely necessary files. As a result, game
performance may suffer. Custom gives you the choice of which files you wish to install to the
hard drive and which you want to remain on the CD-ROM. If there are problems installing
MechWarrior 3, please read the README.DOC file on the CD-ROM. To uninstall the game, insert the
MechWarrior 3 disc into your CD-ROM drive and choose “Uninstall.”
DirectX Installation
MechWarrior 3 requires DirectX version 6.1. If you do not already have this on your computer,
then it will be automatically installed after the game files are copied to your hard drive. If you
need to install DirectX manually, follow these instructions:
1. Insert the MechWarrior 3 disc into your CD-ROM drive.
2. Select “Reinstall DirectX” and follow the onscreen instructions.
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THE README FILE
MechWarrior 3 has a ReadMe file with which you can view updated information about the game.
To view this file, double-click on README.DOC in the MechWarrior 3 directory found on your
hard drive. You can also view the ReadMe file by first clicking on the Start button on your
Windows taskbar. Then select Programs > MicroProse > MechWarrior 3 > ReadMe.
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Joystick Setup
If you plan to use a joystick, make sure it is calibrated in Windows before you start MechWarrior 3.
1. Go to the Start menu (at the bottom of your desktop) and choose Settings > Control Panels.
When that window opens, double-click on the Game Controllers icon.
2. Make sure the General tab is selected.
3. If no game controllers are listed in this dialog box, select the Add button. If your preferred
controller is listed here, skip to Step 6.
4. On the next dialog box, choose the controller that best fits your joystick and hit OK.
5. If you own a joystick that doesn’t appear on the list, click the Add Other button. You may
then need to click the Have Disk button to install joystick drivers from one of your disks, or
else choose a driver from the list on the left. Follow the directions of the install wizard to
successfully install your new drivers.
6. Choose your controller from the list and hit the Properties button.
7. Make sure the Rudder/Pedals check box is checked if you have rudder pedals attached to
your controller.
8. Click the Calibrate button to begin the calibration process. Follow all the directions to
calibrate your particular joystick.
9. Click the Test tab on this dialog box to see if all aspects of your controller are
working properly.
10. If everything looks OK, press the Apply button.
11. Press the OK buttons to exit the Game Controllers control panel.
Playing the Game
To run the game, make sure the MechWarrior 3 disc is in your CD-ROM drive, click on the Start
button and select Programs > MicroProse > MechWarrior 3 > MechWarrior 3. You can also run the
game by inserting the MechWarrior 3 disc into your CD-ROM drive and selecting “Play!”
In addition to this manual, we recommend that you review the Technical Reference and Quick
Reference Card for more information on how to play the game.
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MECHWARRIOR 3 JUMP START
If you just want to get into your ’Mech and start blasting, here is some key info:
1. Keep the Quick Reference Card handy. The most critical keys are highlighted in yellow.
2. Start the game and then choose Instant Action at the Main screen.
3. Enter a name under Pilot Entry and hit the Accept button.
4. At the Instant Action screen, hit the Accept button to accept the defaults. You will be in an
Annihilator BattleMech, and your mission goal is to destroy an enemy ’Mech.
5. After the Mission Briefing screen loads, hit the Launch button to begin the mission.
6. Move your ’Mech by moving your joystick or by pressing the W, Z, A and S keys.
7. Target the enemy ’Mech by pressing the
E key (Select Next Enemy).
8. Hold the targeting reticle over the enemy
’Mech until the reticle turns yellow.
9. Fire the weapons by pressing z,
the joystick trigger or the left mouse button.
10. Remember to keep moving! A stationary
’Mech is a dead ’Mech.
If you want to learn more about your ’Mech, check out the Training missions (see page 46).
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The Main screen gives you access to the different parts of the MechWarrior 3 game.
Campaign: Selecting this launches the singleplayer game (see page 45).
Training: If you are unfamiliar with your
BattleMech’s controls or feel you need to brush
up, select this button and see page 46.
Instant Action: You can play stand-alone combat
missions based on parameters that you choose.
See page 46.
Multiplayer: Selecting this gives you access to
the various multiplayer options. For more
information, see pages 51 to 60.
Options: You can alter some of the game settings, such as difficulty, heat management, ammo
usage and so on. You can also adjust the various video graphic and audio options. See “Game
Options” beginning on page 48 for more information.
Credits: If you are curious as to who is responsible for MechWarrior 3 (or at least who was
willing to admit to it), select this button.
Quit: To end the program and return to Windows, select this button.
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CREATING AND SELECTING A MECHWARRIOR
After selecting Campaign, Training, Instant
Action or Multiplayer, you must either create a
new pilot or select a previously created one.
Since MechWarrior 3 automatically tracks each
MechWarrior’s progress and status in the game,
selecting an existing pilot will display the
missions that the pilot has played and highlight
the current mission. Select an existing pilot and
press the Accept button to automatically restart
the game at the beginning of the mission that
the pilot is currently playing.
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Here’s where you can find some key info necessary to controlling your BattleMech and living
through your mission.
Mission Briefing (page 14): What you have to do to win and an overview of how it’s going to
be told to you.
BattleMech Overview (pages 16–17): What your ’Mech is made of and what’s going to get
broken when your enemy takes you apart.
Shooting (pages 25–26): How to select weapons, how to target something and how to blow it
up… if you’re lucky.
Moving (pages 27–28): If you stand still, it’ll be over before you know it—it’s called being a
“sitting duck” for a reason.
Communicating (pages 31–33): Your lancemates are out there with you, and they’re waiting for
you to give them orders.
’Mech Lab (pages 35–44): A sure path to victory is to customise your ’Mech to match your own
style. Don’t pass up this edge.
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Chapter 5: BattleMech Operations
OPERATIONS
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BATTLEMECH BACKGROUND
The only way you can win and stay alive is to understand exactly how and why your BattleMech
operates. Trust nothing and no one. Learn what you need to know yourself. Train until your
nerves are raw, and then train some more. Then, and only then, will you be prepared to face
another MechWarrior in combat.
The BattleMech is the pinnacle of modern weapon platform design. For centuries, engineers have
tried to improve upon the efficiency of the humanoid form for manoeuvrability and weight-load
carrying, but to no avail. It is understood that an airborne platform is too fragile and vulnerable,
while a wheeled or treaded vehicle lacks manoeuvrability and tactical awareness. We will not even
comment on the foolhardiness of powered armour as a viable weapon’s platform.
From the earliest days of the BattleMech and its rapid evolution from its raw industrial beginnings,
the silhouette of a ’Mech on the horizon has inspired fear and awe. With its physically high point
of view and an array of enhanced and dedicated sensor systems, the tactical awareness of a
MechWarrior safely protected in the head of the ’Mech is unsurpassed. Marry this awareness to a
multitasking targeting system commanding high-speed primary and secondary hardpoints mounted
onto a hardened chassis in a human-like configuration that allows the pilot to act and react
instinctively, and it is clear to see why nothing on the modern battlefield even approaches a
’Mech’s capability.
But all this is rhetoric without understanding the hows and whys of BattleMech operations.
We have said it before: to understand how to fight is to understand how to command your
BattleMech. Drill in the use of your ’Mech’s systems, controls and capabilities until using them
becomes reflexive, more like breathing than thinking. We guarantee that if you have to consult
this book or some other craftily placed reference guide during combat, you may as well forward
your belongings to your next of kin right now.
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Proper manoeuvring and use of terrain is perhaps the most important element of a successful
mission. Whenever possible, the Briefing Officer points out special or useful features of the
terrain that open up various tactical possibilities. Proper review of the terrain may show routes
that protect you from enemy fire or reveal paths completely around fortified or heavily patrolled
enemy positions. Especially when bridges are involved, the terrain information presented in the
Mission Briefing is occasionally out-of-date by the time you reach the mission area. (We point
out bridges because they are especially vulnerable to weapon fire and the destruction of a
bridge can quickly limit access to an area.)
Most often, however, proper terrain evaluation can reveal an unexpected approach to an
objective or enemy position. Finding and utilising these unexpected approaches can provide you
and your forces with the edge necessary to defeat a superior enemy.
Mission Briefing Screen Options
From the Mission Briefing screen, you have the following options:
• Exit: Selecting this button aborts the current mission and returns you to the main menu.
• Replay Briefing: Clicking on this replays the current mission briefing.
• ’Mech Lab: This option takes you to the ’Mech Lab (see Chapter 7).
• Allocate Salvage: This option allows you to allocate the salvage you recovered last mission
to your MFBs for transport. See page 34 for more information.
• Launch: Selecting this begins the current mission.
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Your pre-mission briefing is designed to provide
you with options. No mission has a guaranteed
path, and even though you may receive a
recommended course of action from your
designated Briefing Officer, it is up to you to
determine your path through the mission area.
Your Briefing Officer provides you with
information concerning your tactical objectives,
enemy presence and terrain. If it’s available, you
may even have access to the video recordings of
a remote-piloted drone that has recently flown
through the mission area.
Tactical Objectives
Every mission has one or more tactical objectives that must be completed in order to be
considered successful. These objectives (accessible in the cockpit by pressing the = key)
are presented in the order that your Briefing Officer expects you to achieve them, but they
do not always have to be completed in that order. If you can find another, better solution,
use it. A particular objective may require you to reach a specific location on the map,
destroy a specific target, rid the area of enemies or perform some other related action. When
you successfully complete an objective, you’ll hear and see a special message indicating such.
Enemy Presence
Your Briefing Officer and his staff work hard to provide the most up-to-date intelligence regarding
the mission area, but the enemy doesn’t sit still. Their information about the location of enemy
forces, numbers and intention is as accurate as they can manage. Since the enemy is active and
may be manoeuvring to counter the presence of you and your teammates, it is imperative that
you not assume the Mission Briefing is always 100% accurate with regard to enemy presence.
Keep the briefing information in mind, but be prepared for anything.
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BATTLEMECH OVERVIEW
Your BattleMech is the premiere weapon platform of the modern age and
the most powerful war machine ever built. Regardless of whether
you are in a 25-ton, 10-meter tall scout ’Mech or the 100-ton,
14-meter tall assault ’Mech, it is more manoeuvrable, better
armoured and more heavily armed than any other
combat unit. Capable of carrying a wide arsenal of
weapons, including missiles, lasers, particle
projector cannons and rapid-fire autocannons, your
BattleMech packs enough firepower to level anything
that stands against it—except perhaps another BattleMech.
Though we long considered the Inner Sphere designed and built
BattleMech to be the paramount of weapon platform design,
we were proven wrong by the appearance and capability of the
Clan OmniMech. Fortunately, we have learned from captured
Clan ’Mechs many of the secrets of their more effective armour,
longer-ranged and more powerful weapons, and lighter and
faster engines. The newest BattleMech designs incorporate
many design and technological elements learned from the
Clans, as well as a few innovations of our own.
