Official MechCommander Technical Support FAQ www.mechcommander.com www.fasainteractive.com I inserted the MechCommander into the CD-ROM drive, but nothing happened. The Windows 95 AutoPlay feature may be disabled on your system. Please refer to your Windows 95 manual for help activating the AutoPlay feature. Sometimes, AutoPlay will work the first time you insert the CD, but refuses to bring up the menu afterwards. To enable AutoPlay on your system do the following: Right click on the My Computer icon. Click on Properties. Click on Device Manager. Double Click on your CD-ROM driver. Click on the Settings tab. Click on the box next to Auto Insert Notification so that a check appears. AutoPlay should now be enabled. You can also manually bring up this AutoPlay menu by double-clicking on My Computer, then the CD-ROM icon, then Autoplay.exe. Why doesn't MechCommander recognize the CD in the drive? The CD ROM may be damaged or dirty and need to be cleaned. Look for scratches and marks on the bottom side. Your CD ROM drive may require cleaning, even if it reads other CDs correctly. If your CD ROM drive letter is mapped to Z, re-map it to any other letter. Why does the MechCommander Setup identify my computer improperly?/ Why does it identify my Cyrix as a 486? If you have a 200 MHz and Setup reports it as a 150 MHz, that's ‘cause it is. Talk to the manufacturer. If you have an older Cyrix chip and Setup reports it as a 486, don't expect mind blowing speed while running MechCommander. If you have a MediaGX processor and Setup reports your speed or RAM incorrectly, that's because the CPU handles the sound and video and takes over part of your system RAM for VRAM. We recommend that you have at least 32MB+ RAM for even single player with this chip. I selected MechCommander from the Start menu and the game just quit or I saw an error message. First, be sure that you have rebooted your computer after installing DirectX. Carefully read any messages that you encounter during the installation of DirectX 5.2. Many video and sound cards have drivers that are DirectX compliant, but there are many others that don't. If DirectX encounters a driver that it does not recognize, or if it has a newer version of a driver already present on your machine, it will ask you if you want to replace that driver. It is extremely important that you follow the recommendation on your screen. Also, write down the instructions given (if any) for uninstalling DirectX should you have any problems with it. Double check to make sure that your sound and video card drivers are DirectX 5.2 compatible. To do this, open the Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add/Remove Programs. Select DirectX 5.2 and write down all the DirectX components along with their version numbers and whether or not they are certified. Then look at the Direct X version number. If a driver is DirectX 5.2 compatible it will say "4.05" or greater. If the number is less than 4.05, then the driver is certified by a version prior to DirectX 5.2 and needs updating. If you need more information about DirectX, please check Microsoft's DirectX Frequently Asked Questions Documents. I've re-installed MechCommander, but the game still won't come up. Be sure that you have rebooted your system after installing. If this doesn't work, bring up the Windows 95 task manager by pressing control-alt-delete ONCE. Exit all applications except for Explorer and Systray. Other programs such as virus scanners, video card control panels, etc. can interfere with the operation of the game. Once all unneeded applications are closed, try running the game again. How do I check the Version of MechCommander that I have Installed? When at the Main Menu screen of MechCommander hit ALT+ENTER. This will switch MechCommander to a window mode. In the Title Bar of the window will be the following depending on which Version you have currently installed: "RC2 P5" - English CD Installation "RC2 P18" - English Patch 1.8 Update "RC2 P15g" - German CD Installation "RC2 P18g" - German Patch 1.8 Update Hit ALT+ENTER to return to full screen mode. Why does MechCommander crash every time I click anywhere on the autorun menu that comes up when I launch MechCommander? Most likely you are running MechCommander with the update for another language. Download the upgrade 1.8 for your language version of MechCommander (i.e. German 1.8 for German version) and install it. You may also re-install the game from the original CD or copy over the MechCmdr.exe from the CD into the MechCmdr directory on your hard drive. Video and Sound Problems: When I try and launch the game, I receive a "Unable to complete Execution" message. What does that mean? Your computer is trying to launch the game in DirectDraw (fullscreen) mode but is unable to for one of the following: Make sure your computer or graphics card has at least 2 MB VRAM. Try setting your resolution to 640x480 8bit color. If that doesn't work, try reinstalling the game while your screen resolution is set to the numbers above. This is a known DirectX problem that you can check out at Microsoft's site. If all that does not work you can play the game in a "windowed" mode by doing the following: in C:\Program Files\FasaInteractive\MechCmdr open prefs.cfg with wordpad change the following line DirectDraw=t to DirectDraw=f Relaunch MechCommander and it should allow you to play in a window. Check Microsoft's DirectX trouble shooting page My video or sound is completely screwed up, or, when I start the game, the screen simply turns black with or without a large mouse cursor, what's wrong? This game uses DirectX, which is responsible for all sound and video in the game. If you encounter problems with either your sound or video, it probably means that your hardware is not 100% compatible