Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries

[blackout]

Show of hands, who's played this?

[Woot Spitum]

Me.

I also played Mechwarrior 2, Mechwarrior 3, Mechwarrior 4:Veangeance, Mechwarrior 4:Mercenaries, and even the old SNES Mechwarrior.

I beat Mechwarrior 2 as Jade Falcon, and I beat Mechwarrior 4:Veangeance.

[TheOtherMC]

Oh I missed Mercanaries.....the mechs...the contracts....the sphere invasion....the overpriced utterly useless aerospace fighter coverage.....good times.

[blackout]

Well, I'm thinking of getting it. What should I be on the watch for, in terms of contracts?

[Woot Spitum]

It's been a while, but if possible, I'd avoid the one where you have to prevent the hospital from being bombed. I could never beat that one. Best mission: The one where you take on an assault lance with no other mechs. Crazy awesome.

[blackout]

Hospital? Sheesh. Doesn't anyone follow the Ares Conventions anymore?

[TheOtherMC]

Na, not since the Clan invasion.

Easily one of the cooler missions is when you get the opportunity to drive a hover tank for um....reasons id feel too spoilerish to discuss....

Seriously though it was my first introduction to Battletech and ive loved it ever since.

Oh and the Draconis Combine are serious *****

[blackout]

Weeeeeeell...<_< >_> Send me all you know about the game to me via PM. I need to be prepared. Mechs, tanks, dropships, contracts, missions, deadlines, etcetera.

[Timberwolf]

Well, while I've never played it (I was too late for anything except MW4 :( 0, I think you've got the basics. Clan = hard, assault mech = bad news.

One thing I will say though, I think they used the old school Battletech names for the Clan mechs. So, chaosmarch.com has the translations if you need them, but

Timberwolf = Madcat (Yes, my favourite mech...+
Summoner = Thor
Hellbringer = Loki
Mad Dog = Vulture

And I don't know if these are in, but

Stormcrow = Ryoken
Dire Wolf = Daishi
Executioner = Gladiator

[JellyPooga]

Aahhh...Mech 2:Mercs...those were the days...

Make sure you get hold of the 40MB (or so) patch. It upgrades the graphics fairly significantly, but more importantly, it makes salvage based on what damage you do, rather than being scripted...sooooo much better (though abusable if you're good...heh heh heh...some of the pirate mechs have waaaayyy over the max tonnage in armour. If you get hold of one...).

Words of advice for the game...hmmm...

For max money, between each big contract, do two side contracts. If you don't want to do the big contract on offer, do three side contracts.

Don't bother with Aerospace support...half the time it doesn't arrive and when it does, it's not worth the wait (or the funds)

The earlier lancemates available are the best. They're cheaper and just as good as the ones you can get later.

For the first few missions, don't bother with lancemates. Until you meet the Clans, solo-ing is much more cost effective. (after you meet them, you'll need lancemates)

Projectile weapons are the best (though most ammo inefficient) weapons in the game. You'd be surprised at how effective a battery of AC/2 can be.

Arms on Mechs are optional. If you lose an arm, customise the mech to not have it. Ok, so you lose critical spaces, but arms are always the first to get destroyed...they cost more than they're worth. Lose them for good.

I could go on for ages, but my housemate wants her room back. I might post later with more...

[Telok]

Played, won, opinions...

The patch is ok but not critical. It also kills all scripted salvage, which means (depending on what contracts you take) that you lose a chance at some freeish Clan tech before the Clans are introduced.

You need some energy weapons. There are several missions that are long enough to run most ammo bins empty.

Arms are useful, they are armor and 12 free cirtical spaces if you don't repair the actuators. Since you can't punch or carry anything more armor and expendable space is a good thing.

Invest in a heavy mech with an Arrow4 and lots of ammo. Some missions require only destroyed buildings, or have medium mechs a couple kilometers away at the beginning.