Key to long-term military operations in enemy territory is
our ability to salvage armour, weapons and other components from damaged or destroyed units,
including those of the enemy. Our ability to wage extended campaigns into Clan-controlled areas
of space depends on the deployment of special adaptation technology that allows native Clan
tech to be used on Inner Sphere BattleMechs. Perhaps foremost among the technological
advantages of Clan OmniMech chassis, weapons and components has been their ability to quickly
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replace or “hot swap” existing equipment for new. Though we have yet to match the raw
interchangeability of the Clan systems, this adaptation technology allows us to not only to
salvage and use Clan technology recovered from the battlefield but to swap our own equipment
or Clan technology on or off our own BattleMechs much more quickly and efficiently, even when
in the field.
If you are truly lucky, you may capture a Clan OmniMech either relatively intact or at least in
repairable shape. Thanks to our victories against the Clan, our technicians now know enough
about enemy technology to modify and retrofit its command and control systems to allow you to
take it back into the field.
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BATTLEMECH SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS
Every BattleMech is made of multiple systems and components. Some of these systems are built
into a particular BattleMech chassis and cannot be modified, but most BattleMech components
can be modified or replaced using the ’Mech Lab interface (see Chapter 7). All components take
up valuable internal space known as critical spaces. Clan equipment is either lighter, is more
powerful or takes up fewer critical spaces than the Inner Sphere equivalent.
Armour
Modern BattleMech armour is comprised of multiple layers designed to protect the machine and
its pilot against energy and projectile weapons respectively. When damaged, the armour shears
off and must be replaced. Ferro-fibrous armour is a variant of standard armour that weighs less
but, unlike standard armour, takes critical spaces.
Internal Structure
Any weapon damage that penetrates past a ’Mech’s armour can damage its metal skeleton
internal structure. Too much internal structure damage results in the loss of a limb (and all its
weapons) or, if a critical area is breached, the entire BattleMech. Endo-steel is a lighter version
of standard internal structure that takes up critical spaces as a trade-off for the reduced weight.
Chassis Location
Every BattleMech has eight chassis location areas where armour, internal structure and
components are tracked. These locations are:
Left Arm
Head
Left Torso
Centre Torso
Left Leg
Right Arm
Right Torso
Right Leg
Additionally, armour damage is tracked in the rear centre, rear right and rear left torso locations.
When incoming damage hits one of these locations, it is applied first against the armour. If the
armour is penetrated, damage is done to the internal structure and potentially one or more of
the internal components within that location.
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Cockpit
Situated in the head of a BattleMech, the cockpit contains the pilot (you) and the bulk of the
command and control system electronics. A hit that penetrates the armour of the head will
probably destroy the cockpit and kill you.
Engines
BattleMechs require a constant supply of power for movement and combat. Located in the centre
torso area, a BattleMech’s advanced fusion plant is well protected, but it can sustain damage in
battle sufficient to cause it to overload, destroying the ’Mech and potentially killing the pilot.
The larger the engine, the more powerful it is and the faster it can propel a ’Mech. Engines can
be repaired and swapped in the ’Mech Lab. Engines come in the standard form or the “XL” (extra
light) version which weighs less but takes up additional critical space in the left and right torsos.
Heat Sinks
BattleMechs are incredibly heat inefficient—virtually everything you do, from moving to firing
weapons, generates an excessive amount of heat. Too much heat, and your onboard systems will
overload and shut your ’Mech down. You monitor your current heat on the heat gauge. Since
’Mechs disperse heat through their heat sinks, the more heat sinks your ’Mech has, the faster it
dissipates the heat. Double heat sinks are twice as efficient as standard heat sinks but take up
more critical spaces. See page 36 in the ’Mech Lab chapter for information on how to swap out
heat sinks.
Jump Jets
’Mechs equipped with jump jets are able to use their limited rocket power to make short
jumping flights over or across terrain obstacles. The larger the ’Mech, the greater the number of
jump jets required to carry it across a given distance. Additionally, jump jets generate heat
when triggered. See page 41 in the ’Mech Lab chapter for information on how to install jump
jets and page 28 for how to use them.
Lasers
Lasers are direct-energy weapons capable of cutting through ’Mech armour. There are three sizes
of lasers: small, medium and large. The size reflects the amount of damage done per shot. There
are also two variations: pulse lasers (greater duration) and extended-range lasers (capable of
firing over greater distances). Consult the Weapon Tables on pages 43–44 for more information.
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A PPC fires high-energy proton or ion bolts that can severely damage its target, but also
generate a huge amount of heat when fired. ER (extended range) PPCs fire shots at a longer
range than standard PPCs, but generate even more heat.
Flamer
Basically a high-energy flame-thrower, the flame increases the internal heat of a targeted ’Mech
if the stream can be kept focused on the target.
Anti-Missile System (AMS)
The anti-missile system is a rapid-fire, point defence machine gun that is capable of
automatically tracking, engaging and destroying incoming missiles. As long as the system is
engaged and has ammo, you can let the auto-tracking system do the rest. The weapon does
have a limited amount of ammo. Press the A key to engage or disengage this weapon.
Gauss Rifle
Generating very little heat, this weapon uses magnetic rail gun technology to fire a slug at very
high speeds over very long distances. Ammunition is limited.
Autocannon
Utilising a fast-loading, near-continuous fire mechanism, autocannons fire high-velocity,
armour-penetrating rounds over great distances. The lighter the autocannon, the greater the
range, but the smaller the punch. Heavy autocannons, as a result, have a devastating shortrange punch.
LB-X Autocannon
This big gun fires cluster munitions which fragment into several small sub-munitions causing
damage to multiple hit locations. It is available in multiple calibers and has limited
ammunition. Consult the Weapon Tables on pages 43–44 for more information.
Ultra Autocannon
Ultra Autocannons fire explosive armour-piercing shells, which deliver strong, concentrated
damage which is faster than the autocannons. It too is available in multiple calibers and has
limited ammunition. Consult the Weapon Tables on pages 43–44 for more information.
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These light autocannons are capable of delivering a high number of low caliber rounds in a very
short period of time. The individual damage is not high, but if the target can be kept in the
stream of bullets, significant damage can be done. Ammo is limited.
Long Range Missiles (LRMs)
Long range missile launchers fire missiles that have limited tracking capability. They are accurate,
but lack turning capabilities and so do not have the pinpoint precision of Streak Missiles. Ammo
is limited. LRMs have a minimum range of 90 meters. If they hit before they have travelled their
minimum range, they will not explode, although they may do slight impact damage.
Short Range Missiles (SRMs)/Streak SRMs
These direct-trajectory missiles are more powerful than long range missiles, but only accurate at
short range. The Streak variant has a smart targeting system that prevents it from being fired
unless it is locked on and almost guaranteed to hit. Ammo is limited.
Artemis IV Fire Control System
This component improves the targeting capability of a BattleMech’s onboard systems and
enhances the tracking capability of any missile weapons fired. As a result, missile locks occur
faster and the missiles fired are more accurate and have limited terrain-following ability. See
“Missile Lock” on page 25.
Beagle Active Probe
Normal sensors, even in active mode, are limited in their range and ability to detect shutdown
’Mechs. The Beagle Active Probe is able to detect and identify enemy units at longer than
normal range, including those that have deliberately shut down to avoid detection. Consult
“Radar and Sensor Controls” on pages 30–31 for more information.
C3 Computer
Standing for Command/Control/Communications Computer, the C3 aids in interfacing the battle
computers of any allied BattleMechs, allowing better integration of tactical information and
targeting/tracking capability. If you are carrying the Master C3 unit (as opposed to the Slave C3
units which should be installed in your lancemates’ ’Mechs), you can bring up the map display
and see an overlay showing the information present on your lancemates’ radar displays (even if
they are out of radar range of your ’Mech). Consult “Radar and Sensor Controls” on pages 30–31
for more information.
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The Electronic Counter-Measures Suite reduces the effectiveness of the enemy’s long-range
sensors and scanning equipment. It nullifies the effects of the Beagle Active Probe, the Artemis
IV, the Narc Missile Beacons, Targeting Computers, Streak Missiles and the C3 computer. It has
no effect on TAG.
MASC
The MASC (Myomer Acceleration Signal Circuitry) system greatly increases the speed of any ’Mech
equipped with it, but raises your internal heat. MASC can be engaged or disengaged by pressing
the V key.
Narc Missile Beacon
The Narc Missile Beacon is a modified missile launcher that fires a pod equipped with powerful
homing beacons. Any missile fired at an enemy unit struck by the Narc Missile Beacon has an
increased chance to hit due to the pod’s homing beacon.
Targeting Computer
The Clan Targeting computer enhances the pilot’s accuracy with lasers, PPCs, Gauss rifles and
autocannons by automatically calculating the lead factor necessary to hit a specific area on the
enemy ’Mech. A secondary targeting reticle is displayed as a small circle on the HUD.
Target Acquisition Gear (TAG)
The TAG unit consists of a spotting laser that an incoming Arrow IV artillery missile is able to
home in on, increasing its accuracy. Only one TAG unit can be mounted on a ’Mech. See page
26 for more information on TAG targeting.
CASE
Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment, or CASE, is a special technology that, if mounted in a
body location containing ammunition, automatically vents any ammunition explosions out the
back of the ’Mech, preventing any additional damage to other locations. All equipment within
the location is destroyed.
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The Head-Up Display (HUD) of your ’Mech contains a number of sophisticated visual aids
designed to help you fight better. It also provides continual real-time information about
your position, your ’Mech’s heat, weapon and damage status, as well as data about enemies
in the area and your currently selected target.
Radar/Loc
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Target Indicator
Heading
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Weapon Status/Groupin
Op Point
eticle
Targeting R
Speed
Throttle/
Indicator
Heat Gauge
Coolant St
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Target ID
Jump Capacity
Target Arrow
Targeting Window
Player Damage Display
Radar/Local Map Display: toggles between the radar and map display, showing nearby units,
navigation markers and angle of view/torso rotation.
Heading: shows your current compass point heading.
Throttle/Speed Indicator: displays your ’Mech’s current speed and direction of movement. An
ascending yellow bar indicates forward movement, and a descending red bar means reverse
movement. See page 27.
Op Point Designator: when an operation point is selected, the physical location is marked by a
glowing icon superimposed perpendicular to the ground at the appropriate location. If that
location is outside your current field of view, an arrow appears pointing toward the location.
