Table of Contents for Mercenaries(tm) Demo for Windows 95(R) ------------------------------------- 1. About The Full Version of Mercenaries 2. Ordering Information 3. System Requirements 4. Installation Instructions 5. Keyboard Commands 6. DirectX(tm) Information 7. Activision Customer Support 1. About The Full Version of Mercenaries ---------------------------------------- July 8, 2784: General Alexandr Kerensky gives his fateful order, "Exodus" and 200 transports, filled with scientists, soldiers and the best minds of the Inner-Sphere, vanish from known space. For the next three hundred years the Successor Lords use their regiments of BattleMechs, giant humanoid war-machines, to destroy what remains of the Star-League, each Successor Lord, trying to place himself on the throne. Humanity falls into darkness. May 10, 3044, the present: the BattleMechs, once used for heavy-labor and construction are now armed exclusively for battle. Three hundred years of war have nearly destroyed man's ability to build his war-machines, only a few factories remain active, churning out BattleMechs for the four Successor States that still battle for the almost forgotten throne of the Star-League. Most BattleMechs are salvaged from battlefields, the victors scavenging what they can from the fallen. Mercenaries, now sell their strength to the Successor States, all bidding for the best contracts with the most powerful warlords. On the periphery, outside of the Successor States, pirates rule petty "Periphery Kingdoms". From the fringes of human space the Pirate-Kings raid weakened Successor Lords for precious water and spare-parts. Despite centuries of war, the battle continues. 2. Ordering Information ----------------------- See your local retailer or in the United States call 1-800-477-3650. 3. System Requirements ---------------------- Minimum System Requirements for Demo: - 100% IBM PC-compatible computer - Microsoft Windows 95 operating system (including compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card and input devices) - Pentium processor - 16 MB RAM - 38 MB of uncompressed hard disk space - 256 Color (640 x 480) VLB or PCI Video card with 1MB RAM - 2X speed CD-ROM drive (300K/second sustained transfer rate) - 100% Microsoft compatible mouse and driver - Dedicated game card is highly recommended for joystick NOTE: The Windows 95 version uses new Microsoft DirectX 2 technology, and requires that your system have the most updated drivers that fully support DirectX. 4. Installation Instructions ---------------------------- Insert the CD containing the Mercenaries demo into your CD-ROM drive. Go to the folder where the Mercenaries files are stored. Double-click on the SPLASH.EXE and Click the Install button to begin the installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions. After Mercenaries installation is complete, your computer will install Microsoft's DirectX 2 drivers if you do not already have them. After installation of DirectX 2 is complete, you will need to restart your computer for the new drivers to take effect. You can now run the Mercenaries Demo for Windows 95 by choosing the Start Button==>Programs==>Mercenaries Demo==>Mercenaries Demo or by double-clicking the shortcut found on your desktop. 5. Keyboard Commands -------------------- WEAPONS Fire Spacebar Select Weapon/Group Enter Chain-Fire/Group-Fire Toggle \ Alpha Strike P Add Weapon to Group 1-5 Shift+1-5 Fire Group 1, 2, 3 Num Lock, /, * (Keypad) Fire Current Group ; Jettison Ammunition K TARGETING Cycle Through All Targets T Previous Target R Target Nearest Enemy E Target Friendly (Lancemate) F Target Object Underneath Reticle Q Inspect Targeted Object I Targeting OFF Ctrl+T HUD SYSTEMS Cycle through Multi-Function Display F1 DISPLAYS Radar Display (Normal/Full Screen/OFF) F2 Damage Display F5 Armor Damage HTAL (Head/Torso/Arms/Legs) F6 Enable/Disable/Save/HUD F11 Objectives/Briefing Summary F12 Remove Cockpit U CAMERAS Target View F4 Rear View F7 Down View F8 Weapon View F9 Weapon View (Full Screen, After Launch) F10 MECH PILOTING Direct Throttle (Stop to 100%) 1 to 0 Increase/Decrease Throttle +/- Steer Left and Right left arrow, right arrow Reverse Direction Backspace Torso Twist < and > Recenter Torso / Recenter Legs to Torso M Jump Jet (on applicable Mechs) J Jump Jet Steering and