LRM 20s are good at killing Elementals later on. Don't wait for a lock, just aim in front of them and spray. The splash damage will kill them.

My personal favorite mech in that game was an Atlas (natch) with one each or the large and medium lasers. ER, normal, pulse, Clan versions. I subbed a ER small Clan laser for the IS medium pulse laser, range issues. Maxed out armor, engine, and all the heatsinks I could (every salvaged Clan double heatsink I could). Still build heat ungodly fast, but with everything in the left torso it duplicated a continuous beam laser and savaged enemy mechs. At close range it could take down a medium clan mech in under two seconds.

With the hovercraft... Ramming works well as there is no turret. Keep speed up to dodge fire, kills your aim but just sail through a leg and leave them in the dust.

Lastly the AI is... weak. First, lancemates start out with you as thier default target. Get them to target a couple of something elses, the first shot from some weapons seems to hit the previous target from the previous angle. When your team shoots away from you, in front of you, and hits you in the back with PPCs... It's bad. It's also an error that only occured after you patched it. The enemy AI will target and try to kill you if you hit it, ignoring your allies in the process. This is exploitable with lots of jumpjets and some good cliffs or buildings. It also means that anything you hit will come after you even if you lose all your weapons and your buddies are blasting at it from behind.

[Desidus]

I miss my old Marauder (I think that was it...)... *sniffle* The Jade Falcons... *cries*


Only played mercs a couple of times, so I can't offer much more than enjoy... so... enjoy

[JellyPooga]

Telok. You prefer the scripted salvage? Excepting for the few hard-to-hit-the-head Mechs and the 'no salvage' missions, having unscripted salvage means that you will get about 100% more whole Mechs as salvage (given that you don't ARROW IV everything...agreed, a cheap tactic - sit 2k away and shoot the bad guys before they even know you're there. 2 shots kills most, 4 for a well armoured assault Mech. wtf?) Head shots are 9 times out of 10 easy kills (some Mechs being easier than others) using energy/ballistic weapons.

I would also agree that energy weapons are a must for most missions, 'cos ballistics do run out of ammo very quickly. However, energy only Mechs are only really usable if you're cheating and have heat turned off. Missiles are generally not that good an idea - though LRMs have a good range and are guided, their damage is a bit rubbish and is only good for weakening armour before going in for the kill. I'll say it again, ballistics are the way forward in Mech 2: Mercs - not the AC/20 either (too short range). AC/10's for Assault Mechs, 5's and 2's for Heavy...if you're playing with Medium or Light Mechs by the 5th big mission (the one after the chunk of space ice I think), you're doing something wrong.

My favvy Mech was always the Catapult (C1 was the only version available IIRC, barring customisation...or could you get the ARROW IV one? can't remember). Strip out the Missile racks and chuck in some AC/10's and we're laughing. Pity it was so easy to headshot...which is why my 2nd favvy Mech was the Mauler...heh heh heh...90 tons of badass that Mech (at least, I think it was 90 tons...).

[Foeofthelance]

Does anyone know how to get it to work with a more modern system? For some reason any time I try to run the game on my XP system it installs, but crashes when I hit play. Makes me sad. I enjoyed tthat game. Especially cheap headshots and salvage on the Crabs. (Better known as the Ultimate Anti-Aircraft Weapons Platform)

[JellyPooga]

Does anyone know how to get it to work with a more modern system? For some reason any time I try to run the game on my XP system it installs, but crashes when I hit play. Makes me sad. I enjoyed tthat game. Especially cheap headshots and salvage on the Crabs. (Better known as the Ultimate Anti-Aircraft Weapons Platform)

It's actually the one reason I haven't upgraded from Windows ME...

[TheOtherMC]

Sigh...the good old days. Makes me really sad im on XP.