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Targeting Reticle: shows the current point that your ’Mech’s weapons are targeted on. The
reticle changes appearance to indicate the presence of an enemy or missile lock. A “zoomed
view” version of the reticle is also available.
Targeting Window: shows the current target, whether enemy or ally.
Currently Selected Lancemate: this line of text indicates which lancemate is currently selected
and ready to receive orders.
Target Indicator: a red triangle marks the current target.
Target Arrow: the arrow points to the target if it is out of view.
Damage Display: shows your ’Mech’s current damage status.
Heat Gauge/Coolant Status: displays your current heat status (red is bad) and the status of
your coolant reservoir.
Jump Capacity: shows how much jump jet fuel remains in your tanks.
Weapon Status/Grouping Indicator: displays your current weapon configurations, their ammo
and recharge/recycle status, their damage status and the grouping.
Equipment Status: displays the current damage status of equipment such as ECM, Targeting
Computers, etc.
Display Controls
Multiple cockpit view display options are available to you. The standard display is the cockpit
HUD described above. (Note that pressing the H key disables the HUD itself.) This places you
directly in the cockpit, and everything that you can or cannot see is from that perspective.
External views are also available.
External Views
The external views place your point of view outside of the ’Mech. The High external view places
you outside of your ’Mech, slightly above and behind it. The Low external view is from behind
your ’Mech and slightly below the cockpit level. All the controls operate normally, and the HUD
is available with all its information, though the location of some of the displays may be slightly
different. To cycle between the standard in-cockpit view, the Low external view and the High
external view, press the X key.
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Left/Right Views and Weapon Targeting
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When you look to either the left or to the right (using the hat control on your joystick or a 4
and a6 on the numeric keypad), the targeting reticle appears in that view. Only weapons
available on that side of the ’Mech are available for firing. Specifically, when looking left, only
left arm mounted weapons are available. When looking right, only right arm mounted weapons
are available. Note that you can also look up and down using a 8 and a 2 on the numeric
keypad. Doing so does not affect weapon availability.
If your ’Mech has the ability to torso twist, you can twist all the way to the left (or right), then
look left (or right) and effectively bring weapons to bear behind you.
Targeting Controls
Your targeting reticle is a multifunction display crucial to your weapon success.
Its movement is controlled via the mouse, joystick or keyboard. Moving the mouse
defaults to moving the reticle on the HUD but does not move your ’Mech. Press L or
the right mouse button to lock the reticle to its current position. Moving the mouse now moves
your ’Mech’s torso.
To switch to the other mouse control mode, press c0 on the numeric keypad. In this mode
or if you are using a joystick, the reticle is locked to the center of the HUD and your ’Mech’s
torso moves as you move your mouse or joystick. (This control mode is similar to previous
Mech-Warrior games.) If you press L or the right mouse button, the reticle is locked in the
centre of your view and moving your mouse or joystick now moves your MechWarrior’s head.
(This mode is similar to a virtual cockpit.)
Reticle Zooming
You can magnify the HUD area immediately around the reticle by hitting the 0 key
on the numeric keypad. Press 0 again to toggle off the zoom. You can also hold the
Z down to zoom the reticle. The reticle appears slightly different when zoomed in.
This option is excellent for gaining information in certain combat situations. Note that the Clan
’Mech reticle is square and the Inner Sphere ’Mech reticle is round.
Target Indication
When your reticle passes over a valid target, it changes colour. If the reticle is blue, the target
is outside the range of your current weapon. If the reticle is green, the target is within range
but cannot be damaged. When you are tracking a target within weapon range that can be
damaged, the reticle turns yellow. If you have missile weapons, the reticle will turn red if you
have achieved lock on your target.
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You have a number of options for selecting your target:
• Select the next available enemy by pressing the E key.
• Select the previous available enemy by pressing sE.
• Select the closest enemy by pressing cE.
• Deselect an enemy by pressing the T key.
• Select the target currently under the reticle by hitting the Q key or by zooming in on the target.
Additionally, you can choose to target your allies. Do this by following the above instructions,
except substitute the W key for the E key.
Note that your particular joystick may allow you to perform one or more of the above actions
by using the joystick buttons.
Weapon Controls and Configuration
Your ’Mech has a wide array of weapon selection and firing options. Proper use of the weapons on
your ’Mech is often the difference between victory and defeat, and the ability to reconfigure your
weapons during combat is usually the difference between a good MechWarrior and a dead one.
Firing Weapons
To fire your currently selected weapons, press either z, click the left mouse button or
press the joystick trigger. The weapons will immediately fire, but accuracy depends on the
currently selected weapon and the relative motion of the ’Mechs. Energy weapons, like lasers,
travel almost instantaneously to the target. Projectile weapons, like machine guns and
autocannons, travel much more slowly and require that you lead your target. In other words,
it’s all up to you. The only exception to this are missile weapons, some of which require a
missile lock before they can be used with any real accuracy.
Missile Lock
When one or more of the currently selected weapons is a missile weapon, such as an SRM or LRM,
an audible targeting tone begins. The amount of time that passes before missile lock is achieved
varies with the particular weapon system, but when missile lock is active, the reticle changes
colour to red and the audible tone rises in pitch. At this point if the missiles are fired, barring
any other interfering factors, they should hit.
Weapon Recycling and Reloading
When a weapon fires, it must then recycle or reload before it is ready again. A weapon’s
name changes to red when fired and then slowly back to green as it recycles or reloads and
is ready again.
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Weapon Selection and Status Display
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Every BattleMech is set up with default weapon groupings. When weapons fire,
only the weapons in the currently selected weapon group fire. There are up to five
primary weapon groups which are selectable by pressing 1 through 5,
respectively. You can also cycle through the weapon groups by hitting the ] key
to move forward through the groups or the [ key to move backward through the groups. See
page 42 for more info about weapon grouping.
Weapon Fire Options
Within the currently selected weapon group, you have three options as to how those weapons fire.
Press the \ key to switch between single weapon, chain fire and group fire modes. In single
weapon mode, only the currently selected weapon within that group discharges whenever you fire.
In chain fire mode, when a particular weapon fires, the next weapon in the group is automatically
selected and fires next. In group fire, every weapon within the currently selected group fires.
You can manually cycle through the weapons in the group, regardless of grouping, by hitting the
e key.
Alpha Strike
In certain circumstances, you may wish to fire all of your weapons simultaneously, regardless of
whether they are selected or which group they are in. This is known as an “Alpha Strike.” To fire
all of your weapons simultaneously, press e on the numeric keypad. Never forget that using
an alpha strike could easily cause your heat to spike to an almost uncontrollable state. Use the
alpha strike option with care.
TAG Targeting
Your BattleMech may be equipped with a TAG targeting laser. When you are told that an Arrow
IV artillery missile is inbound, select the TAG laser and fire it at the target. This effectively
“paints” the target for the Arrow IV’s active targeting system and allows the artillery missile to
home in on the target. The longer you can keep the TAG laser pointed at the target, right up to
the moment of impact, the greater the accuracy of the Arrow IV missile.
Location Targeting
You can target specific hit locations on an enemy ’Mech if you have a targeting computer on
your BattleMech. To do so, use the following keyboard commands:
Head . . . . . . . . . . Numeric keypad 8
Centre Torso . . . . Numeric keypad 5
Left/Right Torso . . . Numeric keypad 4 and 6
Left/Right Arms . . Numeric keypad 7 and 9
Left/Right Legs . . . Numeric keypad 1 and 3
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Your BattleMech’s current velocity is displayed on the middle right area of the HeadUp Display. An ascending yellow bar indicates that you are moving forward. A
descending red bar indicates that you are moving in reverse.
Speed/Throttle Control
You have a number of options regarding speed control. If you are using the keyboard as your
main control, use the 1 through 0 keys to directly set your ’Mech’s throttle. The 1 key sets
the throttle to full stop, the 0 key to full power, and the numbers in between to varying
intermediate power levels. You can also press W to increase your throttle setting and Z to
decrease your throttle setting. If you are using a joystick with a throttle control, you can use
that instead.
Movement Control
To steer your ’Mech, use either the A or S keys to move left or right or move the joystick.
Note that the current compass point heading of your ’Mech is shown in the upper centre section
of the HUD.
Torso Rotation
Most BattleMechs are able to rotate their torso to face in a direction separate from their
direction of movement. To rotate your ’Mech’s torso:
• Keyboard: press < to rotate the torso left or > to rotate it right.
• Joystick with rudder capability: twist the stick or use the rudder pedals to twist the torso.
The reticle remains fixed in the centre of the screen.
If you selected “Torso Auto Return” in the Game Options menu, release the key or stop twisting
the joystick to stop the torso rotation and automatically return it to centre forward. Otherwise, the
torso remains in the last position until you manually change it. If you are using the mouse, press
the / key to centre the legs to the torso’s heading. Press s/ to centre the torso to the legs.
The current direction of your ’Mech’s torso rotation is shown as a large “V” on the radar/map display.
Crouching
In certain tactical circumstances, it can be very advantageous to crouch down behind an
obstacle. Doing so presents a smaller profile to the enemy, making you harder to target and hit.
Additionally, if timed correctly, a last second crouch behind an intervening obstacle (such as a
ridge or building) can block a salvo of missiles or other weapons pointed your way (although
you would have to be very fast indeed to avoid a laser blast).
To crouch your BattleMech, press the C key. To stand, press the C key again or start your
’Mech moving forward and it will automatically stand.
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Standing Up
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If your ’Mech is knocked down, press the G key to get back up again.
Jumping
’Mechs equipped with jump jets have an enormous advantage over non-equipped ’Mechs, if the
jets are used correctly. Jump jets are best used to rapidly and suddenly change position since
it’s much more difficult to target a jumping ’Mech than it is a running one. As such, jump jets
are effective both offensively and defensively. Here are the jump jet controls:
Forward Thrust . . . . . . . . . . h
Reverse Thrust . . . . . . . . . . j
Rotate, Left . . . . . . . . . . . . I
Rotate, Right . . . . . . . . . . . U
Lateral Thrust, Left . . . . . . . D
Lateral Thrust, Right . . . . . . Y
Vertical Thrust Only . . . . . . . J
(If you are an aficionado of the BattleTech paper game, you can restrict the manoeuvre capabilities
of jump jets by making sure the “Relaxed Jump Jets” option is not selected in the Options screen.)
Jump Jet Fuel
Jump jet equipped BattleMechs have a limited amount of onboard propellant. Keep a
careful eye on the fuel display if you are doing extensive jump jet manoeuvring. The
last thing you want is to run out of fuel while in mid-jump. It’s not the fall that
damages your ’Mech—it’s the sudden stop at the end.
