Microsoft MechCommander 2 Readme File
June 2001
© Microsoft Corporation, 1999–2001. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Microsoft MechCommander 2.

This file contains information to help you troubleshoot issues with MechCommander 2. You can find more information about MechCommander 2 on the MechCommander 2 Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/games/). You can find information on Microsoft Product Support Services in the printed manual.

CONTENTS

A.	Installation
Installing MechCommander 2
Installing DirectX 8.0
Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader
SafeDisc Issues
Setup Issues
Uninstall Issues
B.	Mission Editor Issues
C.	DirectX Issues
D.	Gameplay Issues
Single Player
Multiplayer
E.	Configuration Issues
Operating Systems
Audio
Diplay
Software
Hardware
F.	3D Card Issues
G.	3D Card Drivers and Manufacturers

A.	Installation
This section describes how to manually install the software components necessary to play MechCommander 2 in the event that they were not installed automatically.
NOTE: We recommend you uninstall earlier Beta or Test versions of the game before you install the Retail or OEM version.
To uninstall earlier versions of MechCommander 2
•	On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Programs, Microsoft Games, and MechCommander 2, and then click Uninstall MechCommander 2.
–or–
In the MechCommander 2 root directory, double-click Uninstal.exe.

Installing MechCommander 2
If your computer does not automatically install MechCommander 2 after the compact disc is inserted into the CD-ROM drive, perform the following procedure.
To install MechCommander 2 manually
1.	On the Windows taskbar, click Start, and then click Run.
2.	Type x:\setup, where x is the letter of your CD-ROM drive, and then click OK.
For example, if your CD-ROM drive letter is D, type d:\setup.
3.	Click Install, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

Installing DirectX 8.0
If for some reason DirectX 8.0 was not installed with the game, use the following procedure to install it manually.
To install DirectX 8.0 manually
1.	Insert the MechCommander 2 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2.	In Windows Explorer, double-click the CD-ROM drive and then the DirectX folder.
3.	Double-click Dxsetup.exe, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
You must restart your computer when installation is complete.
If you experience video or sound problems using DirectX, always check with your video or sound card manufacturer for the latest DirectX-compatible drivers, or go to http://support.microsoft.com/support/directx/ for the latest troubleshooting information.

Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0
Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to view and print the .pdf versions of the MechCommander 2 manual located in the PDFs folder.
To install Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0
1.	Insert the MechCommander 2 CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2.	In Windows Explorer, double-click the CD-ROM drive and then the Goodies folder.
3.	Double-click Rp500enu.exe, and then follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

Copyright © 2001 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Adobe, Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, and After Effects are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

SafeDisc Issues
The MechCommander 2 copy-protection software is incompatible with some hardware and software components. This section provides details about these SafeDisc issues.

SafeDisc with Hardware
SafeDisc is incompatible with some CD-ROM drives, which include the following.
Acer CD-624a: The drive fails when used with real-mode drivers. To fix this, install protected-mode drivers.
Memorex CD-RW2224: The drive is incompatible with the current version of SafeDisc.
Plextor CD-ROM PX-32TS (SCSI): Certain versions of this CD-Rom drive may be incompatible with SafeDisc..
Sanyo CRD-256P: The drive enters a not ready state after several attempts to start the game. This drive is incompatible with the current version of SafeDisc.
Sony CDU77E: Early 1.0 firmware versions of this drive fail if configured as a slave on the IDE bus. The drive will work if reconfigured as a master.
Yamaha 2216E, 4416SX, and CDR6416S-VK: These drives are incompatible with the current version of SafeDisc.

SafeDisc with Software
SafeDisc is also incompatible with some software, which includes the following.
McAfee (Network Associates) Nuts & Bolts: Nuts & Bolts causes the game to fail if the Bomb Shelter utility is in a certain configuration. The following steps allow SafeDisc-protected products to be used:
1.	Maximize Bomb Shelter.
2.	In the Bomb Shelter dialog box, click Properties.
3.	In the Error Protection group, click Advanced.
4.	In the Advanced Properties tab, deselect the Write Protect VMM check box.
5.	Click Apply or OK, and then click OK on all subsequent screens.