with DirectX. If you have already reinstalled the game and followed all of the recommendations when DirectX asks to replace drivers and still cannot get your video or sound to work properly, please check Microsoft's DirectX trouble shooting page. When I try to launch MechCommander, I get the message "Unable to initialize sound" or something similar, what's wrong? MechCommander requires a DirectX compatible sound card. Make sure that you have a sound card installed and that it is compatible with other DirectX games. There may be another application or utility running that is using the sound system. Bring up the Windows 95 task manager by pressing control-alt-delete ONCE. Exit all applications except for Explorer and Systray. Other programs such as virus scanners, video card control panels, etc. can interfere with the operation of the game. Once all unneeded applications are closed, try running the game again. Why is MechCommander so bright/dark on my screen? With all the possible combinations of video cards and monitors in the world, everyone will have different results at first. You can adjust brightness in the Preferences menu. While in the game you can cycle through four levels of brightness by hitting [Ctrl+Z] Try adjusting the brightness and contrast manually on your monitor. If you have a Voodoo Rush Chipset and MechCommander seems washed out, set your color depth to 256 (8 bit) colors. Try setting your display settings to 640x480 256 colors. Why can't I zoom in on the battlefield? You must have at least 20 MB RAM to zoom in during the single player game. In multiplayer, the zoom in feature is disabled to improve performance for all players. I have a Montego sound card by Turtle Beach and while playing a mission, the pilot video and sound will lock up and remain stuck on one frame of whatever pilot was attempting to speak at the time. Subsequently, the game will freeze completely when the mission ends, locking up when Next Mission is pressed. Why does this happen? The Montego sound card has a known conflict with DirectSound. In the Windows Control Panel, the card has its own icon. If you open it and click on the A3D tab, there is an option to disable DirectSound Acceleration. Disabling this should solve the problem. Multiplayer: The "Multiplayer" button on the start up screen is grayed out and I cannot select it, why is this? The multiplayer option requires at least 32MB RAM to be active. Can I play MechCommander on the Internet? Yes. At release time you can play on Mplayer and The Internet Gaming Zone. As other services are offered we'll post them here on our Web site. How many players does MechCommander support? Up to 6 on LAN (IPX, TCP/IP) and Internet (Mplayer, The Zone, and others) and two for modem to modem and serial connection. Why can't I return to fullscreen after playing in a window [Alt+Enter]?/Why can't I switch between MechCommander and other applications [Atl+Tab]? You can only switch video modes in single player and at the Main Menu screen. We STRONGLY recommend that you do not run other applications concurrent with MechCommander! MechCommander runs much smoother in single player than in multiplayer. Why is that? The system resources needed for a multiplayer game are far greater than what's needed for a single player game. The more RAM, VRAM, the faster your CPU or modem, the smoother the game will run. Because of Internet latencies, multiplayer will never be as smooth as single player. Be sure that you are playing off of the recommended install files (required, sound, op video files). Accessing the CD-ROM drive to load textures, sound and video clips will cause the game to pause or freeze temporarily. If you are having trouble connecting to an on-line gaming service we suggest the you contact the service and make sure that their connections are up and running. Why can't I see any games to join/why can't I pick IPX/TCP games? You must have the protocol you are trying to play on (IPX or TCP/IP) installed. If you have both protocols installed, MechCommander will prompt you with a dialog box asking you to choose. Make sure your connection to the Internet or LAN is functioning properly. If you cannot get your machine to function on the network, contact your network administrator for help. I've joined a game, and I can't adjust some of the options like team, map or RP amount. Only the host of the game can change these options. I'm trying to play on the Internet, but the game gets so slow that gameplay is next to impossible. What can I do? Internet latency, or lag, is probably at play here as well as the people you are playing against. Be sure to play with others that have similar modem speeds and system specs. Check your latency both to your ISP and to the service you are playing on. There are many utilities available on the Web that allow you to "ping" or "trace"(check latency and route) your ISP or service. Be sure that you are playing off of the recommended install files (required, sound, op video files). Accessing the CD-ROM drive to load textures, sound and video clips will cause the game to pause or freeze temporarily. The game will only be as fast as the slowest connection. Try playing with players that have similar modem connections (e.g. 33.6 modem to 33.6 modem) If you have a noisy or slow connection to the Internet, this will cause slow down in the game. You can check this by picking up the phone and listening to the line. If one of the players consistently gets dropped or is the last one to connect, be it your friend or not, kick them out. One slow machine or connection can cause everyone to suffer. Make sure the fastest machine with the fastest connection to the Internet is the one hosting the game. Whomever host the game becomes the server. Why does MechCommander freeze up when