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DAMAGE DISPLAY
The damage display for your ‘Mech is in the right-corner of the HUD; the damage display for the
currently targeted ‘Mech is in the left-hand corner. The damage display has three modes: a 3-D
model, a 2-D schematic and an HTAL graph. Cycle through these modes by pressing the D key
for your ‘Mech or cD for the targeted ‘Mech.
The 3-D model and 2-D schematic show the current internal structure status
for the ‘Mech. Each hit location begins in the default blue colour. As a
location takes damage, it changes to green, yellow and finally to red. The
hit location (and all the weapons or equipment in it) disappear entirely when
destroyed. Destroyed weapons are greyed out in the weapons display.
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The HTAL (Head, Torso, Arms, Legs) graph shows armour damage. Green means the
armour is fine; red means the armour is damaged. As specific armour becomes
damaged, more of that bar will turn red. “H” indicates the head (cockpit) with one
bar. “T” indicates torso armour with three pairs of bars for the left, centre and right
torso armour. Each pair of bars represents the front armour and rear damage. From left to right,
the bars indicate left front, left rear, centre front, centre rear, right front and right rear armour.
“A” indicates arm armour with two bars for the left and right arms. “L” indicates leg armour with
two bars for the left and right legs.
You can only cycle through the damage display modes for ’Mechs. Vehicles, Elementals and
Turrets only have a 3-D damage display.
Once armour is destroyed, any additional damage is absorbed by the internal structure until that
too fails. In some cases, extra internal damage may be passed laterally to the next hit location
toward the centre (such as the right arm to the right torso, and so on).
Serious internal damage can slow a ’Mech down, reduce or eliminate sensor functionality, cause the
engine to malfunction and generate more heat, or cause an ammunition explosion. As mentioned
before, loss of a hit location destroys all the weapons or equipment in that location. Excessive
damage to a single leg forces the ’Mech to limp. Complete loss of a leg destroys the ’Mech.
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HEAT CONTROLS
When your ’Mech moves, fires its weapon or jumps, it generates heat. Additionally,
high environmental temperature and the effects of some weapons generate additional
heat. Heat is dissipated from your BattleMech as its heat sinks at a set rate, so the
more heat sinks your ’Mech has, the faster it bleeds off heat. Double heat sinks radiate
heat at twice the rate as standard heat sinks. Since heats sinks can be destroyed in combat, the
more battered your ’Mech gets, the less efficient it gets at radiating heat.
Overheating and Shutdown
When a ’Mech gets too hot, it begins to overheat. Excessive heat can cause system malfunctions,
ammo explosions and eventually complete shutdown of the ’Mech’s engine. When a ’Mech is in danger
of overheating, an audible warning sounds in the cockpit. You then have a number of options.
You can override the shutdown by pressing the O key. This stops the shutdown from occurring,
but does nothing to cool the ’Mech off. Overriding a shutdown can be very dangerous, especially
in the middle of battle, since any additional heat generated could cause the engine to overload
and explode.
You can also flush the coolant system by pressing the F key. This will significantly reduce the
amount of heat but can only be performed a limited number of times during a single mission.
Mobile Field Bases can refill your coolant supply.
You can also choose to allow the ’Mech to shut down. When a ’Mech shuts down, it loses all
power, movement and weapons for however long it takes the ’Mech to dissipate the excess heat.
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Deliberate Shutdown
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Though not truly a heat issue, it is possible to deliberately shut down your ’Mech’s engine.
Doing so will reduce your heat more quickly, but deliberate shutdown is usually used as a
combat tactic since a shutdown ’Mech is harder to pick up on sensors. You must shut down
your ’Mech before the Mobile Field Base can repair your armour and reload your weapons
systems. To shut down your ’Mech, press the S key. To power up, press the S key again.
Heat Management
There are a number of things you can do to control your heat.
• Use heat sinks: Use the ’Mech Lab to install more heat sinks (see Chapter 7).
• Find water: Partially submerging your ’Mech dissipates heat more quickly.
• Hold fire: Limit your use of high heat generating weapons when your heat is high.
• Slow down: Moving at full throttle generates more heat than 50% throttle.
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RADAR AND SENSOR CONTROLS
Your BattleMech has a suite of powerful radar and sensor equipment built into it, but unless
you understand how to use and exploit it, the most sophisticated system in the universe will
do you no good.
The default display position for your radar is
in the upper left corner. You can enlarge the
display to nearly full screen by pressing the
R key.
Different equipment, such as the ECM Suite,
Active Probes and so on, affects the operation
and performance of your radar and sensor
equipment to varying degrees. Consult the
section “BattleMech Systems and Components”
on pages 17–21 for more information.
Radar Modes
Your BattleMech sensors operate in two modes: active and passive. In active mode, your ability
to detect and identify enemy units is greatly enhanced, but the likelihood of nearby enemy units
detecting your presence is also greatly increased. In passive mode, your ability to detect and
identify enemy units is reduced (compared to active mode), but the ability of enemy forces to
locate you is reduced as well. Using active mode or passive mode is a trade-off between
detecting the enemy and being detected yourself.
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In active mode, the radar has a range of about 1,000 meters. In passive mode, the range is
500 meters.
When in active mode, the radar display turns green. It is yellow in passive mode.
Press aR to toggle between active and passive radar.
Map Mode
Additionally, you can shift between true radar mode and a hybrid map
mode. In map mode, the radar display becomes a zoomed in variation
of your mission map, with the radar display superimposed over it. To
toggle between map and radar mode, press sR. Note that in radar
mode, the orientation of the display is relative to your position,
meaning that the top of the display is always in front of you. In map
mode, the top of the map is always north and your position is indicated relative to the map.
Navigation
The various operational navigation points for the mission area appear as yellow circles on your
radar or map display. To cycle through those points, press the N key. The currently selected
operational point displays in bright yellow.
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LANCEMATE COMMAND AND CONTROL
At various times in the field, you will have command over one or more lancemates. They will
follow your orders even to the extent of leaving their position on your wing to pursue the target
you’ve designated. You can issue them commands on the fly or via the Command Mode menu.
Lancemate/Ally Selection
In the normal cockpit view mode, pressing the W key selects one of your lancemates or allies.
To select the nearest ally or lancemate, press c W. If you need to return to an ally that you’d
just selected, press sW.
Once selected, you can issue orders to that lancemate or ally by pressing 6, 7, 8, 9,
0 or -. See “Lancemate/Ally Orders” below.
Note that once you have a lancemate or ally selected, if you then select an enemy unit, that
lancemate remains selected and awaiting orders. This is noted above the target display in the
lower left-hand corner of the cockpit. Any order you now give will be to that unit. If you wish
to issue orders to multiple lancemates simultaneously, you must use the Command Mode menu,
which is detailed in a following section.
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Lancemate/Ally Orders
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Regardless of whether you are giving an order to a selected lancemate while in the cockpit view
or to one or more lancemates in Command Mode, the following keys perform the same function:
• Attack My Target 6: attack your currently selected target.
• Defend My Target 7: engage any enemy unit that fires upon or moves too close to the target.
• Follow Me 8: follow you at its best possible speed.
• Stop 9: stop and remain at its current location.
• Send To MFB 0: proceed directly to the Mobile Field Base for immediate repairs.
• Await Order s-: stop and do nothing. Press c- to cancel the await order.
Any new order will immediately override any existing order.
Command Mode
Press the - key to engage the Command Mode which allows you to
select and issue orders to multiple lancemates simultaneously. Each
lancemate is associated with a number (1, 2 or 3) listed on the right
side of the display just above the orders. Pressing the appropriate
number key toggles the selection of that individual lancemate.
Therefore, to select all three lancemates, press each number key once.
To issue orders, select one or more lancemates and then press the
6, 7, 8, 9 or 0 keys as appropriate. Note that a blue line draws from the listing for
the lancemate to his actual location on the battlefield, even if that location is out of sight.
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THE MOBILE FIELD BASE
Your unit will be equipped with one or more Mobile Field Bases, referred to as an MFB. The MFB
is the latest in battlefield support technology and is capable of the following functions:
• Salvage Storage: each MFB can carry up to 300 tons of salvage.
• Captured Chassis Transport: each MFB can transport two ’Mech chassis.
• Field Repair: each MFB can repair armour, replace ammo and internal structure, and refill
coolant. However, it cannot replace a missing limb or destroyed component. Rate and volume
of repair varies with the situation, but the more MFBs able to focus on a single ’Mech, the
faster the repair and refit is performed.
On missions where you are operating behind enemy lines, the MFB is critical to the success or
failure of your efforts. If you lose all of your MFBs, you will be unable to achieve your
objectives. Therefore, it is imperative and required that at least one MFB remain operational
at the completion of every mission.
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In each operational area, the MFBs are assigned multiple staging points where they can deploy
their equipment for performing field repairs. These staging points appear as grey circles on your
radar or map display.
To enter MFB command mode, press the M key. This immediately selects the staging point
closest to the MFBs. If you press the M key again, the MFBs will proceed to that staging
point and prepare to repair and refit any allied units that you order to refit using 0
(see “Lancemate/Ally Orders” on page 32). You can cycle through the various staging points by
pressing the N key and dispatch the MFBs to that staging point by hitting the M key again.
Initiating Repairs
When the MFB is given a staging area, you will notice a grey circle on your radar. This circle will
also be superimposed in green on the terrain as you approach it. Your MFBs will be in position
around this spot when they are ready. To initiate repairs, simply walk onto the circle and power
down by pressing the S key. The MFBs will proceed to repair and refit your ’Mech. When they
are finished, they will back away. Press the S key again to power up and you’re on your way. If
you need to power up before your repairs are finished (such as if you suddenly are in danger
of being attacked), you can do so by pressing the S key. The MFBs will take this as a signal
that you are done and will disengage.
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At the completion of every mission, the
Mission Resolution screen informs you of
the status of the BattleMechs you deployed
in the mission, how well you performed each
of your mission objectives and what salvage
you recovered.
If you failed at the mission, you can replay
the mission by clicking on the Replay Mission
button in the lower right-hand corner of the
screen. If you succeeded in the mission, that
button advances you to the next mission.
You can listen to the audio debriefing again by clicking the Replay Mission button.
You also have the option of exiting to the Main screen by clicking on the Exit button in the
lower left-hand corner of the screen.
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Each of the one to four ’Mechs that you deployed into the mission is listed here. Adjacent to the
pilot’s name are the HTAl graphs showing the condition of the BattleMechs for him and his
lancemates. Below that is the total number of enemy units destroyed and how many of those
were ’Mechs or vehicles.
Mission Objectives
The next column lists each of the objectives and whether or not they were achieved. Note that
you do not necessarily need to accomplish all of the objectives in order to succeed at a mission,
just the primary ones.
