This file contains last minute information that we were unable to
include in the technical help file.
For trouble-shooting and technical help, refer to HELP.HLP locate
in the same directory as this file.
SECTION 1 - GENERAL ISSUES
TURNING 'VIRTUAL COCKPIT' OFF
***Problem***
How do I turn off the Virtual Cockpit?
***Solution***
Press the 'U' key to erase the virtual cockpit and play Mercs 3D in
its full glory.
'VIRTUAL COCKPIT' COLORS
***Problem***
In some mission, the Virtual Cockpit colors are pink or violet.
***Solution***
Certain missions will display a different color palette for the
Virtual Cockpit. This will not affect gameplay at all. Simply press
the 'U' key to erase the virtual cockpit.
GAME DISPLAY IN UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE MONITOR, OR IN A "LETTERBOX".
***Problem***
When I launch the mission, the game is only viewable in the upper left
corner of my monitor, or it appears "letterboxed" with the top and
bottom of the screen cut off and the game playing in the narrow center.
***Solution***
This anomaly can occur if you have uninstalled the game, and then
re-installed. We recommend after each installation that you re-start
your machine to set the resolution setting to the correct size. Also,
some video card-to-video card combinations may cause this problem.
Press ESC during the mission and select another resolution. (640x480
is our recommended resolution.)
640x400 RESOLUTION NOT PLAYING
***Problem***
When I switch resolution modes to 640x400 and launch the mission, the
screen stays black but I can hear the mission audio.
***Solution***
Although your video card supports many resolutions, some monitors
(especially digital monitors) may not be capable of supporting these
resolutions. The combination of an Orchid Righteous 3D card and
certain digital monitors is particularly prone to causing this problem.
Press ESC during the mission to quit out and select another resolution. 640x400 is the only resolution that we are aware of this occurring, so any other resolution will be appropriate. (640x480 is our recommended resolution.)
ONLY PLAYS IN 640x480 RESOLUTION
***Problem***
The game does not play in resolution modes other than 640x480.
***Solution***
In our testing we discovered that some video cards cannot support
Mercenaries resolutions other than 640x480 mode. This is know to occur
with the Twin Turbo 128, Diamond Viper Pro, and Canopus Total 3D video
cards. Ensure you are using the correct video drivers, as this is the
most common cause of difficulty. If you experience this problem,
reboot your computer, and when playing the game make sure your
resolution is set to 640x480 mode. You should not experience any
problems in 640x480 mode.
SLOW FRAME RATE
***Problem***
The frame rate in the game is slow when starting a mission, and
sometimes during heavy battle.
***Solution***
When a mission starts, the video card takes a short time to prepare
all of the surrounding textures. After this initial loading process
the frame rate should return to normal.
Also, some video card-to-video card combinations may cause lower frame
rates, especially when a 3Dfx card is passed through another 3D card
such as an ATI Xpression or a Total Canopus 3D. Make sure your video
drivers are properly installed and that you are not running any other
programs when playing Mercenaries.
TEXTURES
***Problem***
Some textures appear to be smearing or streaking.
***Solution***
This occurs generally on large objects like mountains or mesas due to
the object geometry size. Please make sure you have the latest video
drivers for your 3D accelerated card.
DIRECT X
***Problem***
I installed DirectX and when I rebooted my screen was messed up.
***Solution***
DirectX may sometimes over-write your video card's drivers if they
are not DirectX certified, which may cause problems with your system.
If this problem occurs, reboot your computer and run Windows 95 in
"Safe Mode" by pressing F4 when it is starting. Follow the directions
in the Mercenaries Windows 95 Help Files for restoring your original
video card drivers and for the proper installation of DirectX.
ORCHID RIGHTEOUS 3D AND DIGITAL MONITORS
***Problem***
I have an Orchid Righteous 3D and a MAG DX1595 digital monitor, and in
640x400 resolution mode the mission screen stays black but I can hear
the mission audio.
