This is the latest version of the demo of MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat.
PRODUCER/DESIGNER'S NOTES
We hope you enjoy our demo, we are very excited about the upcoming release of MechWarrior 2: The Clans.
MechWarrior 2: The Clans is a 3D combat simulator based on the BattleTech (TM) universe from FASA. There are far too many feature and design elements in the product for me to cover here but I will try to give you a brief summary of the product features.
1. The product will require a 386DX-33 or faster computer with 4 MB of RAM. We are implementing several settings that will allow the product to run well on the lowest speed machines. As a gamer I recommend a very fast 486 or P5 with a great video board.
2. There is a full career section to the game, based on the Clan military. we have selected six of the most powerful Clans.
Clan Wolf, Jade Falcon, Smoke Jaguars, Nova Cats, Ghost Bears & Steel Vipers.
Source books are available from your local book store or FASA if you are interested in learning more about the Clans and the game behind the game.
3. The Mech Plant will allow you to create/modify any Mech in the product from the engine system up and then try it out on the battlefield. We also support a text dump of the Mech information for those board game players who choose to use the Mech Plant in connection with the board game. Mech's can also be imported, exported, and traded with other MW2 players
4. Modem/Direct Connect will allow players to hook-up and play head to head or play in co-op mode. Players can chat prior to entering combat to establish any special rules or to exchange insults. Chat is also supported during combat to encourage interpersonal communication while kicking the $%#@ out of your buddy.
5. I felt it was necessary to tell you what is not represented in this demo but will be in the final product.
*** Known Problems ***
1. The Marauder's and Adder's weapon assignments do not match the weapon assignments shown in the Holoviewer. You will have more weapons than those displayed in the Holoviewer.
2. The armor, heat and speed settings for the Mech's are not balanced correctly, and may not exactly match the Holoviewer information. It will be very difficult to destroy the Adder, he is well armed, fast and smart.
3. If you experience problems with the cockpit images disappearing, this is most likely a low memory problem. Please refer to the trouble shooting section for more information.
4. On slower machines, in the Adder VS Adder mission, the computer controled Adder will rapidly turn his torso left and right. This is a targeting problem and will be corrected. We have also seen a situation where the computer controlled Adder will stop unexpectantly on the field and appear to wait for the player to wail on him. This is a logic bug and will be corrected.
*** Mech's and Artwork ***
There are 20 Mech's in the final product, you will only see two in the demo and only a few screens of the hundreds of pieces of artwork created for the product.
*** Targeting and HUD displays ***
This area is different in a couple of ways.
1. You will be able to target specific areas of the enemy Mechs with all of the line of sight weapons in the game.
2. Different weapons will have different types of targeting reticle based on the type of special equipment you may have installed on your mech.
*** Cockpit Displays ***
With exception to the weapon text and such, none of the cockpit displays are final. Your Mechs damage will be displayed by area and given you have the right equipment or are close enough to your enemy you will also see the damaged areas of the enemy Mechs. Mech system information, weapon information, etc. will also be available from the cockpit.
*** Autopilot and Nav Points ***
The autopilot feature is enabled but is not very useful in the demo. Since objectives and locations will be called out via NAV points in your breifings in the real game, the autopilot will play a more signifigant role in navigation and mission completion in the finalproduct.
*** 386 Users ***
The demo does not support multi levels of detail, nor the capability of turning off any of the processor intensive aspects of the product. We are attempting to make sure that the those users that have the lowest machine specs are still rewarded with a rich, fun product.
I would like to hear from those of you who have comments and questions about the product. I am also interested in any problems you may
have with the demo. Please send us your commnents and suggestions as we are very interested in making MechWarrior 2: The Clans the best product it can be.