Following that is a summary of your performance in the mission. The total number of points
earned in each category contributes to your Campaign Total. The Campaign Total in turn
indicates what your current effective rank is, using the Star League/Eridani Light Horse scale.
See page 5 for a listing of that ranking system.
Salvage Obtained
The final column lists all of the battlefield salvage your MFBs were able to retrieve following the
battle. This salvage, however, is not automatically assigned to an MFB for transport. You have to
do this manually by selecting “Assign Salvage” from the Mission Briefing screen.
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ALLOCATING SALVAGE
To assign salvage for transport, click on it in the right column—but keep an eye on the
maximum capacity of your MFBs as listed in the centre column. Since you have a limited
carrying capacity per MFB, pick and choose carefully what you want to transport. You can also
click on an item already assigned to an MFB in the left column to get rid of it.
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Chapter 7: The ’Mech Lab
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THE ’MECH LAB OVERVIEW
The ’Mech Lab is your interface for ordering configuration
changes to the BattleMechs under your command. Don’t
concern yourself with repairs between missions;
that’s handled automatically by the crews
of your Mobile Field Bases. Your primary
concern is creating the most optimal
configurations of weapons, armour and equipment
you can with the resources at your disposal. Each MFB
goes into the field with a certain amount of supplies,
but you’ll need to augment that inventory with
materials and equipment salvaged from the battlefield.
During particularly brutal operations, especially those
behind enemy lines, salvage may be your only
source of replacement parts and chassis.
Before you begin modifying your ’Mechs, you
need to be familiar with three general concepts:
chassis, maximum tonnage and critical spaces.
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Every ’Mech is effectively a skeletal chassis that mounts all its armour, weapons and equipment.
You could have the galaxy’s largest stockpile of spare parts, but without a chassis to mount
them in, you’ve got nothing. Multiple ’Mech configurations can be constructed from the same
basic chassis, and you’ll find chassis capable of supporting anywhere from 20 to 100 tons of
armour, weapons and equipment. Additionally, each chassis is divided up into eight locations
that can hold equipment.
Whatever the tonnage a chassis is rated for is the maximum total tonnage of all the armour,
weapons and equipment that can fit on the ’Mech. So, a 30-ton ’Mech can have no more than 30
tons of anything on it. Period—you can’t field an overloaded ’Mech; the system will not let you.
In fact, it just simply will not allow you to add on any additional components that take you
over that tonnage limit.
Not only does the chassis define the maximum tonnage of the ’Mech design, it determines
something we call critical spaces as well. (You can think of critical spaces as size, though it’s
more complicated than that.) Every weapon or system takes up a specific amount of critical
spaces, and a particular chassis location can only hold a certain number of critical spaces. There
is no tonnage limit or restriction on the number of components that a location can carry.
This means that a ’Mech is limited to its maximum tonnage in total armour, weapons and
equipment in all its locations, while a particular location is limited in the number of critical
spaces it can hold. That two-tiered limitation makes configuring a BattleMech tricky sometimes,
but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
Thinking About Heat
Nearly everything your ’Mech does generates heat. Too much heat and your ’Mech shuts down.
One of the pieces of equipment that you can add to a ’Mech is a heat sink. The more heat sinks
your ’Mech has, the more heat it dissipates and the less likely it is to overheat. When modifying
your ’Mech, always keep a careful eye on how much heat you are generating and how many heat
sinks you’ll need to manage it.
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The main ’Mech Lab screen is divided into the following sections:
'Mech Appearance
Design
Designation
Chassis
Data
MFB
Stockpile
Current
Load-Out
Variants
Design Data
Design Designation: shows the name of the design and whether or not it is a variant of the
primary version. Adjacent to this display is an icon of the currently selected design.
Chassis Data: shows the tonnage of each of the different major categories of systems or
equipment, as well as the current tonnage and maximum tonnage for the chassis.
Current Load-Out: shows the current weapons and equipment configuration for the design.
More information is available on the ’Mech Configuration screen (see page 38).
’Mech Appearance: this rotating image shows you what this particular design looks like.
You can customise the appearance by clicking on either the left or right arrows to change the
skin (paint job).
Design Data: this block of information lists the type of armour, its tonnage, the type of
internal structure of the chassis and so on. You can modify the armour type, tonnage and
type of internal structure on this screen, but we recommend waiting until you reach the
’Mech Configuration screen.
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MFB Stockpile: lists all the chassis currently stored in your Mobile Field Base. To change which
design you want to review or alter, select here.
Variants: lists the available variations on the primary design selected on the MFB Stockpile list.
The variant is created when you change the ’Mech’s load-out. You can also rename, save or
delete a variant by clicking on those options.
Across the bottom of the screen are three buttons. The first is already highlighted and it
represents the Main ’Mech Lab screen. The second takes you to the ’Mech Configuration screen
(see below). The third takes you to the Weapon Grouping screen where you can assign your
’Mech weapons to different fire groups (see page 42).
BattleMech Modifications
This screen allows you to completely alter
a ’Mech’s configuration. You can change its
weapons, its ammo load-out, its armour type,
how much ammo it’s carrying, what size
engine it has and what the material the
chassis itself is made from. The screen is
divided into the following areas:
Design Designation: Shows the same info as
on the Main ‘Mech Lab screen.
’Mech Load-Out: is a breakdown, chassis
location by chassis location, of what is inside
the BattleMech. The numbers to the right of the chassis location name are the currently used and
maximum number of critical spaces for that location. Click on the particular location name to move
it to the top of the display (or click on the up and down arrows). Click on an item to remove it
from the ’Mech. If the item is greyed out, it cannot be altered. See “Modifying the Engine,”
“Modifying Weapons” and “Modifying Equipment” on page 40 for more information.
’Mech Appearance: this rotating image shows you what the ’Mech you are working on looks like.
Directly beneath it is a listing of all the chassis locations. Select one and that location on the
image highlights green and moves to the top of the ’Mech Load-Out listing.
Design Data: lists the type of armour, its tonnage, the type of internal structure of the chassis
and so on. See “Modifying Internal Structure” and “Modifying Armour” on pages 39–40 for
more information.
Available Supplies: is divided into weapons, ammunition equipment and armour. Select one of
the headings to show all the components in that particular category. To add that component to
a ’Mech, make sure the chassis location you want to place it in is selected on the ’Mech Load-
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Out list and then click on the component. If the component name is greyed out, it cannot be
placed in the currently selected chassis location due to either it requiring more critical spaces
than the location has remaining or its additional weight exceeding the maximum tonnage of the
design. Note that when the Equipment heading is selected, an additional display appears at the
bottom of the column entitled Engine Selection. For more information on engine selection, see
“Modifying the Engine” on page 40.
Across the bottom of the screen are three buttons. The first returns you to the Main ’Mech Lab
screen. The second is highlighted because you are already at the ’Mech Configuration screen.
The third takes you to the Weapon Grouping screen where you can assign your ’Mech weapons
to different fire groups (see page 42).
Modifying Internal Structure
The Design Data section of the ’Mech Configuration screen allows you to modify the material
that your chassis is made of. Your choices are standard and endo-steel. Standard internal
structure is exactly that. Endo-steel is a recent advancement that reduces the overall weight of
the chassis but increases the overall size of the structure, requiring critical spaces be reserved
for the endo-steel chassis. When you select endo-steel, the number of critical spaces being
automatically reserved for the endo-steel is noted above the ’Mech image. The ’Mech Lab will not
allow you to add additional components if there are insufficient critical spaces remaining for the
endo-steel. Endo-steel structure has no other impact on your design except for reducing the
weight of the chassis at the expense of critical spaces.
Modifying Armour
The armour used on a BattleMechs is ablative, which means that pieces of it melt, fragment
or shatter when damaged. The more armour your ’Mech has, the more resilient to damage it is.
Armour is automatically distributed appropriately across your ’Mech, but be warned that most
BattleMechs have thinner rear armour. You can use this to your advantage by trying to manoeuvre
around your opponent for a rear shot, but the same weakness can also be used against you.
You have two options when it comes to modifying armour: type and tonnage.
Armour comes in two types, standard and ferro-fibrous. Standard armour is the material that the
majority of BattleMechs are made of. Ferro-fibrous is a more modern alternative that provides
better protection per ton, but requires critical spaces in return. Similar to endo-steel, you have
to make a decision with ferro-fibrous armour of gaining additional armour protection in
exchange for using up valuable critical spaces.
Regarding tonnage, basically the more tons of armour you have, the better protected all around
your ’Mech is. If, when modifying a design you end up with extra available tonnage, see if you
can add more armour.
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To modify the armour on a ’Mech, open the
Armour Allocation screen by clicking on
“Armour” in the Available Supplies section of
the ’Mech Modification screen. On this screen,
each of the ’Mech’s body locations is listed in
the left column. Note that there is a separate
listing for the rear armour of the centre, right
and left torsos. Separate armour must be
allocated to those areas.
Select the type of armour from the supply
column on the right side of the screen and
click on it again to allocate one-half ton of armour to the ’Mech. Though that armour is allocated
to the ’Mech, it is not assigned to any location until you actually adjust the values of each
location. Note that the information under Armour Allocation changes as you add armour. Remember,
a ’Mech cannot carry more tons of equipment, including armour, than its gross weight, so you
may not be able to allocate all of the armour you wish to without removing other equipment.
With each half-ton of armour, you receive a certain number of armour points to allocate directly
to the body locations. This is reflected in the Total Points and Unassigned Points entries under
Armour Allocation. To increase (or decrease) the armour value of a particular location, click on
the right or left triangles surrounding the value for front or rear armour. Note that the ’Mech’s
chassis tonnage limits the number of armour points that can be assigned to a given location.
Allocating ferro-fibrous armour, which requires additional critical spaces, may require you to
remove equipment as well in order to make room for those critical spaces.
You can click on “Auto-Distribute Armour Points” and allow the ’Mech Lab to handle allocation
of unassigned armour points for you.
Modifying the Engine
Select the Equipment heading of the Available Supplies column to modify the default engine your
’Mech is equipped with. You can vary the tonnage of the engine as well as the type of engine.
Varying the tonnage simply installs a heavier, more powerful engine. The more powerful the
engine, the faster your ’Mech can run and walk.
The type of engine refers to how it’s manufactured. Standard engines are what comes on most
BattleMechs. More modern BattleMechs come with XL (extra-light) engines. XL engines are like
endo-steel internal structure in that they are lighter than standard engines, but require additional
critical spaces. All engines take up six critical spaces in the centre torso, but XL engines require
additional spaces in both the left and right torsos. If the engine cannot be installed because the
left or right torsos are already full, the ’Mech Lab will not allow you to install that type of engine.
