Welcome to MechCommander Desperate Measures

CONTENTS
1. System Requirements
2. New Features
Difficulty Settings
Waypoints
Ammo Conservation Fire
Fire Support Hotkeys
Mission Editor
3. Installing MechCommander Desperate Measures
4. Starting MechCommander Desperate Measures
5. Troubleshooting
6. License Agreement
======================
1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
======================
* Multimedia personal computer with 133MHz or
higher processor
* Microsoft Windows 95 operating system or later
* Microsoft DirectX version 6.0 (included on the
MechCommander Desperate Measures compact disc)
* 32 megabytes (MB) of RAM (64 MB recommended)
* 200 MB minimum of available hard disk space (400
MB recommended; 600 MB for a full install)
* Quad-speed CD-ROM drive (8X speed recommended)
* Super VGA graphics card with at least 2 MB of
VRAM
* Mouse or compatible pointing device
* Microsoft Windows 95-compatible sound card
* Keyboard
* Headphones or speakers
===============
2. NEW FEATURES
===============
DIFFICULTY LEVELS
-----------------
MechCommander Desperate Measures offers three levels
of gameplay: easy, regular, and hard. These
levels can also be used to play the original
MechCommander missions.
To set the difficulty level
1. On the MechCommander Desperate Measures main menu,
click Preferences.
2. Under Difficulty, click Easy, Regular, or Hard.
Note: You can change the difficulty level before you
start a mission or between missions. If a mission proves
to be too challenging, you can lower the difficulty
setting, win the mission, and then return to the former
difficulty setting for the next mission.
WAYPOINTS
---------
Waypoints give a commander greater control over his
units movement by setting a specific series of points
for them to automatically follow, thus freeing up the
commanders attention for other units. There are four
different types of waypoints--walk, run, jump, and
minelayer--and you can place a total of 16 waypoints
in any order.
Units traverse waypoints by the shortest possible move
path. For example, if cliffs are directly between two
waypoints, the units must move around the cliffs.
Therefore, by placing more waypoints, you gain more
control of the move path. For example, you may have a
jump-capable unit walk to the first waypoint, run
to the second, jump to the third, and run to the fourth.
To create waypoints
1. To create a walk waypoint, press and hold CTRL, or
F9, while you click the waypoint location on the main
screen.
-or-
To create a run waypoint, press and hold CTRL+SPACEBAR,
or F10, while you click the waypoint location on the
main screen.
-or-
To create a jump waypoint, press and hold CTRL+J, or
F11, while you click the waypoint location on the main
screen.
-or-
To create a Minelayer waypoint (mines are laid as the
vehicle follows the move path), press and hold CTRL+F while
you click the waypoint location on the main screen.
2. Repeat step 1 as necessary.
Notes
* You can assign a move path to any number of units at
one time, using the standard selection methods. If a
group of units is selected, the lead unit will move to
the waypoints first.
* You can view a units move path lines by pressing and
holding CTRL.
* You can add waypoints to an existing move path at any
time. The new waypoints are added to the end of the
orders queue.
* You can clear a units move path by selecting that
unit and pressing BACKSPACE.
* Waypoints may be placed in unrevealed terrain; they
appear above the black background, similar to sensor
traces.
* You can place waypoint markers while the mission is
paused. Once a waypoint marker is laid, it cannot be
moved. Units will begin following their move paths when
the mission is resumed. This is helpful in organizing
simultaneous movement.
* While CTRL is pressed, you cannot assign targets or
capture a unit.
* If a unit following a move path receives a new order,
movement, or attack, the move path and its waypoints are
canceled.
* If attacked while executing a walk waypoint, the units
behave identically to units walking in MechCommander.
They will stray off their move path until the combat is
resolved.
* If a unit cannot reach a given waypoint, it will
behave identically to a unit that cannot handle a move
order.
* To set a move path through burned forest, place
waypoints just before the burned forest, just after
the burned forest, and then toward your final
destination.
* You may play the original MechCommander campaign using
waypoints.
AMMO CONSERVATION FIRE
----------------------
To give the commander greater control over his resources
in combat, he can order units to fire energy weapons only,
conserving precious ammunition until it is truly needed.
Energy weapons are those with an unlimited supply of
shots--for example, Pulse Lasers, Heavy Flamers, and
Particle Projector Cannons. Ammo weapons are those that
fire a limited supply of shots or salvos--for example,
Gauss Rifles, Autocannons, and Missile Packs.
To order ammo conservation mode
* Hold down A and then, on the main screen, click the
enemy you want to hit with energy weapons only. The
cross hairs will appear orange.
Notes
* To clear all orders, including ammo conservation mode,
press BACKSPACE.
* If a unit in ammo conservation mode receives a new
attack order, ammo conservation mode is canceled and the
unit will fire all of its weapons.
* If a unit has only ammo weapons and is given the ammo
conservation mode order, that unit will not fire (as if
it were out of weapons).