Setup Issues

Product ID number may change: When you click the Back button on the product ID number screen, you may not return to the autorun screen and the product ID number field may be changed. To resolve this issue, refer to the product ID number found on the CD case if your PID number is required.

Uninstall Issues

Uninstall may not remove all game files: After you uninstall the game, a message may state that uninstall completed successfully even if some files were not removed successfully. This can occur if the Mission Editor is running while the game is uninstalled. To resolve this issue, make sure all applications are closed before running the uninstall utility.

B.	Mission Editor Issues
The following issues apply to the Mission Editor, which is installed when you install MechCommander 2 and is used to create your own mission maps and scenarios.

Running mission editor on computers with changed compact disc drive letter/location: If the user adds a CD drive, uses a different CD/DVD drive, or changes the CD drive letter/location, they must reinstall MechCommander 2 to run the editor. To reinstall, load the MechCommander 2 CD and select Add/Remove from the Autorun menu. Select Reinstall, check the Recopy existing files from media box, and then click OK.

Windows may be clipped: The bottom edge of pop-up up windows in the Mission Editor may appear clipped. To avoid this, run the Mission Editor at 1024x768 resolution.

Objects stop drawing properly in complex scenes: If too many objects are placed on the screen, they will continue to be placed, but they do not draw properly. There is a 10,000-vertex limit in the Mission Editor. Users should avoid extremely object-dense scenes. 

Lavender terrain objects: If the correct .tga files are not supplied with your mission file, lavender "placeholder" textures will be generated and appear in the game. To fix this condition, copy the missing texture files (files with a .tga extension) into the data\textures folder, and then delete all files with a .txm extension from the data\textures folder.

Multiplayer clients directed to download map without URL: If a map is made in the Mission Editor and the host has not specified a URL, then when clients attempt to connect to the host’s machine and load this map they will receive the following error message: “You do not have the map <mapname> on your machine. Would you like to go to 		 to download it?” To avoid this issue, always include the map URL when creating a map in the Mission Editor.

C.	DirectX Issues
DirectX 8.0 or later must be installed on your computer before you can play MechCommander 2. If you do not have DirectX installed on your computer and you chose not to install DirectX when you installed MechCommander 2, you will receive the following message: "A required .dll file, Dplayx.dll, was not found." To resolve this issue, reinstall MechCommander 2 and install DirectX 8.0, or install DirectX 8.0 manually by using the procedure in “Installing DirectX 8.0,” in section A, “Installation.”
If you did install DirectX when you installed MechCommander 2 but your video drivers are not compatible with DirectX 8.0, you will receive the following message when you restart your computer: "MechCommander 2 could not initialize DirectX. Make sure that DirectX 8.0 or higher is installed and contact your hardware manufacturer for a video driver update." To resolve this issue, update your video drivers (see section G, “3D Card Drivers and Manufacturers”).
Always make sure you have the latest DirectX-compatible video and audio drivers from your hardware manufacturers. If you continue to have any video or audio problems, see “Display” and “Audio” in section E, “Configuration Issues.” For any issues related to your 3D card, see section F, “3D Card Issues.” If you still have problems, get the latest DirectX troubleshooting information at http://support.microsoft.com/support/directx/.

D.	Gameplay Issues
The following are the known gameplay issues for MechCommander 2.

Single Player

Training Mission 1 only explains the default right-click/left-click mouse control for moving the camera: Instructions on how to move the camera are limited to right-click/left-click mouse control; there is no mention of the left-click/left-click mouse control. Keep this in mind if you changed the left-click/left-click control to left-click/right-click in the Gameplay section of the Options screen.

ALT+TAB use with MechCommander 2:

MechCommander 2 may not pause: If you press ALT+TAB to switch to another application and then press ALT+TAB again to return, the game may not automatically pause. You should manually pause the game by pressing ESC or PAUSE before pressing ALT+TAB.