Turning 6-Keys (Home Keypad) Select NAV Point N Autopilot ON/OFF A MASC ON/OFF V Manual Shutdown/Restart S Override Automatic Thermal Shutdown O Pilot Ejection Ctrl+Alt+E Auto-Ejection ON/OFF Ctrl+E Self-Destruct Ctrl+Alt+X PILOT VIEW CONTROLS Zoom In Z Zoom Out Shift+Z Reset Zoom Magnification Ctrl+Z Glance Left, Right Keypad 7, 9 Pilot Eye Control Ctrl+Arrows Thermal Optics L Satellite Uplink ON/OFF F3 Radar/Satellite Uplink Zoom In X Radar/Satellite Uplink Zoom Out Shift+X External Tracking Camera (XTC) ON/OFF C External Camera Controls Ctrl+Arrows NON-GAME CONTROLS Options/Battle Parameters Esc Snap a Screenshot Ctrl+P Abort/Exit Mission Ctrl+Q *There are additional commands and functions in the full version of the game. 6. DirectX Information --------------------------- What is DirectX 2 and why do I need it? Microsoft's DirectX 2 is an API (Application Programming Interface) set that increases the speed at which games play under the Windows(R) 95 operating system. These APIs allow direct access to the enhanced features of hardware under Windows(R) 95. With DirectX 2, a program has instant access to the hardware, allowing for great advances in graphics, sound, video, 3-D, and network capabilities of games. Since Windows 95 and DirectX 2 are relatively new in the computer world and have not achieved compatibility with some older video cards, many manufacturers are releasing updated drivers for Windows(R) 95 to meet the DirectX standard. If you are not sure about your video card's compatibility, consult the company that makes your video card. If the Microsoft DirectX Installer does not detect DirectX 2 on your computer, it will install DirectX 2 for you. After installation is complete, you will need to restart your computer in order for DirectX 2 to take effect. If you have other Windows(R) 95 games on your computer, chances are you already have an earlier version of DirectX installed on your computer. In this case, the Microsoft Installer will write over that version with DirectX 2. At that point, the game installation process will be complete. You will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. If however, you already have DirectX 2 or a higher version installed on your computer, the Microsoft DirectX 2 installer will detect that and not overwrite any DirectX 2 or higher files. You will not need to restart your computer after installation in order to run Mercenaries. DirectX 2 should not affect any titles designed for the original version of DirectX. Should you encounter difficulties with DirectX 2, please contact Microsoft for further information. 7. Activision Customer Support ------------------------------- Online Services: Services with Activision Forums, E-Mail and File Library Support: Microsoft Network: From any MSN window, pull down the Edit menu and select Go To, then Other Location. At the prompt, type "Activision" and click OK. America Online: Use keyword "Activision" to locate the Activision forum. CompuServe: 76004,2122 or [GO GAMBPUB] Activision BBS: 310-479-1335 Up to 28,800 baud; Settings: 8 Bits, No Parity, 1 Stop Bit (8, N, 1) Internet E-mail: support@activision.com World Wide Web: http://www.activision.com -----In the US: ----- Fax: 310-479-7355, 24 hours a day FaxBack: 310-473-6453, 24 hours a day Mail: Activision Customer Support P.O. Box 67713 Los Angeles, CA 90067 Telephone: Call our 24-hour voice-mail system for answers to our most frequently asked questions at 310-479-5644. Contact a Customer Support representative at the same number between the hours of 9:00AM and 5:00PM (Pacific Time) Monday through Friday, except holidays. -----In Australia and the UK: ----- Technical Support: - In Australia, please call 1902 962 000. - In the U.K., please call 0990 143 525. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about this game, or any other Activision product, you can contact us in the U.K. on 0181 742 9400 between the hours of 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM (UK time) Monday through Friday, except holidays. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision (C) 1996 Activision, Inc. MechWarrior, BattleTech, BattleMech and 'Mech are registered trademarks and MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries is a trademark of FASA CORPORATION. (C) 1996 FASA CORPORATION. All rights reserved.