Fav mech? I always liked running late game with a crazy customed wolftrap. Pop on some inferno 5's a sturdy autocannon 20 and some clan energy for good measure. To compensate usualy loaded my lancemates up in my heavies. Preferibly one in a fully energy Flashman (Since heat only affects balistic ammo you could go to town on alpha strikes.) and a very graciously eh...."donated" kodiak assault mech :P Eventually got enough salvage to build two of theose badboys.

Oh and floating space ice mission was a bitch! I usualy bought a Bombarder (Floor model of course equiped with an ungodly pair of LRM20's and for good measure a SRM6....god i loved chainfire with that thing.) just for that mission to deal with the anti-air. No aerospace fighter is avoiding 40 locked LRM's. :P

[blackout]

space mission? Wha? I thought mechs were meant for GROUND combat.

[Woot Spitum]

I belive that mission involves shooting out the door of an iceship to blow up some aerospace fighters that are trying to destroy it. Read about that mission on a faq but could never find the contract that let you do it. Maybe I didn't get far enough.

[blackout]

Well, anyways, what happens when you meet the Clans? *spoiler tag please*

[TheOtherMC]

They forcibly rough up your person and take you prisoner. You then have to lead a group of other prisoners in a revolt in two hovercars (yours being the only one armed...with an SRM....6ish) dodging light mechs (Ullers, Kit fox's, ect...) to a dropship where you then escape to give news of the impending clan invasion to the sphere...

What...too much?

As for the "ice ship":
You are charged with escorting a retrofitted, giant floating chunk of ice through space to a desert world. It has tis own gravity so you walk normally. You have to prevent some fighters and bombers from blowing the control center and thus disabling navigation sending you into the sun.......yeah its one of those "win or start your entire campaign over" missions....good payoff though. Just FYI save before you take it and not inbetween.

[Timberwolf]

Ok, I'm getting this game, I think I've missed out for long enough. I presume it needs a patch to work on XP (MW3 does, certainly). Mechs that MS were too cheap to put in MW4 (the Wolf Trap, the Crab and all the others.), I've heard really good things about it.

Just out of curiosity, did anyone play MW4 Mercs online using the unofficial expansion pack ? Added a whole load more mechs and weapons although it is one monster download.

[blackout]

They forcibly rough up your person and take you prisoner. You then have to lead a group of other prisoners in a revolt in two hovercars (yours being the only one armed...with an SRM....6ish) dodging light mechs (Ullers, Kit fox's, ect...) to a dropship where you then escape to give news of the impending clan invasion to the sphere...

What...too much?

As for the "ice ship":
You are charged with escorting a retrofitted, giant floating chunk of ice through space to a desert world. It has tis own gravity so you walk normally. You have to prevent some fighters and bombers from blowing the control center and thus disabling navigation sending you into the sun.......yeah its one of those "win or start your entire campaign over" missions....good payoff though. Just FYI save before you take it and not inbetween.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny...Also, is there ever any...I dunno, banter between you and the enemy like in subsequent games?

[TheOtherMC]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny...Also, is there ever any...I dunno, banter between you and the enemy like in subsequent games?

Sadly, no. IIRC you're one of those "strong and silent" cliches. Though the pre and post battle reports are some good reads. Oh, and your previous commander is a chatty biatch: "If you are reading this...then I am dead.....and will proceed to talk about nothing you dont already know for pages on end. P.S. As my last wish i want you to start a mercenary group and participate in the same line of work that got me killed not a week ago. Good luck!"

[blackout]

XD ! That's funny. I just saw the intro movie, it's somewhere on the net. Don't have the address. 'I got the recon data, and one pissed off Atlas on my tail!'

[TheOtherMC]

Ah yes, and as a point of interest, that POS Commando in the opening is your first mech. Two Med Lasers on the right arm, one on the left, and an SRM6 in the chest. What i wouldnt give for the Panther instead...

[blackout]

Aw, man. And here I was hoping there was a slim chance I'd get that wrecked Zeus.

[Woot Spitum]

If you haven't already, run through all the training missions. The trainer, Sargeant Unther, has some priceless lines.