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A wide variety of weapons are available for installation on a BattleMech, and many of them
come in Inner Sphere and Clan variations. Consult the BattleMech components section (pages
17–21) and the Weapon Tables (pages 43–44) for information related to specific weapons.
Pay careful note of the tonnage of the weapon, the number of critical spaces it uses up and
whether or not it requires ammunition.
Installing and Removing Weapons
To add a weapon, first select the chassis location you want to install to in the ’Mech Load-Out
column. Then click on the desired weapon in the Available Supplies column. Only those weapons
listed in green in the Available Supplies column can be installed in the selected location. If the
weapon is listed in grey, it cannot be installed due to tonnage or critical spaces limitations.
To remove a weapon, select it to automatically remove it from the chassis location and place it
in the Available Supplies list.
Ammunition
Some weapons require ammunition. In order for the weapon to work, one or more tons of
ammunition must be installed along with the weapon—though it need not be installed into
the same chassis location as the weapon itself.
Ammunition can explode during combat if your ’Mech overheats or if the armour in that chassis
location gets blown through. Since an ammo explosion can utterly destroy your ’Mech, it is
recommended that every chassis location that contains ammunition also contain a piece of
equipment called CASE. CASE is a system that vents an ammo explosion clear of the ’Mech,
saving the ’Mech but destroying all the components in that chassis location. It’s an easy price
to pay for keeping the ’Mech intact and you alive. See “CASE” on page 21 for more information.
Modifying Equipment
There is also a long list of equipment that can be added to a BattleMech. Reference the
“BattleMech Components” section (pages 17–21) for information related to specific equipment
and components. Make sure you install at least an adequate number of standard or double heat
sinks to handle the amount of heat your ’Mech is going to generate.
Installing and Removing Components
To add a component, first select the chassis location you want to install to in the ’Mech LoadOut column. Then click on the desired component in the Available Supplies column. Only those
pieces of equipment listed in green in the Available Supplies column can be installed in the
selected location. If the component is listed in grey, it cannot be installed due to tonnage or
critical spaces limitations.
To remove a component, select it to automatically remove it from the chassis location and place
it in the Available Supplies list.
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After you have selected your weapons, you can group them into up to five weapon groups.
Weapon groups allow you to arrange your weapons to conform to your fighting style. Some
MechWarriors like to place short-, medium- and long-range weapons into three different groups.
Others prefer to arrange energy, ballistic and missile weapons into groups. Still others group
their weapons according to where they are loaded on the ‘Mech chassis.
To access the Weapon Grouping screen, click the third button from the left at the bottom
of the screen.
On the left-hand side of the screen are your
weapon groups. On the right are unassigned
weapons. Note that the MFB will assign your
weapons to default groups for you.
To remove a weapon to a group, click on it
on the left-hand side to move it to the
Unassigned Weapons list on the right.
To assign a weapon to a group, first click the
weapon group from the left column. Then click
on the weapon you want from the Unassigned
Weapons list to assign it to that weapon group.
Each weapon has its location indicated to the right of the weapon name:
• H = Head
• LT = Left Torso
• LA = Left Arm
• CT = Centre Torso
• RA = Right Arm
• RT = Right Torso
Important: Any weapon left in the Unassigned Weapons column will not be available to fire in the
game. You are still, however, carrying the weapon on your ‘Mech.
You can also change your weapon grouping in the game itself by first selecting the weapon (press
the e key to quickly move to the weapon you want). To reassign the weapon, press s and
then 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 to assign the weapon to the desired group.
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WEAPON TABLES
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The following are tables of all of the weapons available for mounting on a BattleMech. If the
weapon does not specifically say “Clan,” then it is an Inner Sphere weapon.
Energy Weapons
ENERGY
WEAPON TYPE
HEAT
(PER SHOT)
MAXIMUM
DAMAGE
TONNAGE
CRITICAL
SPACES
AMMO
PER TON
RANGE
Small Laser
1
Low
0.5
1
N/A
120 meters
Medium Laser
3
Medium
1
1
N/A
360 meters
Large Laser
8
High
5
2
N/A
600 meters
ER Small Laser (Clan)
2
Medium
0.5
1
N/A
240 meters
ER Medium Laser (Clan)
5
Medium
1
1
N/A
600 meters
ER Large Laser
12
High
5
2
N/A
1,000 meters
ER Large Laser (Clan)
12
High
4
1
N/A
1,000 meters
Small Pulse Laser
2
Low
1
1
N/A
240 meters
Small Pulse Laser (Clan)
2
Low
1
1
N/A
240 meters
Medium Pulse Laser
4
Medium
2
1
N/A
480 meters
Medium Pulse Laser (Clan)
4
Medium
2
1
N/A
480 meters
Large Pulse Laser
10
High
7
2
N/A
800 meters
Large Pulse Laser (Clan)
10
High
6
2
N/A
800 meters
ER PPC
15
High
7
3
N/A
920 meters
ER PPC (Clan)
15
Very High
6
2
N/A
920 meters
Flamer
3
Low (heat)
1
1
N/A
120 meters
Flamer (Clan)
3
Low (heat)
0.5
1
N/A
120 meters
HEAT
(PER SHOT)
MAXIMUM
DAMAGE
TONNAGE
CRITICAL
SPACES
AMMO
PER TON
RANGE
Gauss Rifle
1
Very High
15
7
8
880 meters
Gauss Rifle (Clan)
1
Very High
12
6
8
880 meters
Autocannon 2
1
Low
6
1
45
720 meters
Autocannon 5
1
Medium
8
4
20
600 meters
Autocannon 10
3
High
12
7
10
450 meters
Autocannon 20
7
Extreme
14
10
5
270 meters
LB-2X Autocannon (Clan)
1
Low
5
3
45
870 meters
LB-5X Autocannon (Clan)
1
Medium
7
4
20
690 meters
LB-10X Autocannon
2
High
11
6
10
520 meters
Ballistic Weapons
BALLISTIC
WEAPON TYPE
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Ballistic Weapons, cont.
BALLISTIC
WEAPON TYPE
ESS
HEAT
(PER SHOT)
MAXIMUM
DAMAGE
TONNAGE
CRITICAL
SPACES
AMMO
PER TON
RANGE
2
High
10
5
10
520 meters
LB-20X Autocannon (Clan)
6
Extreme
12
9
5
330 meters
Ultra Autocannon 2 (Clan)
1
Low
5
2
45
810 meters
Ultra Autocannon 5
1
Medium
9
5
20
630 meters
Ultra Autocannon 5 (Clan)
1
Medium
7
3
20
630 meters
Ultra Autocannon 10 (Clan)
3
High
10
4
10
540 meters
Ultra Autocannon 20 (Clan)
7
Extreme
12
8
5
360 meters
Machine Gun
0
Low
0.5
1
200
120 meters
Machine Gun (Clan)
0
Low
0.25
1
200
120 meters
HEAT
(PER SHOT)
MAXIMUM
DAMAGE
TONNAGE
CRITICAL
SPACES
AMMO
PER TON
RANGE
2
Medium
2
1
24
800 meters
LRM 5 (Clan)
2
Medium
1
1
24
800 meters
LRM 10
4
High
5
2
12
800 meters
LRM 10 (Clan)
4
High
2.5
1
12
800 meters
LRM 15
5
Very High
7
3
8
800 meters
LRM 15 (Clan)
5
Very High
3.5
2
8
800 meters
LRM 20
6
Extreme
10
5
6
800 meters
LRM 20 (Clan)
6
Extreme
5
4
6
800 meters
SRM 2
2
Low
1
1
50
360 meters
SRM 2 (Clan)
2
Low
0.5
1
50
360 meters
SRM 4
3
High
2
1
25
360 meters
SRM 4 (Clan)
3
High
1
1
25
360 meters
SRM 6
4
Very High
3
2
15
360 meters
SRM 6 (Clan)
4
Very High
1.5
1
15
360 meters
Streak SRM 2
2
Low
1.5
1
50
480 meters
Streak SRM 2 (Clan)
2
Low
1
1
50
480 meters
Streak SRM 4 (Clan)
3
High
2
1
25
480 meters
Streak SRM 6 (Clan)
6
Very High
3
2
15
480 meters
NARC
0
N/A
3
2
6
1,000 meters
NARC (Clan)
0
N/A
2
1
6
1,000 meters
LB-10X Autocannon (Clan)
Missile Weapons
MISSILE
WEAPON TYPE
LRM 5
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CAMPAIGN
Select Campaign from the Main screen to start the single-player game. The Campaign is a series
of linked missions which follow a story line.
You need to either select an existing pilot or create a new one. The current mission is
highlighted in the upper right-hand corner. You can select a mission from this list to replay it.
After you hit the Accept button, watch the Mission Briefing movie which will outline the
situation and describe the mission objectives.
At the next screen, you can review the map for
the mission, including op points and fixed enemy
emplacements. In addition, you can replay the
Briefing, access the ’Mech Lab (see Chapter 7)
and allocate salvage from the previous mission
(see page 34). Press the Launch button to start
the mission. In addition, you must complete
the mission without a “Dishonorable” label
(see page 48).
After the mission ends (either successfully or
unsuccessfully), you will see the Mission
Resolution screen (see pages 33–34). You cannot
continue to the next Campaign mission until you successfully complete your current one.
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Select Training from the Main screen to brush up
on your BattleMech skills. You need to either
select an existing pilot or create a new one. After
you hit the Accept button, a list of training
missions will appear.
Select one of four training missions by clicking
on the arrows in the upper right-hand corner. A
mission description appears in the box below. Hit
the Launch button to start the training mission.
During the mission, you will hear directions from your instructor. Follow these instructions to
successfully complete your training mission.
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INSTANT ACTION
Select Instant Action from the Main screen to
create a quick and dirty battle to hone your
skills. You must then select an existing pilot or
create a new one. Note that the various battle
statistics for each pilot are displayed in the
right-hand corner of that screen. See page 11 for
information about creating or selecting a pilot.
Once you have a pilot, you must create your
Instant Action battle.
Allied Force Selection: choose your ’Mech, whether or not you have a Mobile Field Base,
whether or not you have lancemates, as well as what ’Mechs those lancemates have. Don’t worry
about selecting variants of those ’Mechs here; you’ll have that option on the Instant Action
Briefing screen.
Enemy Force Selection: select up to six enemy ’Mechs (with variants listed in the second
column) as your opposition. (If you select Battle Progression, you cannot select which enemy
forces you will face.)
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Operation Map: choose from the four available operation area maps for your battle.
Battle Type: select from the five available options.
