MechWarrior 4 Multiplayer TEST Readme File
MW4TEST
September 2000
© Microsoft Corporation, 2000. All rights reserved.

Thank you for participating in the MechWarrior 4 Test (MW4TEST).  
Please go to <http://www.mechwarrior4.com> for more information on the test and how to report bugs. This document contains important information specific to MW4TEST.

MW4TEST was released for the sole purpose of testing
It is expected that users will encounter defects that may cause the application to quit out or not work properly.  Please take the time to report any hardware configuration conflicts or problems you encounter while searching for and joining games over the Internet.

Before reporting issues you encounter while running MW4TEST, please check the KNOWN ISSUES section below.

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CONTENTS
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1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
2. QUICK TIPS FOR SETUP
3. STARTING MW4TEST
4. SETTING UP A LAN TCP/IP MULTIPLAYER GAME
5. ONLINE STATISTICS AND RANKING SYSTEM
6. EXPIRATION
7. KNOWN ISSUES
8. HARDWARE NOTES
9. CREDITS FOR MW4TEST

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1. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
=======================
In order to test MW4TEST your system must meet or exceed the following requirements.
PII 300
64 MB RAM
8 MB 3D Graphics card
DirectX 7.0a 
Keyboard and Joystick
Winsock2 or higher
350 MB Free disk space

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2. QUICK TIPS FOR SETUP
=====================
To install MechWarrior 4 Test on your computer, you must be using Microsoft Windows® 95 or later (this includes Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition) or Microsoft Windows 2000.  Because MechWarrior 4 Test requires DirectX 7.0a or later, it will not run on Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0.

The current version of DirectX is DirectX 7.0a.  If you do not have DirectX 7.0a or later, you should download DirectX 7.0a from <http://www.microsoft.com/directx/>.

To install MW4TEST
1.  Double-click on the downloaded self-extracting exe, MechWarrior4Test.exe.
2.  Type or browse to the folder that you want to extract the game files to (ex: c:\MW4Test).
3.  Click on Unzip.
4.  After the files are through unzipping, click on close.
5.  Double-click on My Computer and browse to the folder in which you extracted the game files.
6.  Double click on Setup.exe.

====================
3. STARTING MW4TEST
====================
You must run the setup.exe before you can play MW4TEST.

To run MW4TEST, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Games, point to MechWarrior 4 Test, and then click MechWarrior 4 Test..

You can skip the opening cinematics by clicking the mouse or pressing ENTER, SPACEBAR, or ESC.

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4. SETTING UP A LAN TCP/IP MULTIPLAYER GAME
==========================================
Follow the instructions below to set up LAN gaming sessions.  In order to play an Internet game the Internet connection needs to be established before starting MW4TEST.  

Setup for LAN TCP/IP
1.	Start MW4TEST
2.	Select Multiplayer from the main menu
3.	Create a new connection type
4.	Select "Yes, I am on a LAN or a Dialup connection."
5.	Select Next
6.	Select Local Area Network and deselect all other options
7.	Select Next
8.	Enter a Name for this connection
9.	Select Done.

For optimal performance, both the Server and Client need to have the correct connection type and speed selected.

WARNING!!!!!!!!!  Setting your bandwidth higher than you actually have will cause you to get flooded by packets and will cause painful lag

Connecting to an Internet game using the IP address
1.	Start MW4TEST
2.	Select Multiplayer from the Main Menu
3.	Select Connect from the Multiplayer Main Menu
4.	Select Add from the Join Game Page
5.	Enter the IP address of the Server in the pop up text box
6.	Click OK

Message of the Day
To create a Message of the Day for a server:
1.	Create a .txt file titled motd.txt with the message of the day as the content
2.	Save it to the MW4TEST root directory

To change the player name in Multiplayer:
1.	Select Options from the Main Menu
2.	Select the Multiplayer Tab
3.	Change the Pilot name

Internet Network Connectivity:
This section describes the network configuration required to play MW4TEST games with other players through a firewall, proxy server, Network Address Translation (NAT), or Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). This section does not apply if you are playing standalone or on a LAN.

If you are unable to find or advertise a MW4 TEST game on the Internet then check with your network administrator who must configure the firewall or proxy server to allow the games to pass information through the proxy server or firewall. 

The following outgoing TCP ports must be open: 
27998, 29989, 29988

The following incoming TCP ports must be open: 
27999

To verify that these ports are open, please contact your network administrator or Internet service provider (ISP). If you are the administrator of the network, please consult the documentation for your network software for information about how to open these ports. 