***Solution***
Although your video card supports many resolutions, some monitors
(especially digital monitors) may not be capable of supporting these
resolutions. The combination of an Orchid Righteous 3D card and
certain digital monitors is particularly prone to causing this problem.
Known monitors which cause this problem are the MAG DX1595 and the NEC
Multisynch XV 15+. Press ESC during the mission to quit out and select
another resolution. 640x400 is the only resolution that we are aware
of this occurring, so any other resolution will be appropriate.
(640x480 is our recommended resolution.)
DIAMOND MONSTER 3D AND DIAMOND STEALTH 2000 3D
***Problem***
There is no Fog in the game, even though the option is checked in
Video Options.
***Solution***
The desktop control programs of the Diamond Stealth 2000 3D can
sometimes disable the fog feature. Exit the game, uninstall the
Stealth 2000 3D drivers and then reinstall them without the desktop
control programs. The fog should now be visible in the game.
DIAMOND MONSTER 3D AND VIDEO OPTIONS
***Problem***
In Video Options, the Diamond Monster 3D video driver does not appear
in the list of 3D drivers.
***Solution***
In some machines the Diamond Monster 3D video driver is simply listed
as "3Dfx Direct X II driver".
STB NITRO VIDEO CARDS
***Problem***
Sometimes I see several dotted vertical lines over the movies and
title screens.
***Solution***
On some machines with the STB Nitro video card, these vertical dotted
lines may appear during video playback and on the title screens. Be
sure that you are using the latest video drivers and that your display
drivers are correctly configured. Although we do not have a solution
to this problem, we have not experienced it within the missions and
it does not interfere or affect the gameplay.
#9 (NUMBER NINE) VIDEO CARDS
***Problem***
The game crashes when I start the game or launch into a mission.
***Solution***
Many of the #9 (Number Nine) video card drivers are not compatible
with Mercenaries. Exit the game, and in the Device Manager change
your Display Adapter to the "S3" manufacturer driver which is
available for your card. In particular, for the #9 Motion 771 video
card change the display adapter to the "S3 Vision968 PCI" drivers.
Always make sure you are using the latest S3 drivers for your #9
(Number Nine) video card. The utility S3ID.EXE, available from S3's
web site, can help you identify which driver you should be using.
HERCULES STINGRAY VIDEO CARD
***Problem***
The game crashes when I get into combat or start moving in the sim.
***Solution***
Make sure that you are using the latest version of the Hercules
Stingray video card drivers. They MUST be v.1.02 or higher. Earlier
versions are incompatible with all versions of Mercenaries. Hercules
drivers can be found on their web site (http://www.hercules.com).
GAMMA CORRECTION CHANGES
***Problem***
The colors in the game look wrong when I adjust my video card's Gamma
Correction controls.
***Solution***
The colors in Mercenaries are optimized without requiring Gamma
Correction changes. If you have changed your Gamma Correction controls
and the colors in the game look wrong, reset the Gamma Correction to
the default (no changes), and then re-enter the game.
SECTION 2 - MERCNET
SOUND
***Problem***
I do not have sound in MercNet.
***Solution***
Before launching MercNet you must first setup your sound card. In the
same directory in which you installed Mercenaries, from a DOS prompt,
type SETSOUND and follow the on screen instructions. After completing
SETSOUND, you can now launch MercNet.
You will now have sound in MercNet.
JOYSTICKS
***Problem***
My joystick does not function in MercNet.
***Solution***
MercNet, being a DOS application needs to have the joystick
configurations established from within the DOS shell. . In the same
directory in which you installed Mercenaries, from a DOS prompt, type
MW2SHELL. This will launch the DOS shell of Mercenaries. Right Click
on the mouse to and select COCKPIT CONTROLS. Configure your joystick
accordingly in this screen, and click ACCEPT to exit with changes, or
ABORT to exit without changes. After exiting, right click again and
select 'FLEE TO DOS'. This will return you to the DOS menu from where
you can type MERCNET and begin play. Before entering the sim, you will
be prompted to calibrate your joystick. If at anytime during the
MercNet mission you wish to re-calibrate, press ESC and select option
2 to recalibrate.