Game dialogue may be delayed: If you press ALT+TAB to leave a mission while dialogue is being played and then return to the mission, the dialogue may play at the wrong time.

Icons may be distorted: If you press ALT+TAB twice to leave and then return to a mission, the pilot icons and 'Mech armor diagrams in the Deployment Team Bar may become misaligned within the unit cells. Similarly, misaligned icons may also appear in the Information Display and in the Pilot Ready Area and ‘Mech Salvage screens.

Patrol function no longer in MechCommander 2: Although mentioned in the manual, the ability to link waypoints into a patrol route is no longer in the game.

Repair Bay exit paths may be obstructed: When ’Mechs finish using a Repair Bay, they exit to the same location. If two units use a Repair Bay, one after another, the second will attempt to move to the coordinates of the first. The second ’Mech cannot complete this path and it will prevent a third ’Mech from using the Repair Bay. To resolve this issue, you must manually move the first ’Mech out of the way.

Waypoints may appear incorrectly: When a waypoint order is issued to a unit not currently on the viewscreen, the waypoint path line may appear to originate from the opposite direction of the unit’s true position.

Multiplayer 

Limited number of ’Mechs allowed in Multiplayer Games: A maximum of 36 ‘Mechs are allowed in any multiplayer game. The number of ’Mechs each player starts with is based on the number of players in each multiplayer game.

1-3 Players	12 ‘Mechs each 
4 Players	9 ‘Mechs each 
5 Players	7 ‘Mechs each 
6 Players	6 ‘Mechs each 
7 Players	5 ‘Mechs each 
8 Players	4 ‘Mechs each 

For multiplayer missions, support and mission settings may be altered if Quickstart is selected: If the Quickstart option is selected, the manual states that mission and support settings are locked to the defaults provided by the map creator. This is no longer true: Selecting Quickstart does not prevent the host from customizing these settings.

Limited number of insignias displayed: The Unit Insignia dropdown menu on the Player Preferences screen will only display the first 125 insignias. Old insignia files may be removed by deleting them from the data\multiplayer\insignia directory.

Long multiplayer insignia filenames will not display: Multiplayer insignia filenames longer than 
34 characters will not be displayed in the dropdown unit list.

Client players cannot see waypoint path lines: Waypoints still function for clients in a multiplayer game. The red waypoint path lines that are normally visible, however, in a single player game or for the host player cannot be seen by client players.

E.	Configuration Issues
Known hardware and operating system configuration issues are listed in this section. For issues with specific 3D cards, see section F, “3D Card Issues.”

Operating Systems

Graphics may appear distorted with Windows XP: Users may experience graphical anomalies if using Window 2000 video drivers while running MechCommander 2 on the Windows XP operating system. Unless the video drivers are explicitly labeled as supporting Windows XP, you should not install Windows 2000 drivers on a Windows XP operating system.

Low virtual memory with Windows 2000: When running the Windows 2000 operating system, users may see the following message when MechCommander 2 runs for the first time or runs concurrently with other programs: “Your system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file. During this process, memory requests for some applications may be denied. For more information, see Help.” This is not an indication of problems on your system; Windows 2000 is making internal adjustments that allow MechCommander 2 to operate properly. If the game screen goes black and the mouse cursor freezes, then there is insufficient virtual memory to run MechCommander 2. To resolve this issue, it is recommended that the user change the virtual memory paging file size.
1.	On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2.	Double-click System, and then click the Advanced tab.
3.	Click Performance Options, and then click Change.
4.	Under Paging File Size for Selected Drive, change the initial size to 250 MB, change the maximum size to 500 MB, and then click Set.

Audio
Vortex 2 audio chipset (Turtle Beach Montego II, Diamond Monster Sound MX-300) compatibility with Windows 2000: You may experience choppy playback of audio during the installation of MechCommander 2 as well as other anomalies or even lock-ups in the game. The original manufacturer of the Vortex 2 chipset, Aureal Semiconductor, has gone out of business. No driver updates are available for Vortex 2–based sound cards running on Windows 2000, other than the generic Vortex 2 driver included with Windows 2000. Contact your hardware manufacturer for updated drivers.
Alternatively, try the following solution:
1.	On the Windows taskbar, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2.	Double-click Sounds and Multimedia, and then click the Audio tab.
3.	Under Sound Playback, click Advanced, and then click the Performance tab.
4.	Drag the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left by 2 settings, and then click OK.