* A commander orders a group of units to use ammo
conservation mode in the same manner he would make any
other order. If one of the units in the group has only
ammo weapons, then that unit will not fire (as if it
were out of weapons).
* You may play the original MechCommander campaign using
ammo conservation fire.
FIRE SUPPORT HOTKEYS
--------------------
Fire support gives the commander greater control over his
combat resources. Launch small artillery strikes, large
artillery strikes, sensor probes, and camera drones by
pressing a key on the keyboard (not the numeric keypad)
and clicking the mouse on the target--no wasting time
moving the cursor to the multifunctional display (MFD).
While a fire support hotkey is depressed, its
corresponding button is highlighted on the MFD, per the
RUN, JUMP, and GUARD hotkeys in original MechCommander.
The fire support cursor may be moved until the hotkey is
activated by clicking the left mouse button.
To Press
--------------------------- ----------------------
Drop small artillery strike 1+Left mouse button on
at cursor target
Drop large artillery strike 2+Left mouse button on
at cursor target
Drop sensor probe at cursor 3+Left mouse button on
target
Drop camera drone at cursor 4+Left mouse button on
target
Note: You must press a number key each time you want to
drop artillery and so forth. For example, to drop three
small artillery strikes, you must press 1 and click the
left mouse button once on each of the targets.
MISSION EDITOR
--------------
Mission Editor allows you to create your own solo and
multiplayer missions on the original MechCommander planet,
Port Arthur, or the new Desperate Measures planet, Cermak.
For more information on Mission Editor, see the MechCommander
Gold manual, MCEditor.txt or MCEditor.hlp.
To view the MCEditor.txt or MCEditor.hlp file
1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows
Explorer.
2. Click the icon that represents your hard drive, the
Program Files folder, the MicroProse folder, and the MCX
folder.
3. Double-click MCEditor.txt or MCEditor.hlp.
==============================================
3. INSTALLING MECHCOMMANDER DESPERATE MEASURES
==============================================
1. Turn on your computer and start Microsoft Windows 95 or
later.
2. Place the MechCommander Desperate Measures compact disc
in the disc holder (if required), and insert it into your
CD-ROM drive.
3. If AutoPlay is enabled, click Install MechCommander
Desperate Measures, and then follow the instructions
that appear on the screen.
-or-
If AutoPlay is disabled, double-click the My Computer
icon on your desktop, double-click the icon for your
CD-ROM drive, and then double-click the MechCommander
Desperate Measures icon. When the Setup screen appears,
click Install MechCommander Desperate Measures, and then
follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
============================================
4. STARTING MECHCOMMANDER DESPERATE MEASURES
============================================
To start MechCommander Desperate Measures
1. If the MechCommander Desperate Measures compact disc
is already in your CD-ROM drive, click Start, point to
Programs, point to MicroProse, point to MechCommander
Desperate Measures, and then click MechCommander
Desperate Measures. You can skip the opening cinematics
by pressing ESC.
2. On the main menu, click Expansion Campaign.
Notes
* If you are playing a multiplayer mission, all
MechCommander participants must use the same software,
either original MechCommander or MechCommander
Desperate Measures.
* The Solo Missions and Multiplayer commands on the main
menu allow you to play a number of precreated missions or
missions created by your friends and converted by you.
==================
5. TROUBLESHOOTING
==================
In the Mission Editor, the "Capture Units" objective
applies only to non-combat units.
In the Mission Editor, the help screens for the Main
Toolbar and the Standard Toolbar are switched.
Avoid ALT+TAB: After pressing ALT+TAB to leave the
application and then return to it, you may have problems
such as the game hanging. To avoid this problem, do not
press ALT+TAB.
DdHelp Errors: Running other applications in the
background while running MechCommander Desperate Measures
may cause DdHelp errors. Be sure to close all other
applications before starting MechCommander Desperate
Measures.
Check with your video card manufacturer to make sure that
your video card drivers are the most current.
If your operating system is Microsoft Windows 95
(the Gold version) and you have a version of Internet
Explorer that is earlier than version 3.1, a fatal error
message may appear when you start Mission Editor.
You will need to install the latest version of Internet
Explorer from http://www.microsoft.com/.
If your primary video display device is a Diamond Stealth
3D 2000, when you first launch MechCommander Desperate
Measures you may experience a crash back to your desktop.
If this occurs, connect to the Diamond Web site
(http://www.diamondmm.com/products/drivers/driver-index.html)
and upgrade your video driver to version 4.10.1.69 to
fix this problem.
If your primary video driver is a Creative Labs Graphics
Blaster Exxtreme and you repeatedly use ALT+TAB to
minimize the game, odd virtual screen behavior with both
the Windows desktop and game screen may occur. If this
occurs, connect to the Creative Labs Web site
(http://support.soundblaster.com/files/download.asp) and
upgrade your video driver to version 4.10.1.2111 to fix this
problem.
====================
6. LICENSE AGREEMENT
====================
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