MechCommander

MechCommander

Developers
	FASA Interactive
Publishers
	MicroProse
Release dates
Windows	June 24, 1998
Taxonomy
Monetization	Freeware
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person, Third-person
Controls	Multiple select, Point and select
Genres	Strategy
Vehicles	Robot
Themes	Sci-fi
Series	MechCommander

MechCommander
Subseries of BattleTech
MechCommander	1998
MechCommander 2	2001

General information

MechCommander Gold re-released as a free download.

BattleTech Wiki - A massive wiki for everything BattleTech related

MechCommander Gold Wiki - A small wiki for the game

Mechcommander Gold on TheGameEngine.org - solving some technical issues.

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Publisher website		Freeware download.

A free demo version is available from Archive.org.

Version differences

MechCommander: Gold is an expanded re-release which contains the Desperate Measures campaign, new mechs, new terrain and an editor.

Monetization

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Desperate Measures	Included with MechCommander Gold. Not available separately, despite original plans to the contrary.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\PREFS.CFG

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\data\savegame

Video

Graphics feature	State	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed		Toggle with Alt+↵ Enter.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
60 FPS and 120+ FPS

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, Voice, Sound FX
Surround sound
Subtitles		Affects radio chatter and video briefing
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Can't Alt+Tab ↹.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
German
Italian
Russian				Fan translation, download

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
LAN play		6	IPX, TCP/IP, Serial/Modem.
Online play		6	The official MPlayer.com and MSN Gaming Zone services have been shut down.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Issues fixed

Running the game on 64-bit Windows

Although the game installer is 16-bit, the actual game is 32-bit.

Setting up the game manually[citation needed]
Create a new folder called where the game will be contained. Copy the contents of the MechCommander CD and paste them into that folder. Set MC.exe / MCX.exe to run in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP3.

Use higher resolutions in game

Set higher resolutions[citation needed]

Go to the installation folder. Open PREFS.CFG. Add the line l Resolution=X at the bottom of the file. Replace X with: 0 for 640x480 (default) 1 for 800x600 2 for 1024x768 3 for 1280x1024. With the game running in higher resolution, you can use the zoom in feature (press '+') to play in highest detail with slightly more battlefield visibility that the game offers by default in the unzoomed state. Notes Menus are fixed to 640x480. In game resolution can be increased, but menus will not stretch to fill the screen.

Rainbow color problem on Windows Vista/7

Check DirectDraw troubleshooting for a proper fix.

Other information

API

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Multiplayer	MPlayer.com, MSN Zone

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95	98
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 133 MHz
System memory (RAM)	32 MB	64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	200 MB	600 MB
Video card (GPU)	SVGA compatible 2 MB of VRAM