Display

VIA chipsets: You may experience instability and performance issues while playing MechCommander 2. To resolve, download and install the latest 4-in-1 drivers from the manufacturer (http://www.viatech.com/).

Software

Game Voice command mode will not function:  Game Voice in-game chat has no known issues, but MechCommander 2 is not designed to function using voice-issued commands.
NetMeeting disables hardware acceleration: If NetMeeting is running, or Remote Desktop Sharing is enabled, you will have no hardware acceleration to run MechCommander 2. This also happens when NetMeeting has improperly shut down. To resolve this issue, properly shut down NetMeeting from within the application, or disable Remote Desktop Sharing if you have it enabled.
Norton Antivirus 2001 slows game launch and video playback: With Norton Antivirus 2001 Autoprotect running, it may take 4 to 5 times longer than normal to launch MechCommander 2. Users should disable this program before starting the game.

Hardware

Intellipoint ClickLock feature conflicts with right-click mouse camera control: Adjusting camera perspective with the right mouse button engages the ClickLock feature. Users should disable ClickLock while playing MechCommander 2.

Strategic Commander navigation mode cannot be disabled: Navigation mode will always be enabled while playing MechCommander 2.

F.	3D Card Issues
MechCommander 2 only fully supports DirectX 8.0–compliant video cards. It is good practice to always install the latest certified drivers for all of your hardware.

3dfx Voodoo3-based 3D accelerator video cards: When running the Windows 2000 operating system, game performance may become sluggish. To resolve this issue, download and install the latest Windows 2000 Voodoo3 drivers from 3dfx (http://www.3dfx.com/).
ATI Radeon:  Slight graphic anomalies may occur at the edges of the game screen when playing at higher in resolutions. To resolve, lower the game resolution or go to (http://www.ati.com/), and download and install the latest drivers specific for your ATI Radeon display adapter.
ATI Rage Fury Maxx: Intermittent on-screen display anomalies may occur. This issue is related to Maxx’s Alternate Frame rendering technology. To resolve this issue, disable this video card’s dual-proc rendering feature.
ATI Rage Pro/Rage Pro Turbo: This display adapter does not have sufficient 3D feature support to run MechCommander 2 in hardware mode. To resolve this issue, play MechCommander 2 in software mode. 
Creative Blaster Riva TnT: Slight video corruption may occur during video playback. Contact the hardware manufacturer for updated drivers (http://www.creative.com/).
Diamond Monster 3D II: After a few minutes of playing MechCommander 2, text and icons become pixilated. Pressing ALT+TAB to minimize the game and then reentering will temporarily solve this problem but, for a permanent solution, play MechCommander 2 in software mode.
Diamond Monster Fusion (3dfx Voodoo Banshee): Installing MechCommander 2 on systems with the Diamond Monster Fusion video card may hard hang the operating system, forcing the user to manually reboot. To resolve this issue, install the latest reference drivers for the 3dfx Voodoo Banshee from (http://www.3dfx.com/).
Diamond Viper V330 (8MB): Graphic anomalies may occur, such as blocky explosion textures and a disappearing mouse cursor. To resolve, contact your hardware manufacturer for an updated driver or download and install the reference drivers for this nVidia Riva ZX chipset-based display adapter from (http://www.nvidia.com/).
Diamond Viper V550: When using the retail drivers for this video card and running MechCommander 2 on a Windows ME operating system, the game will launch to a black screen or the monitor becomes completely inactive, forcing the user to reboot. To resolve this issue, download and install the latest drivers from Diamond (http://www.diamondmm.com/).
Matrox G-200 Series: There may be instabilities and slight graphical anomalies when running MechCommander 2 on Matrox G-200 Series video cards with older drivers. To resolve, visit <www.matrox.com> and download and install the latest drivers.
Matrox G400 Dualhead: Hardware mouse cursor will not work with the secondary video port on the Matrox G400 Dualhead. To resolve this issue, set the cursor to non-hardware mode, or avoid using the secondary video port.
Matrox Millennium II: This model of display adapter does not have sufficient 3D feature support to run MechCommander 2 in hardware mode. For example, boxes appear around moving and/or nonmoving objects in the game. To resolve this issue, play MechCommander 2 in software mode.
Number 9 SR9-Pro (Savage 4 Chipset): After MechCommander 2 has been launched, the operating system may hang. This only occurs with the latest drivers for the SR9-Pro. Launching MechCommander 2 with the retail drivers for this card or the reference drivers for the Savage 4 chipset will resolve this issue. To resolve, visit (http://www.diamondmm.com/), download and install the latest reference drivers for your S3 Savage 3 chipset based display adapter.
NVIDIA chipset (TNT, TNT2, and GeForce): When running the Windows 2000 operating system, MechCommander 2 will not run in accelerated hardware mode with the NVIDIA display drivers that come with the operating system. To resolve this issue, contact your hardware manufacturer for updated drivers, or download and install the latest reference drivers from NVIDIA (http://www.nvidia.com/). 
S3 Savage/IX w/MV (Gateway Solo 5300 CL): If the in-game color depth is changed to 32 bit, regardless of resolution, the mouse cursor may be lost. To resolve this issue, play MechCommander 2 in 16-bit color depth or contact your hardware manufacturer for updated drivers (http://www.gw2k.com/).
S3 Savage/MX IX (Toshiba Tecra 8100): Instability may occur when launching MechCommander 2.  To resolve, visit (http://www.toshiba.com/), download and install the latest display drivers for the S3 Savage/MX IX display adapter. 
STB Velocity 128 ZX: Slight graphic corruption may occur around the shoreline during gameplay. To resolve this issue, download and install the reference drivers for this nVidia Riva ZX chipset-based display adapter from (http://www.nvidia.com/).