To Summarize:
The steps you must perform to set up your joystick for use in MercNet
are:
1. Open a DOS box
2. Change to the directory to where you installed Mercenaries. If
installed to the default directory, you would type
CD\Progra~1\Activi~1\Mercen~1.
3. Type MW2SHELL to run the DOS shell.
4. On the Splash screen, RIGHT CLICK on your mouse and select
COCKPIT CONTROLS.
5. Select the appropriate joystick config in COCKPIT CONTROLS, click
on ACCEPT to exit with changes, ABORT to exit without.
6. Without selecting any game options, RIGHT CLICK on the mouse and
select FLEE TO DOS.
7. Back at the DOS prompt, Type MERCNET to launch MercNet.
CUSTOM MECHS
***Problem***
How do I customize my Mech for combat in MercNet?
***Solution***
Launch the shell as you would normally, and at Splash screen select
instant action. In the Instant Action screen, click on MECH LAB and
customize your selected Mech as you would from within the single
player game. Click on EXIT and ACCEPT changes. This customized Mech
will now be available for use in MercNet.
INTERNET PLAY
***Problem***
If I launched MercNet from the START menu, how come I cannot access
Internet play?
***Solution***
To play MercNet over the Internet, you must run several other programs
included in this game. These programs are DOS only, and you must
either reboot to DOS or run MercNet from a DOS prompt.
REBOOTING TO DOS
***Problem***
I rebooted to DOS to play MercNet, now my Mouse will not operate, why?
***Solution***
If you reboot to DOS, you will need to run a DOS Mouse Driver (often
called MOUSE.EXE) to setup your mouse control. One of the nice things
about Window95 is that it handles this for you.
Due to the numerous computer configurations, we recommend that before
you reboot to DOS, you perform a FIND to determine the location of
your DOS Mouse Driver.
NOTE: If you reboot to DOS, you most likely will need to run the
SETSOUND and JOYSTICK setups mentioned above.
SECTION 3 - PERFORMANCE TIPS
FRAME RATE
***Problem***
What can I do to improve the Frame Rate?
***Solution***
In the 'Video Options' screen you may lower the resolution setting of
the game.
However, the recommended setting is 640x480.
COOL-DOWN
***Problem***
The longer I play, the game seems to get slower.
***Solution***
Most video cards get very hot the longer they are used, which can
cause anomalies such as slower Frame Rates and sometimes even crashes.
We suggest that if you experience these problems, turn off your
computer and allow the video cards to cool down before continuing
your game.
SECTION 4 - IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS....
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about Mercenaries
or any other Activision product please feel free to contact us.
Before contacting Customer Support, please consult the Mercenaries
Help file HELP.HLP. It contains the answers to some of our most
frequently asked questions and may quickly provide a solution to
your problem. If, after reviewing the Mercenaries Help file, you are
still experiencing problems, please feel free to contact us through
any of the services listed. So that we can better help you, please be
at your computer and have the following information ready:
1. Complete product title.
2. Exact error message reported (if any) and a brief description of
the problem.
3. Your computer's processor type and speed (e.g. 486 DX2/66, Pentium
90...)
4. Video and sound card makes and models (e.g. Diamond Stealth
64 video, Sound Blaster 16 sound...)
PLEASE NOTE: TECHINCAL SUPPORT FOR MERCNET IS AVAILABLE VIA ON-LINE
SERVICES ONLY.
Online Services
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Internet E-mail:
support@activision.com
World Wide Web:
http://www.activision.com
North America
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FaxBack:
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Mail:
Activision
Customer Support
P.O. Box 67713
Los Angeles, CA 90067
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Call our 24-hour voice-mail system for answers to our most
frequently asked questions at 310-255-2050. Contact a Customer
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except holidays.
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You can contact UK Customer Service between the hours of
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holidays).
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