(There was a thread a while ago, but it had almost no info)
Download it here:
http://www.mektek.net/index.php?pid=13 This only downloads MTX, which is the downloading and updating program. You download MW4 by opening MTX, going to "Games Available", and right clicking MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries then hitting Install/download/somethingorother I recommend you first go to File>> Options >> Network, and select the "http (web) Experimental" download option to download it faster.
You will probably need to readjust the controls, as the defaults are stuff and made mostly for joysticks. Make sure you set your Mouse to Torso twist (on the left side) otherwise you can't aim. Some of the controls are redundant for players who have a ton of control pads and want to use all buttons.To play the tutorial, go to "Instant Action", click the "Action Type" box in the center, and select "Training"MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries is a BattleMech action-simulator in the (BattleTech universe) released as a standalone expansion pack for MechWarrior 4: Vengeance in 2002. In MW4: Mercs singleplayer, you take control of a 30 foot tall war machine known as a BattleMech (mech), and command a squad of mercenaries as you undertake missions for pay. Completing missions rewards you with salvaged mechs and weaponry, and C-Bills for buying brand new mechs, weaponry, and hiring pilots. The game takes place during the FedCom civil war, and you fight for either the Steiners, or Davions, plus some neutral factions.
MW4: Mercs multiplayer has players each in their own mech, usually in team deathmatch or deatmatch, with the occasional Mission play servers (objective based). Avoid servers which have "NH" and "UA" checked on the right side of the server browser, as these are no heat, unlimited ammo servers; everyone will just spam lasers and hide behind hills in this mode.
The game has in depth mech customization, allowing players to swap out weaponry, armor, engine upgrades, electronics, and heatsinks. Weapons require specific slot types, so you can't for example put a laser in a missile slot. The amount of equipment you put on your mech is limited by tonnage; you cannot put more stuff on your mech than the mech can physically support. In other words, you can't put 30 tons of weapons on a 20 ton mech.
Speaking of which, mech tonnages:
Mechs all have a specific weight. The heavier your mech is, the more stuff you can stuff on it, but the slower it will move. Mechs are defined into 4 broad classes:
Light: 20-35 ton mechs. Usually scouts or light harassers, rarely can mount big weapons.
Medium: 40-55 ton mechs. Usually harassers or snipers, can mount a couple large weaponry.
Heavies: 60-75 ton mechs. Usually brawlers or snipers, can mount high power weaponry and still move at a decent speed.
Assaults: 80-100 ton mechs. Usually long range or medium range powerhouses. You don't want to go solo against one of these.
I'd list mechs, but there's over 100 of themWeapons in MW4 are divided into 3 categories:
Lasers: Infinite ammo, hitscan weapons. They will never run out of ammo and have a high damage per ton, but generate a lot of heat and require heatsinks. Big lasers have more range than smaller ones.
Ballistics: Limited ammo, projectile weapons. They have a high amount of damage per bullet and generate almost no heat, but they're extremely heavy. Bigger ballistics have less range than smaller ones.
Missiles: Guided and unguided, limited ammo weapons. Some missiles require you to hold your crosshair onto a mech for a few seconds before it locks on.
I'd list weapons, but there's hundreds, so I'll just list the basic typesLasers(ER = extended range)
Lasers: Slow firing hitscan lasers. Comes in small, medium, and large sizes, with ER versions for each type.
Pulse lasers: Fast firing hitscan lasers, generate a crapton of heat. Comes in small, medium, and large sizes, with ER versions for each type
PPCs: Slow firing sniping lasers, generate an ungodly amount of heat. Comes in ER, Linked Capacitor, and Capacitor types.
Heavy lasers: Slow firing, low range, ultra high damage (and heat) lasers. Comes in small, medium, and large sizes
BallisticsAutocannons: High power, giant tank cannons. Come in multiple calibres, AC/2, AC/5, AC/10, and AC/20
Ultra Autocannons: High power, giant tank cannons and fires two bullets per trigger pull. Comes in multiple calibres, UAC/2, UAC/5, UAC/10, and UAC/20.
Rotary Autocannons: Gatling guns, fires extremely fast but can jam. Comes in RAC/2, RAC/5, RAC/10, and RAC/20
Gauss guns: Ultra high power supersonic cannons, recycles slowly. Comes in Mini Gauss, Light Gauss, (standard) Gauss, and Heavy Gauss sizes.
Artillery: Indirect fire, high explosive artillery cannons. Contains the HEAP-AGL, Inferno AGL, Smoke AGL, and Long Tom.
Missiles(Streak = Guided versions, Artemis IV = Added guidance system which decreases lockon time)
Long Range Missiles: High power, long range guided rockets. Requires a lock to fire accurately. Comes in LRM5, LRM10, LRM15, and LRM20 sizes. LRM10 and LRM20 can mount Artemis IV
Medium Range missiles: High power, unguided (Streak MRMs are guided) rockets. Comes in MRM10, MRM20, MRM30, and MRM40 sizes.
Short range missiles: Lightweight unguided (Streak SRMs are guided) rockets, comes in SRM2, SRM4, and SRM6 sizes.
Arrow IV Artillery: Extremely powerful cruise missiles, requires a lock to fire accurately. Comes in Arrow IV Thunderbolt, Arrow IV Cluster, and Arrow IV + Artemis IV
Weapon slots in the mechlab have more categories:
Red = Lasers only
Yellow = Ballistics only
Green = Missiles only
Gray = Omni slot, can mount every type of weaponry.
Pink = Lasers and missiles only
Deep blue = Lasers and ballistics only
Cyan = Ballistics and missiles
Equipment:
Beagle Active Probe (BAP): Radar range boost. Will detect passive mechs or mechs with ECM further out, and on servers with Line of Sight (advanced) radar, it can see through buildings.
ECM: Will reduce the range enemies can see you on their radar, and on advanced radar servers, will keep mechs with BAP from seeing you through buildings.
Laser antimissile system (LAMS): This will shoot down some incoming missiles, useful on wide open maps.
Jumpjets (JJs): Lets you jump up into the air. Useful in city maps for getting ontop of buildings. If you land ontop of an enemy mech using jumpjets, you will cause massive damage on their mech.
IFF Jammer: Will cause your mech to appear neutral under an enemy's crosshair until you get close to him. Useful on city maps.
Advanced Gyro: This will reduce the knock caused by enemy weapons, and reduce the likelihood of your mech collapsing after being shot at with high power weaponry.
Enhanced Optics: This will increase the size of the zoom window.
Heatsinks: Not installed as equipment, as you can install as many as you want. These are critical to cooling your mech down if you're using laser weaponry. If you can't cool it enough, your HUD will begin to screw up, then you shut down, and need to wait for it to cool down.
Engine tunings: Not installed as equipment, as you can adjust how many you have. Upgrading your engine will make your mech run faster, but uses up tonnage, and get progressively heavier as you upgrade. Downgrading your engine will free up tonnage for other stuff.
Armor protects your mechs interior, AKA makes you not die from a single small laser hit. There are 3 types of armor:
Ferro-Fibrous: The general use armor. Protects equally against all weapons types, and is the lightest type.
Reactive: Heavier armor used to protect against ballistic weapons.
Reflective: Heavier armor used to protect against laser weapons.
Pictures:
Battle between an UrbanMech (light) and a Shadow Cat (medium).
Grouping up with teammates to flank an entrenched enemy position.
Playing in the Solaris Arena in the singleplayer campaign.
Kodiak 100 ton assault mech.
Mechlab.
Critically damaged my mech after a fight.