For additional information about how to configure a network firewall or proxy server to play a DirectX-based game on the Internet check out the article http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q240/4/29.ASP from the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 
Q240429 DirectX: Ports Required to Play on a Network

Windows 95 Users
If you are using Windows 95 as your computer's operating system and you haven't installed Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher then you will need to upgrade the networking on your computer in order to play MW4TEST. The upgrades are listed below and are available from http://www.microsoft.com. Once you have retrieved the page in your browser, you can search for information pertaining to the upgrades. 

Windows 95 TCP/Winsock2 networking upgrade
Access http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wuadmintools/s_wunetworkingtools/w95sockets2/

NOTE: This updgrade detects versions of Windows newer and older than Windows 95 and will NOT install over them. This download is not intended for use on computers running Microsoft® Windows® 98.

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5. ONLINE STATISTICS AND RANKING SYSTEM
=======================================
·	When you play MW4TEST online you will automatically have individual game statistics displayed at http://stats.zone.com
·	In addition to individual game stats, the system will track per player stats if you enter a username and password for online play
·	To select create your online identity go to : Multiplayer -> Options and select a player name and a password.  The 'Play On Ranked Servers' button will need to be selected to enter a password. NOTE: THIS BUTTON DOES NOTHING BUT ALLOW YOU TO ENTER A PASSWORD, IGNORE ALL IN GAME TEXT ASSOSICATED WITH THIS BUTTON.
·	If you do not enter a password, you will not be ranked and will not have your stats tracked online
·	To find the your player specific stats, select 'Exact Nick' in the menu box next to the 'search' button and Enter your 'playername' exactly as you typed it in game.  If there is more than one player with the same name, then you will be prompted to enter your password.  Once you have found your stats, write down your UID (it will be in yellow at the top of the center column of stats).  This will be the easiest way for you to access your stats in the future (and you can also give this number to your friends so that they can view your stats).
·	To view stats by UID, select 'UID' in the menu next to the search button and then enter your UID.
·	REMEMBER: If you change your playername or your password, you will automatically get a NEW UID.

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6. EXPIRATION
============
The Test Edition includes Internet features that expire on Nov 7, 2000. Once the Test Edition expires, you will no longer be able to run MW4TEST. To continue using the product, simply return to http://www.microsoft.com/games/mechwarrior4 to find out purchase information and/or download the new demo version. 

===============
7. KNOWN ISSUES
===============
·		Selecting an AMS for your Mech will cause a crash
•		Canceling a dialup connection from the Network connection setup causes a crash
•		Canceling the Connection Wizard will result in a crash.
·	Day to night toggle not working properly.  You have to toggle it a few times to change back to DAY. 
·	Limited Lives and Frag limit need to be toggled on and off by the server to turn them off after a game with those limitations recycles 
·	Bots don't know how to play STB, CTF or KOTH they should only be allowed in Attrition and Destruction 
·	Dedicated servers don't recognize bots in the player list and they don't show up on clients Radar. 
·	The Host chatting from 'MechLab will crash the game 
·	Restricting 'Mechs and Components is not working properly 
·	Hosting and Escort Game type results in a crash 
·	Unable to add Bots from the Zone Lobby 
·	In the Zone, if you select Disconnect it results in a crash 
·	In the Zone, if you select Main Menu from the Scoreboard you crash 
·	If in the 'MechLab through the MP Game Lobby and an in progress game recycles, it will crash when selecting to exit or save 
·	Lock Server option is not functioning
·	Max tonnage is not working for Team game types
·	When Steal the Beacon games recycle they are identified in the MP Game Lobby as custom attrition.
·	LAMS system being used results in "Test" sound.
·	Tab Spaces in the MOTD.txt file will result in a crash.
·	Connection type selected does not correspond with connection.  Always select the proper connection type in order to ensure proper connection.
·	Game options, accessed in the Options Menu from the Main Menu, the Multiplayer Set-Up Screen and from the Pause Menu Screen are not fully functional for this test.  The only section of the Options Menu that is available for the player to use is under the Multiplayer tab where the player can change their player name, faction name and activate the "play on ranked servers" service along with providing a unique password for the player to use to later check their stats.

Non-functional:
Campaign
Cinema
Control Mappings
Instant Action

General:
* Support for compressed audio (ADPCM) playback: MW4TEST requires that certain files from the Windows installation CD are present on your system for in-game audio to function properly. To add ADPCM support, perform the following procedure:
1.  Insert the Windows installation CD in your CD-ROM drive.
2.  Click Start on the Windows taskbar, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3.  In the Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4.  In the Add/Remove Programs dialog box, click the Windows Setup tab.
5.  In the Components box, select Multimedia, and then click the Details button.
6.  In the Component box, select Audio Compression, and then click OK.