beginning or ending a LAN multiplayer game? It is possible that your machine is set to automatically connect to the Internet and the "Dial-Up-Networking" dialog box is coming up behind MechCommander. Hit [Alt+Tab] to switch screens and press [Cancel]. Press [Ctrl+Alt+Delete] only once and then [Enter] twice to close the dialog box that has popped up behind MechCommander. My computer says it cannot detect my modem or is it the wrong com port? Check your "Dial-up-Networking" control panel settings. MechCommander uses DirectPlay which directly accesses these settings. If you still are having difficulties, check Microsoft's DirectPlay FAQ page What about TCP/IP connectivity over the Internet? At release time, MechCommander requires a service that supports Microsoft's DirectPlay support lobby. My (so-called) friends keep kicking my butt in Multiplayer, how do I stop being such a loser? Contact Al Emerson at aemerson@virtualworld.com. He won't be able to help you, but you can commiserate about your stunning losses. Why can't I see the other computer that I am hooked to with a serial cable? Make sure you are using a Null Modem cable. Other cables may have different pin outs and will not work. Verify what com port each machine is using and enter it in the Serial Connection screen. To find out what com port you are using, first check that back of your computer for a com port label. Troubleshoot by using Windows Direct Cable Connection Accessory. I just installed the version 1.8 patch, which is intended to improve multiplayer MechCommander. But now the game crashes every time I attempt to play over an internet gaming service. It used to work fine, what is the problem? You need to empty your "Windows Temp" folder. When the update is installed, it makes a file in the windows/temp folder called mechcmdr.exe. After you run setup, the file remains in the temp folder until you restart your computer. Most gaming services scan for games in order of their appearance, from the primary drive to all the rest in order. If you have MechCommander installed on any drive other than C:, the MechCmdr.exe in C:\Windows\Temp will be selected first and will see the matching .exe (which is the correct one, in the mechcmdr folder) as a duplicate file and discards that information. Upon a launch it points to the .exe in the temp file and tries to run the game from there. Kali-specific Problems: How to configure KALI for MechCommander Be sure IPX or TCP is installed as a protocol. This can be added under the properties of "Network Neighborhood" Refer to you windows help or manual on how to add this protocol. Open Kali95 From the menu bar select Games. Under the pull down menu select Edit Launch Game Info. Select Add Select MechCommander and hit OK. Click browse for Program Directory. Locate and select the mechcmdr directory that was installed to your hard drive. Click OK for selection. Click OK to close window. If it states "This is an unknown version of the game. Do you wish to use this directory anyway?", Click Yes There are two Check boxes labeled: Drop Packets that are out of order Allow Kali to drop packets to speed up game. Check both of these boxes. Click Close. From the menu bar select Games. Under the pull down menu select Configure Menu. Select a game tab that has no info in it. Click on browse under program space Select the mechcmdr.exe that is installed on your hard drive. NOT the one located on the CD Drive. Hit OK. If you get the "Unable to open scenario file" Error upon hitting "begin mission" Check you configuration for the MechCommander game within Kali. Make sure that the Location for the MechCmdr.exe is pointing to the installed executable on your hard drive and not the one on your CD Drive. If it is pointing to the CD Drive as the source for the Mechcmdr.exe file it will crash to this error Trouble connecting to game room or constant disconnection during games. Try the following settings: From the menu bar select Games. Under the pull down menu select Edit Launch Game Info. Select the MechCommander Game. Set the following two checkboxes to Checked. Drop Packets that are out of order Allow Kali to drop packets to speed up game. Misc. Problems: The game crashes while playing, with or without an error message. Bring up the Windows 95 task manager by pressing control-alt-delete only once. End Task for all applications except for Explorer and Systray. Other programs such as virus scanners, video card control panels, etc. can interfere with the operation of the game. Once all unneeded applications are closed, try running the game again. If you haven't already, you should also run Scandisk to check your hard drive for errors, and run Disk Defragmenter on your hard drive, if needed. If nothing works, your system may not be 100% DirectX compatible, and you might need to update your video and sound drivers. There is also the chance it is a DirectX 5.2 issue. If you have more questions concerning Microsoft DirectX 5.2 check out their Web page for more information. What can I do to increase the frame rate for MechCommander? You may need to upgrade you video driver for your onboard VRAM or 2D card. Check the manufacturers Webpage for the latest DirectX certified driver. Check our Manufacturers page for links to the most common video manufacturer's pages. How do I take screenshots of MechCommander? There are many utilities you can use to capture screen shots (Paint Shop Pro for one). If you do not have a screen capture utility, in the game you can press [Alt+Print Screen] to copy the active window to the clipboard. Launch the Win95 Paint program and press [Ctrl+V] to paste the image into a .bmp file. Note that because MechCommander runs in 8-bit (256) color, the palette of the captured image may be incorrect. Download these color lookup