Battle – defeat the enemy you designate
Battle Waves – defend against waves of enemy ’Mechs that you designate
Battle Progression – fight against waves of progressively tougher enemy ’Mechs
Attack – destroy an enemy base
Defend – protect an allied base from enemy attack
When you’ve finished setting all the Instant Action options, click the Accept
button in the lower right corner. This takes you to the Instant
Action Briefing screen where you will see a map of
the combat area you selected. You can
now click on the ’Mech Lab icon to
alter the configurations of the
’Mechs you selected for yourself and
your lancemates.
Once you are done reconfiguring your
’Mechs, click the Launch button in the lower
right corner to begin the battle.
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Chapter 9: Game options
The Game Options screen, accessed from the Main screen, allows you to set a number of
gameplay, graphics, audio and control options.
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GAMEPLAY
The following gameplay options are available.
Most must be set before you begin a mission and
cannot be adjusted once a mission has started.
If you turn on Invincible, Infinite Ammo or Heat
Management, you will be branded “Dishonourable”
(and will not receive credit for completing a
Campaign mission).
Difficulty: the three options of Low, Medium and
High affect how difficult each mission is. Default
is Medium.
Camera: 1st Person places your point of view in
the cockpit and is the traditional MechWarrior view. 3rd Person (high) and 3rd Person (low)
place the camera behind the ’Mech you are controlling. You can cycle through these view modes
during the game by pressing the X key. Default is 1st Person.
Invincible: setting this to On makes your ’Mech impervious to all types of damage. Default is Off.
Infinite Ammo: setting this to On prevents your ’Mech from running out of ammunition.
Default is Off.
Heat Management: if this is set to Off, all heat generation and effects are ignored. Default
is On.
Torso Auto Return: if this is set to On, a rotated torso will automatically return to the facing
forward position. Default is Off.
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Constant Throttle: if this is set to Off, then the W key acts as a gas pedal. As long as you hold
down the W key, your ’Mech will move forward. If this is set to On, then the W key changes the
throttle setting in increments that remain until you press the Z key.
Relaxed Jump Jets: if this is set to Off, then you cannot manoeuvre your ’Mech while it is in the air.
Invert Mouse: if this is set to On, pushing the mouse forward makes your ’Mech look down. If
this is set to Off, pushing the mouse forward makes your ’Mech look up.
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GRAPHICS AND AUDIO
Selecting Graphics & Audio brings up an options
screen with the following choices. Note that many
of these options are set automatically depending
on the graphics configuration of your computer.
Music Volume: sets the volume control for the
game’s music.
SFX Volume: sets the volume control for the
game’s sound effects.
Video Device: choose Software Render if you do
not have a 3-D graphics accelerator card. Choose
Primary Display Driver if you have a Direct3D
graphics accelerator. If you have a 3Dfx Voodoo or Voodoo 2 graphics accelerator, you can select
3Dfx DirectX Driver.
Shadows: turns object shadows On or Off.
Self Shadow: when Off, your ’Mech itself casts no shadow.
Lighting: turns source light effects, such as from explosions, On or Off.
Textures: sets the megabytes of memory to be used displaying object textures.
Resolution: the higher the display resolution of the game, the greater the processing burden on
the machine running MechWarrior 3.
Sound Quality: sets the playback quality of the in-game sound to Low, Medium or High.
Object Detail: sets the detail and resolution of the in-game objects to Low, Medium or High.
Special Effects: sets the resolution of the in-game special effects (explosions, etc.) to Low,
Medium or High.
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CONTROLS
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From this screen, you can set the controls for
Movement, Views, Cockpit, Mission, Weapons,
Targeting and Communications. Game functions
are listed along with their corresponding
keyboard, mouse and joystick commands. Select
the game function to view a description of it in
the text box below the list.
Some game commands (such as Turn left) can be
assigned to a joystick or mouse axis. If so, you
can click the Assign Axis button. Scroll through
the choices in this dialog box by clicking the left
and right arrows.
To alter any of the game functions, select it in the left-most column. Then click in the column
for either Key A, Key B, Mouse or Joystick. Assign the game function a command by pressing a
key, clicking the mouse or using the joystick in the manner that you want. For example, if you
want to change the command for Jettison Ammo, first select that game function. Then if you
want to change the assigned key command, select the Key A column and press the key command
you want to trigger that action. Note that you can assign two different key commands to the
same game function by entering key commands for both the Key A and Key B columns.
To save your new control configuration, click the Save button. To load a configuration, click
the Load button. To reset all the keyboard and mouse commands to the game defaults, click
the Key Reset button. To reset all the joystick commands to the game defaults, click the
Joy Reset button.
Click the Cancel button to return to the previous screen without saving your changes. If you
click the Accept button, you will be prompted to save your changes.
Please see the Quick Reference Card for a full listing of all keyboard commands along with
diagrams for joystick and mouse control.
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Chapter 10: Multiplayer
As advanced as the MechWarrior 3 enemy AI is, perhaps the most challenging version of the
game is multiplayer where the enemy is human. You can play multiplayer games over modems, a
LAN (Local Area Network) and the Internet.
Please visit www.games.com for the most up-to-date information on how to play MechWarrior 3
and other great MicroProse/Hasbro Interactive games on the Internet.
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MODEM PLAY
To play MechWarrior 3 over modems, both players need to have 28.8 kps modems or faster
connected to both their telephone lines and their computers. The Host, or initiator for a modem
game, calls the other person (who Answers).
■ To host a modem game:
1. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
2. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
3. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name and Host Setup. See page 57 for
more information.
4. Choose “Modem Connection” for Connection Type and click the Connect box.
5. Click the Answer button at the bottom of the screen to continue to the Multiplayer Game
Setup screen. Your modem will automatically answer when the other modem calls.
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1. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
2. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
3. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name. See page 57 for more information.
4. Choose “Modem Connection” for Connection Type and click the Connect box.
5. Enter the phone number you want to dial under “Phone number.”
6. When you are ready to dial, click the Dial
button next to “Phone number.”
7. Your modem will dial the phone number,
and then the modem at the other end of
the phone line should answer.
8. Choose the game you want to join from the
list of available games under “Sessions” and
click the Join button.
See the “Multiplayer Game Setup” section below
for further instructions.
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LAN PLAY
Local Area Network play requires access to a local area network capable of supporting either the
IPX or TCP/IP network protocol.
On a home LAN system, each of the computers involved must have a network interface card
(10 Mbs or 100 Mbs) that supports the IPX or TCP/IP network protocol. In addition, there must
be a network hub that supports the speed of the cards involved (a 10/100 will handle both).
Set up the network as instructed with the information provided with the network cards and
the hubs. If you need additional assistance in installing the network protocols (which should
install automatically with the network card), consult your Windows manual. Once the network
is installed, make sure that all the computers involved can transfer data to and from each other
before you attempt to run MechWarrior 3.
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■ To host a LAN game using the IPX protocol:
1. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
2. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
3. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name and Host Setup. See page 57 for
more information.
4. Choose “IPX Connection” for Connection Type, then click the Connect box.
5. When you are ready, click the Host button at the bottom of the screen to continue to the
Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
■ To join a LAN game using the IPX protocol:
1. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
2. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
3. At the Multiplayer Access screen,
configure your Net Name. See page
57 for more information.
4. Choose “IPX Connection” for Connection
Type, then click the Connect box.
5. Choose the multiplayer game you want
to join from the list of available games
under Sessions.
6. Click the Join button to continue to
the Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
See the “Multiplayer Game Setup” section below for further instructions.
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■ To host a LAN game using the TCP/IP protocol:
1. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
2. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
3. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name and Host Setup. See page 57 for
more information.
4. Choose “TCP/IP Connection” for Connection Type, then click the Connect box. Leave the IP
Address field blank.
5. When you are ready, click the Host button at the bottom of the screen to continue to the
Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
■ To join a LAN game using the TCP/IP protocol:
1. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
2. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
3. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name. See page 57 for more information.
4. Choose “TCP/IP Connection” for Connection Type, then click the Connect box.
5. Leave the box below “IP Address” blank
and click the Find Game button to search
for MechWarrior 3 games on your LAN.
6. Choose the multiplayer game you want
to join from the list of available games
under Sessions.
7. Click the Join button to continue to the
Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
See the “Multiplayer Game Setup” section below for further instructions.
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To play MechWarrior 3 over the Internet, you need a true TCP/IP connection. You must be
connected to the Internet via modem or internal network. In addition, if you are joining a
game, you need to know the IP address of your Host’s computer.
■ To host a network or Internet game using the TCP/IP protocol:
1. Make sure you tell your IP address to everyone who will join your MechWarrior 3 game
before you start the game. If you do not know your IP address, follow these instructions:
a. Do not start MechWarrior 3.
b. If you connect to the Internet via modem, make sure you are connected to your
ISP (Internet Service Provider).
c. Click the Start button and select Programs > MicroProse > MechWarrior 3 > Find IP Address.
This will display the IP address of your computer.
d. Write down this number and give it to your friends via e-mail, chat or a phone call.
2. Load MechWarrior 3 and click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
3. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
4. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name and Host Setup. See page 57 for
more information.
5. Choose “TCP/IP Connection” for Connection Type, then click the Connect box.
6. When you are ready, click the Host button at the bottom of the screen to continue to the
Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
■ To join a network or Internet game using the TCP/IP protocol:
1. Make sure you know the IP address of your Host before you start MechWarrior 3.
2. Click the Multiplayer button at the Main screen.
3. Choose a pilot at the next screen and click the Accept button. The number of kills vs. deaths
in multiplayer games for that pilot is displayed in the upper right corner. See page 11 for
more information on pilot entries.
4. At the Multiplayer Access screen, configure your Net Name. See page 57 for more information.
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5. Choose “TCP/IP Connection” for Connection
Type, then click the Connect box.
6. Enter the IP address of the game you want
to join in the box below “IP Address.” This
number will be the IP address of your Host’s
computer. (Remember that the Find Game
button will not search for games on the
Internet, only over LANs.)
7. Choose the multiplayer game you want to join
from the list of available games under Sessions.
8. Click the Join button to continue to the Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
See the “Multiplayer Game Setup” section below for further instructions.
MSN Gaming Zone
If you are looking for an opponent, visit MSN Gaming Zone to meet fellow MechWarrior 3
players. MSN Gaming Zone offers chat areas, tournaments and more. You must log onto the MSN
Gaming Zone before starting MechWarrior 3.
1. To log onto MSN Gaming Zone, load your Web browser.
2. Type “www.zone.com” in the Address field.
3. If you have not registered on MSN Gaming Zone, click “New Zone Users – Signup to play
games” and follow the onscreen instructions.