G.	3D Card Drivers and Manufacturers
Make sure that you have the latest drivers from the manufacturer of your video card. Many video issues will be resolved if you install your video card's latest drivers. MechCommander 2 may not detect some older video cards properly because their video drivers are not DirectX 8.0–compliant. Please contact your video card manufacturer for updated drivers or install the latest reference drivers for your video board. Note that many reference drivers are not supported by the chipset manufacturer. Listed below are some common video card manufacturers' Web sites. MechCommander 2 may not support some or all of the cards produced by a particular manufacturer.

3dfx Interactive—http://www.3dfx.com/ 
3Dlabs—http://www.3dlabs.com/ 
AccelGraphics—http://www.accelgraphics.com/
Asus—http://www.asus.com/ 
ATI—http://support.atitech.ca/ 
Aztech Labs—http://www.aztechlabs.com/
Canopus—http://www.canopuscorp.com/ 
Creative Labs—http://www.creativelabs.com/ 
Elsa Technology—http://www.elsa.de/
Gateway 2000—http://www.gw2k.com/ 
Guillemot—http://www.guillemot.com/ 
Hercules (see Guillemot)—http://www.guillemot.com/ 
I/O Magic—http://www.iomagic.com/ 
Intergraph (see 3Dlabs)—http://www.3dlabs.com/ 
Jaton—http://www.jaton.com/ 
Leadtek—http://www.leadtek.com/ 
Matrox—http://www.matrox.com/ 
Number Nine—http://www.nine.com/ 
NVIDIA—http://www.nvidia.com/ 
Orchid (see S3)—http://www.s3.com/ 
S3 Incorporated—http://www.s3.com/ 
SiS—http://www.sis.com.tw/ 
Silicon Integrated Systems Corporation (SiS)—http://www.sis.com.tw/ 
STB (see 3dfx Interactive)—http://www.3dfx.com/ 
VIA Technologies—http://www.viatech.com/ 
VideoLogic—http://www.videologic.com/