tables (CLUTs) for Adobe Photoshop and apply them to the appropriate images to correct them. In a multiplayer/campaign game all of the opposing team's/enemy 'Mechs had been destroyed but the game/mission didn't end. Check the mission briefing screen in the MFD. Many of the maps have conditions or objectives to win, i.e. capture the opponents base or destroy all of the power generators. In multiplayer, hiding a tiny vehicle on the map to keep the game from ending until it is found and destroyed is a valid, however annoying tactic. Why can't I scroll to the right and down? If your desktop resolution is set to 640x480, Windows will occasionally decide that it wants those edges (rare). If you are playing a game when this happens, quickly hit [Alt+Enter] to play in a window and return your ability to scroll right and down. Setting your desktop resolution to 800x600 will prevent this from happening while playing. Why doesn't MechCommander take advantage of my 3D card? MechCommander is primarily a 2D sprite-based game. The 3D terrain engine is very streamlined, and does not benefit from hardware acceleration. If my CPU is less than the required speed, but I have twice as much RAM, will I be able to play? Users have responded saying that they are able to play on P75's and P90's with lots of RAM (64MB and up) but it is untested and unsupported at this time. Will MechCommander run on NT 4.0? MechCommander uses DirectX 5.2 At the time of release NT 4.0 does not support DirectX 5.2 There have been users that have written in saying they got MechCommander to run on NT, but it is unsupported and untested by us at this time. As more information becomes available, we will post it here. For information on NT 4.0 support of DirectX 5 as well as newsgroups that will give you more information about NT 4.0 and DirectX check Microsoft's web site. Will MechCommander take advantage of MMX Technology? MechCommander does take advantage of MMX technology, however, it does not require MMX technology to play MechCommander. Does MechCommander require the CD-ROM to play the game? Yes, MechCommander requires that you have the game CD in the CD-ROM drive at all times while playing. How do I get past mission XXX? Call the hint line at 900-773-HINT or get Prima's Hint book. Other known anomalies Why does my Cyrix MediaGX/AMD K5 CPU based computer have problems running MechCommander? MechCommander was extensively tested with the MediaGX 200, AMD K5-166 and older Cyrix 686 166 CPUs all with 16 and 32MB RAM. Although we did everything to address the problems that we encountered, these processors do not perform as well as Genuine Pentium's and the newer AMD and Cyrix processors of the same speed do. You should easily be able to play MechCommander, however, you may experience long load times, random freezes or crashes occasionally on these CPU's. If you play a lot of games on your computer, this is probably no surprise to you. As for the MediaGX chip, although it is a newer faster chip, the way it processes video by sharing system RAM it performs on par with the older CPU's. Why does MechCommander minimize to a window when Windows dialog boxes come up? Windows cannot draw the dialog boxes over the game. After closing the dialog box, press [Alt+Enter] to return to full screen. If you are in any of the multiplayer screens when this happens, you will have to return to the Main Menu screen for [Alt+Enter] to work. Why does MechCommander occasionally freeze up for no reason? This is related to the above question. In machines with low RAM or VRAM there may not be enough room left to switch video modes when a dialog box comes up (any pop up message from Windows or other applications). Press [Ctrl+Alt+Delete] only once and then [Enter] twice to close the dialog box that has popped up behind MechCommander. An error message popped up while playing MechCommander, what do I do with it? If you are an avid game player, or even a regular Windows 95 user, you most likely experience occasional (sometimes frequent) crashes on your computer for no apparent reason. Quitting out to the desktop, invalid page faults, and plain old system lockups are no strangers to you. To combat this during the development of MechCommander, our "Windows Guru", Andy Glaister, wrote an exception handler designed to grab a snapshot of the system in the event of any possible error, whether it was MechCommander's fault or not. This proved to be an invaluable tool for development and was well received when it was released in the demo. (Oops.) We decided to leave the exception handler in the game for release after getting so much positive feedback from the Demo (whew!). Not only does this allow the user to learn more about their system, but it also helps us build better games. If the exception ever pops up a message while you are playing the game, simply type the steps leading up to the error in the message box and e-mail it to us at support@mechcommander.com. We will do our best to figure it out and mail you back an explanation. I'm still having problems that I can't find the answers to!!! Return to the Main Support page for phone, fax, and e-mail support options. These are offered at no cost to the user. How do I Uninstall MechCommander? To Uninstall the game, select Uninstall MechCommander from the Start menu (click on Start, Programs, Microprose, MechCommander). If you have saved games and want to save them be sure to move them out of the MechCmdr directory first. When you select Uninstall MechCommander all the game files, registry entries and icons will be removed. Files not created during install (such as patches, etc.) will not be removed. To remove such files simply delete the FASA Interactive directory from your Program Files directory. Direct X will not be removed from your system.