[blackout]

Really? :) Toss a few my way.

[JellyPooga]

"Shoot me even once and I'll turn that can you call a mech into scrap"

"Good morning! how does it feel to be strapped into a walking nuke-reactor at 9 am?"

"You just do the recon and let me kill everybody, I love it when I've got an audience."

[blackout]

Lol, that's good. That's real good. I gotta get me that game.

[Woot Spitum]

Really? :) Toss a few my way.

Also:

"We'll be killing people before breakfast. Soldiers, mostly. Maybe some civilians."

"I love killing people."

[blackout]

O_o Is he insane? Please say no.

[Woot Spitum]

No, he just likes saying things like that. Probably for shock value.

[TheOtherMC]

Shock value is when my friend, first time playing any MW decides to actually fight him and takes out his catapult in the first five second with an INCREDIBLY lucky SRM salvo...you know that one spot on "egg torso's" where the canopy meats the frame? All six....direct hits took him out from the inside......if only you didnt fail automatically at that point....oh the salvage...

[JellyPooga]

Shock value is when my friend, first time playing any MW decides to actually fight him and takes out his catapult in the first five second with an INCREDIBLY lucky SRM salvo...you know that one spot on "egg torso's" where the canopy meats the frame? All six....direct hits took him out from the inside......if only you didnt fail automatically at that point....oh the salvage...

Ah, but if you didn't auto-fail the mission, who would kill all those unsuspecting newbs a few years down the line...:smallbiggrin:

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't you read the news?:smallconfused: )

[blackout]

...Just tell us what your talking about.

[JellyPooga]

...Just tell us what your talking about.

On Outreach ("home" to you) you can read the news terminal. The news stories reported range from news about your latest mission or sale opportunities (more tech becomes available as time goes by) to random stories.

One of the random stories is about Sgt. Unther taking a bunch of 'fresh-from-the-acadamy-wet-behind-the-ears' (just like you were when you met him) mechwarriors out on a mission and betraying them to their deaths (or it was an accident, I can't remember, one of the two)

[blackout]

O_o Ok, yeah, he's clearly a wackjob.

[S.ilver]

Oh wow. People still play this? I haven't been able to get it to work on my system for a long, long time. But it was a sweet game nonetheless.

And the news article on Unther was quite interesting.
It involves him going on another training mission into pirate territory. He apparently runs into heavy artillery with his cadets, and, knowing he can't survive being barraged, ejects to safety. Unfortunately, he didn't teach his cadets how to eject. :smalleek:

[blackout]

Ok, 1, How stupid can you get!? You hit the button that says 'Eject'! 2, HOW DID PIRATES GET ARTILLERY?!

[TheOtherMC]

Ok, 1, How stupid can you get!? You hit the button that says 'Eject'! 2, HOW DID PIRATES GET ARTILLERY?!

How did Pirates get a Zeus... :P

[blackout]

A mech's one thing. ARTILLERY is another. :P

[Penguinsushi]

* joins thread a bit late *

What the heck.

More of the same: 'Tis a good game. And a bit darker (in terms of attitude) than the other mechwarrior games I've played - even mech 4 mercs Truly, doing the best at the game is all about whatever you can get. Phrases like "kill the meat, spare the metal" and "look at it this way kid: you get to keep all the money" make the game truly mercenary.

One interesting thing I found: if you've ever read any of the *old* battletech books about kerensky, the clan invasion of the inner sphere, etc - the game actually follows the story fairly well. I mean, as well as a game that doesn't inherently include any of the characters can. *shrugs* ..I thought it was kinda cool.

~PS

P.S. : I've been unable to get my copy to install on any windoze OS after 98. Is there a precedent/solution for this?

[JellyPooga]

P.S. : I've been unable to get my copy to install on any windoze OS after 98. Is there a precedent/solution for this?

I've been playing Mercs on Windows ME fine. You won't get it working on Windows XP short of an emulator (if you can find one).