==================
8. HARDWARE NOTES
==================
Please be sure to contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.  Often times this will fix most hardware configuration issues encountered.  Please review the following to see if these symptoms match what you are experiencing while running MW4TEST.

·	Launching MW4TEST will hard hang system on the STB Velocity 4400
-Contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers
·	MW4TEST will not launch after updating video drivers on the Diamond Viper II Z200
-Contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers
·	Increasing in game resolution will kick the user to the desktop on the 3dfx Voodoo3 3500
·	Launching MW4TEST will hard hang system on the Elsa Erazor III (TnT 2)
·	Corruption of opening MW4 .avi on the ASUS 3DexPlorer 3000
·	MW4TEST exhibits flashing textures on Hercules Terminator Beast
-Contact your video card manufacturer for the latest drivers.  This card may still shrink textures due to limited texture memory, this will result in graphics which may not appear as high a quality as some higher end cards.
·	Rotating spotlight displays as a blocky shape on 3D Blaster Savage4

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9. CREDITS FOR MW4TEST
=======================
Way too many to list here, but the core team members making this game are as follows:

Producer
tj “PAINGOD” wagner

MechWarrior Artists
Core Team
Heinz “Tryptic” Schuller, Lead
Tom “Hard Boiled” Burlington
Mark “Godmoth” Duncan
Leon “Gorgon” Gor
Karin “Special K” LaPadula
Jamie “Biggles” Marshall
Duane “ArtistX” Molitor
Mary “MKO” Omelina
Kelly “Kilo Romeo” Rains
Lex “BooYah” Story
Mark “Stumblebunny” Selander
Robert “Chachi” Smiley
Eddie “Gubmentcheese” Smith

Additional Artists
Vic Bonilla
Derek Carroll
Larry Mast 
Derrick Moore
Dave McCoy
Alan Nunes
Tom Price
Brennan Priest
Ron Probert
Steve Scott
Robert Stein III
Patrick Watje

MechWarrior Designers
David “Wicced” Abzug
Christopher “Bamm” Blohm
Derek “mantis” Carroll
Paolo “Wild Chicken” Malabuyo
Sage “Arioch” Merrill
Michael “Macleod” Turner
Additional Designers
Loren Coleman
Eric Trautman
Sean Vesce, Design Consultant

Programming
Core Team
John “Undead” Yovin, Lead
J.M. “vonShroom” Albertson
David “PromKing” Berger
Chun-Kit Jacky “RumbleMan” Chan
Jerry “Splotch” Edsall
Andrew “Morfane” Farrier
Michael “Wolfherz” Gaertner
Michael “Nomar” Lyons
Tom “IceMan” Steinke
Paul “Eggboy” Tozour
Fang Wang

Additional Developers
Nicolas Gauvin
Jesse Janosov
Dan Foy

Intellectual Property
Dave “Paladin” Luehmann, GPM 
Dave “Super” McCoy, Creative Director 
Jordan Weisman 

Test Team
James “Hammur” Mayo, Test Lead
Rob Baldwin
Bruce “Wiley” Carr
Michael “Axehilt” Engle
Jacob “Bataar” Fulwiler
Scott Gerlach
Eduard “Chunia” Gorbach
Michelle Grisim
Doug Hall 
Shawn Johnson
Mike “TINY” Jones
Jeff “Dry Heaves” Kafer
Brian Kirkness
Adam "azero" Maloy
Doug "Blage Margle" Martin
Peter “Von” Mayberry
Steve Robinson
Prodipto “Death Sheep” Roy
Susi “El Dorado” Tisdale
Marc “Wraith” Watkins
Earnest Yuen
Configuration Test Team
Harold Ryan, Lead
Paul “Mr. Happypants” Gradwohl
Dan "Silent Thunder" Hitchcock

GOS
Andy Glaister
Nigel Keam
Jim “Shaft” Reichert 
Scott Murray
Kevin Loza
Matthew Wilson

GUN
John Smith
Brian Chapman
Shaun Cooper
Michael Moore
Eric Lee
Mark Grimm
Rich Bonny
Richard Tsao

ZoneStats
Dan Adam
Rocco Crea
Brandon Cruz
Matthew Esget
Jason Graf
Jason Keimig
Steven Pennington
Brett Roark
Michael Swink