MW
Artix Krieger
| Saturday, January 4, 2025
Greetings Mechwarrior,
So, you want to get the original Mechwarrior game running on your modern computer? My name is Artix (Adam Bohn from the Everything Battletech Facebook Group), and I am here to help. If you are like me, and hate reading, then good news-- I pre-setup a portable version of the DOSBox emulator for you that will run the game without crashing. All you need to do is add your copy of the Mechwarrior DOS game to it. Apologies that there was no legal way to pre-install the actual game for you. I am not a Periphery bandit and cannot condone piracy (please do not ask me for illegal files or links). But I can help you set the game up and play it! Read on....
The giant stompy robot game that started it all! In 1989 Activision released Mechwarrior. It was the first BattleTech simulator where you piloted a Battlemech in first person. The 3D graphics pushed the limits of the technology at the time. You play as G. Braver (Gideon Braver Vandenburg), son of a murdered Duke who is out to find a stolen chalice to prove that you are the rightful heir to your family's Moon.
DOSBox is an open source emulator that allows you to play DOS games on new systems. You can use my zip file, but you are encouraged to visit the DOSBox website to download the latest version and set it up yourself.
Fixing the "Mechwarrior Crashes after missions"
The default settings for DOSBox, and certain versions, cause Mechwarrior to crash. (Probably why you are here.) The solution is to edit your dosbox.conf file and under the [midi] section set mpu401=uart or mpu401=none. Definitely do not use mpu401=intelligent, because this is what actually causes it to crash after missions.
Or, you can use my pre-setup DOSBox for MechWarrior
I made this pre-setup DosBox zip file containing the already setup DOSBox that I play Mechwarrior on. You will need to add the game yourself, but my portable DOSBOx is very easy to use. Simply unzip it. There is nothing to install. You can simply run DOSBox by simply clicking on the "Start DOSBox.bat" file. When I tested a fresh download, Windows Defender tossed up a warning screen. Which is good. You should always be cautious of downloading anything from the internet. As a member of the Battletech community and a game dev with 20+ years of safe weekly game releases, I give you my word that these files do not have viruses nor malware. That being said, you can easily download your own copy of DOSBox and fix the crash issues using the instructions above.
I made a folder for each drive letter of this emulated computer. So in modern Windows, you can just copy files into the "C - Hard Drive" folder. Then, when you run DOSBox, you will see those files on the C: drive.
If you are playing MechWarrior, then you are likely going to be playing the other Battletech DOS games too....
The folders are named simply MW1, MW2, BTECH1, and BTECH 2 because DOS only supports 8 letters for names.Just stick your files in the appropriate folder and start DOSBox.
When DOSBox starts, it will look like above. It works exactly like windows explorer.... if the graphics were taken away and you lost your mouse. All commands are typed.
Here are some useful commands
Game Controls
Mechwarrior was designed to be played with your keyboard. In the mid 1980s, most PC users did not have a mouse. It is possible to use one with the game. But you will find it incredibly frustrating. I highly recommend playing it with your keyboard. Use your arrow keys to navigate and your space bar to choose.
Mech Controls
Beating the Game with just a Locust
My friend Warlic and I discovered that you could easily defeat any defense mission using a single, 20 ton, Locust. Because the enemy mechs are fixed on destroying your base, they completely ignore you. Run behind them and shoot out the back of their knee. You can easily take down a lance of Battlemasters using this trick. We beat the entire game only using a Locust.
C-Billionare (Money Trick)
You can buy mechs cheap on some worlds... and sell them for waaaay more on others. Using the simple "Buy low, Sell high" philosophy you can travel between two worlds making enough money to have a lance of Battlemasters before your first mission. Be warned, the main storyline is timed. You have to beat it before a certain date. Doing missions and traveling between worlds increases the date. If you want to beat the game's story, do not get too carried away making your millions that you miss out on getting your family's Moon back.
Death From Above! Assault Jumping 101 with your Phoenix Hawk
Assault missions require you to destroy a base that is typically behind a small mountain. The enemy forces will move to attack you when you get close. Using a single Phoenix Hawk you can jump over the mountain and blast the base before the enemies do any significant damage to you. For a bonus challenge, try destroying the base before your Mech even lands.
The original Mechwarrior is one of my all time favorite video games. This was the giant stompy robot game that started it all. It defined the genre and the feel of this game continues on with all of the new Mechwarriors. I got it when I was in middle school and played the living heck out of it on my 286 PC.
It was a looooong time before MechWarrior 2 was ultimately released. (6 years) I remember calling Activision's headquarters so frequently asking about it that the receptionist asked me, by name, to stop calling. Whoops. Playing the game today is a nostalgic PPC blast to the past. All three of my kids (The two boys were named after my favorite Battletech characters) have played the original Mechwarrior. It is fun to share how things were back in the early days with the new generation. Probably more fun for me than them, LOL. "Dad, do we HAVE to say 'Aff' when answering?"
Battle on!
Artix (Adam)
P.S. A while back I created an original mecha game called MechQuest which is a fantasy-scifi game fusing energy blade wielding heroes with giant robots. If you want to check it out, or play any of my other free video games, head to Artix Games.
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