4. Click “Play Games.”
5. From the list, choose “Simulation.”
6. From the “Simulation Games” list, choose “MechWarrior 3.”
7. Click on the game room you want to play in.
8. Log onto MSN Gaming Zone and you will enter that game room.
9. Choose the multiplayer game you want to join. If you want to host, click on an empty slot.
10. The MechWarrior 3 program will automatically start once the host presses Launch.
The MSN Gaming Zone is an independent gaming service run by Microsoft Corporation. Hasbro Interactive does not
control, and disclaims any responsibility or liability for, the functioning and performance of the MSN Gaming Zone,
including, without limitation, links to other Web sites or comments or other contact between users of the MSN
Gaming Zone.
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The Multiplayer Access screen lets you change
your Net Name and Host Setup (in addition to
Connection Type).
Net Name
The Net Name is simply the name you will be
known by in any multiplayer games you connect
to. By default, it is the same name as the pilot
you chose, but you can change it if you wish.
Connection Type
Click on the Connection Type button to select
either Modem Connection, IPX Connection or TCP/IP Connection. For more information, see
“Modem Play,” “LAN Play” and “Internet Play” above for more information.
Sessions
When multiple game sessions are available, such as on a LAN, the names of those multiplayer
games appear under “Sessions.” Choose the session that you wish to join by clicking on the
name. Games already in progress are listed as “In Progress.” You cannot join a game that has
already started, but you can click the Join button to wait to play in the next game.
Host Setup
If you want to host a multiplayer game, you need to first choose a Connection Type. Then click
the Host button at the bottom of the screen to bring up the Host Setup options.
New Session Name
Type in a name for your game in this field. The session name will default to your pilot’s name
plus “Game.” This is especially important on a LAN where multiple MechWarrior 3 games may be
running. Name your game something recognizable so the players who are going to participate
know which one is yours.
Max Players
MechWarrior 3 supports up to eight players in a single multiplayer game over a LAN or the Internet.
If you and three of your friends are going to play, set this for four players so no one else can join.
Allow Team Play
MechWarrior 3 supports team play against other human players. If you check this box, players
can play on teams against other teams. Any victories are team victories. If you do not check
this box, then the game will be a free-for-all or “deathmatch.”
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If you are the Host, you can configure your
multiplayer game at this screen. If you are
participating in a multiplayer game, you can
watch the setup and chat with fellow players.
If the Host allows, you can click the ’Mech Lab
button to configure your BattleMech (see Chapter
7). Once you have finished configuring your
’Mech, you will return to the Multiplayer Game
Setup screen. While you are in the ’Mech Lab,
your name will be followed by “In Mech Lab” on
the Player Setup list.
Game Setup
Only the Host can set the options under Game Setup.
• World: lists all eight maps available for multiplayer games.
• Kill Limit: sets the number of kills at which the game ends (1, 5, 10, 20, 40 or Unlimited).
If you are playing a Team Play game, the Kill Limit applies to the whole team.
• Time Limit: sets the length of the game in minutes (5, 10, 20, 30, Unlimited).
• Weight Limit: sets the maximum tonnage per player.
• Allow Respawn: select this to allow a killed player to return to the game with a new ’Mech.
• Allow Mobile Base: select this to place a Mobile Field Base on the map. This MFB is
available to all players for repairing ’Mechs.
• Use Stock ’Mechs: select this to force players to use off-the-shelf ’Mechs. This means that
no ’Mech Lab modifications are allowed.
• Unlimited Ammo: select this to give all players unlimited ammunition.
• Force First Person: select this to disallow any external views. All players are limited to the
in-cockpit view.
Scores
This area lists information for all players for the last game just played.
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The Chat area displays messages sent by players. To send a message, type in the text box under
“Enter Chat Message” and press the e key. If you are in a Team Play game and you want to
send messages to just your teammates, click the Chat Team check box.
Hasbro Interactive does not monitor, control, endorse or accept responsibility for the content of text or voice chat
messages transmitted through the use of this product. Use of the chat function is at your own risk. Users are strongly
encouraged not to give out personal information through chat transmissions.
If you are under 18 years of age, check with your parent or guardian before using the chat function or if you are
concerned about any chat you receive.
Player Setup
You can set up teams, choose teams, pick a team skin and more in the Player Setup area. In the
Player Setup list, the Host’s name is followed by two plus signs to distinguish that player.
Free-for-All
If the Host did not choose “Allow Team Play,” all players are listed under “Unaffiliated Players.”
Players can choose skins for themselves.
Once all participants are ready, they should click on the “I Am Ready” button to signify that
that they are ready to begin. Their names will be followed by “Ready!” in the Player Setup list.
Once all players are ready, the Host can click on the Start button to begin the free-for-all
battle (or “deathmatch”).
Team Play
If the Host chose “Allow Team Play” in the Multiplayer Access screen, anyone can set up teams.
Until a player joins a team, his or her name is listed under “Unaffiliated Players.”
■ If you want to create a new team:
1. The Host must have already selected
the “Allow Team Play” option at the
previous screen.
2. Click the New Team button. Anyone can
create a new team.
3. The dialog box above will appear. Choose a
skin (paint job) for that team’s ’Mechs. Then
type in a name for your team (it will default
to your name plus “Team”). Then click the
Join Team box.
4. Click the Accept button, and the new team will be created with you listed as a team member.
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1. The Host must have already selected the “Allow Team Play” option at the previous screen,
and a team name must be listed under “Team/Players.”
2. Under “Team/Players,” click on the team you want to join.
3. Click the Join Team button, and your name will move to underneath that team name.
Once players are ready, they should click the I Am Ready button to signify that they are ready
to play. Their names will be followed by “Ready!” in the Player Setup list. Once all players are
ready, the Host can click on the Start button to begin the Team Play game.
Remove
If you are the Host, you can remove any player from any team. First, click on the player’s name
and then click the Remove button. That player will then move to the “Unaffiliated Players” list.
If you want to remove the entire team, click on the team name and then click the Remove
button. All players on that team will move to the “Unaffiliated Players” list.
Kick Out
If you are the Host, you can completely remove a player from your multiplayer game. First, click
on the player’s name and then click the Kick Out button. That player will then exit all the way
back to the Main screen.
Pick Skin
If you are in a free-for-all game, you can change your skin (paint job) by clicking on your name
and then the Pick Skin button. Choose a new skin from the dialog box. If you are in a Team Play
game, only the Host can change a team’s skin. To change a team’s skin, click on the team name and
then click the Pick Skin button. Choose a new skin from the dialog box.
Lock Options
If you are the Host, once you are done setting all the Multiplayer Game Setup options, click the
Lock Options button to lock all options and prevent other players from joining your game.
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A multiplayer game ends when either the Kill Limit or Time Limit is reached. Players will see a
game summary listing scores before returning to the Multiplayer Game Setup screen.
In-Game Chat
To send a message to everyone in the game, press numeric keypad * and type your message.
To send a message to just your teammates, press numeric keypad - and type your message.
Scores
To display the game scores, press the = key. This will show the current number of kills vs.
deaths for all participants.
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TECHNICAL SUPPORT
If you have problems and require assistance you can contact our Technical Support Hotline:
Phone:
Hours of operation:
Fax:
+44 (0) 1454 893900
9am – 5.30pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday
+44 (0) 1454 894296
Note: Phoning this number costs the same as a standard rate call no matter where you call from in
the UK. If you do telephone the Technical Support line, if possible please be sitting in-front of your
computer and have a pen and paper at the ready. Before contacting our Technical Support Hotline,
please try to have the following information ready so that we may help you more efficiently:
The name of the game, the make & model of your computer, processor and speed, peripherals,
graphics card, version of Windows, amount of memory installed, the exact error reported (if any) and
version numbers of Direct X drivers.
EMAIL
Alternatively you can email our Technical Support operators:
[email protected]
WEBSITE
http://www.microprose.com
To ensure a prompt reply please summarise your issues as concisely as you can, giving details, as
above, of the game, the problem or error, any circumstances that you feel relevant and your
particular computer system. We will endeavour to return your mail within the day.
All letters should be addressed to:
Customer Support Group
MicroProse Customer Support
The Ridge, Chipping Sodbury,
S. Gloucestershire,
BS37 6BN, UK
C E S S OVERVIEW, INTRODUCTION
A CBATTLEMECH
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6:
TECHNICAL
ANDSUPPORT
BASICS
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ERIDANI LIGHT HORSE, BATTLEMECH COMMAND PRIMER
LICENCE
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RE
ESS
The software and all images, photography, animations, video, audio, music and text contained on
the enclosed CD-ROM and this manual, (together, 'the Product') are protected by copyright and other
intellectual property rights which are owned by or licensed to Hasbro Interactive Limited of 2
Roundwood Avenue, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, UB11 1AZ ('Hasbro')
Hasbro grants to you as the original purchaser of this Product a non-transferable right to use the
Product for your own personal and private use and not in connection with any business activity.
Unless otherwise permitted by law, no part of this Product may be copied, reproduced, translated,
modified, decompiled or reduced into any electronic or other form without the prior written consent
of Hasbro. You may not rent or lease, or sell or transfer copies of the Product or any part of it.
WARRANTY
Hasbro warrants to you only that for a period of ninety days from purchase the Product will perform
substantially in accordance with the specifications set out in this manual and that the original CDROM disk itself will be free from defects in materials and workmanship.
During this period the Product, if defective, will be replaced free of charge if returned to Hasbro at
Caswell Way, Newport, Gwent, NP9 0YH, together with a dated proof of purchase, a brief description
of the defect and the address to which it is to be returned. Any replacement will be warranted for a
further 90 day period. This warranty does not affect your statutory rights in any way.
This warranty does not apply to defects caused by misuse, neglect, incorrect installation, damage,
alteration, repair or excessive wear.
LIABILITY
Except as stated at 2 above, all conditions, warranties, terms, representations and undertakings
express or implied, statutory or otherwise, in respect of the Product are expressly excluded.
Hasbro's liability to you shall under no circumstances exceed the original retail price of the
Product and Hasbro does not accept liability for any indirect or consequential damage or loss
(even if it is aware that the possibility of such damage or loss) including lost profits or revenues,
or for any damages, costs or loss incurred as a result of loss of time or data or from any other
cause.Nothing set out above shall limit or exclude the Hasbro's liability to you for death or personal
injury resulting from its own negligence or any other liability not capable of exclusion or limitation
by law. If you do not agree to be bound by these terms, you should immediately return the
Product to Hasbro at Caswell Way, Newport, Gwent, NP9 OYH, together with a dated proof of
purchase, for a full refund.
62
LICENCE AGREEMENT