After reading the message board at DropShipCommand and noticing the same questions being asked repeatedly (the very essence of a FAQ document) I decided to slap this puppy together from what I have stuck in my head. I'll start with the really burning questions concerning the game and move into questions that might be asked a lot.

So, without further ado, the information you've always wanted and the information that will complete your life.

MechCommander is a real-time strategy game based on the BattleTech universe. In it you control up to a company (12) of BattleMechs in real-time combat. You do not pilot the Mechs. You are the pilots' eye in the sky. They are there to win and so they do whatever you tell them. is a real-time strategy game based on the BattleTech universe. In it you control up to a company (12) of BattleMechs in real-time combat. You do not pilot the Mechs. You are the pilots' eye in the sky. They are there to win and so they do whatever you tell them. is a real-time strategy game based on the BattleTech universe. In it you control up to a company (12) of BattleMechs in real-time combat. You do not pilot the Mechs. You are the pilots' eye in the sky. They are there to win and so they do whatever you tell them.

BattleTech is a turn-based tactical combat game created by FASA Corporation in the early 1980's. You took control of one or more BattleMech and fought another player. Everything was one with a pencil and paper. Eventually, BattleTech expended to include tanks, aerospace fighters, and other vehicles. With the addition of the MechWarrior role-playing module, BattleTech became arguably the most-known RPG in the world, next to Dungeons and Dragons.

BattleTech has a rich history developed over 15 or so years. The people of the earth invented FTL (faster than light) travel and began to colonize other planets. Eventually they formed one huge Star League (no not the one from The Last Starfighter). This time was the pinnacle of man's achievements. However, one man killed the First Lord of the Star League and claimed it as his own.

General Aleksandr Kerensky declared war on The Usurper and eventually won back the Star League. However, the five people still alive from the First Council kept arguing amongst themselves about who was to become the next First Lord. Eventually, they all declared war on each other and began the Succession Wars.

Kerensky became disheartened and took most of the Star League army with him toward the Periphery in a Great Exodus. He was never seen or heard from again.

During the first two Successor Wars, so much was destroyed that it was becoming difficult to keep any technology. BattleMech factories, jumpships, space docks were all destroyed. Technology suffered a major downgrade. In the 3rd Succession War, some rules of warfare were decided on. Nothing of important technological value was to be targeted for destruction. BattleMech factories became strategic targets. Whoever controlled the factories controlled BattleMech production.

Technology began a slow upgrade, but it wasn't until Grayson Carlyle of the Gray Death Legion found a Star League Memory Core and shared it with the entire Inner Sphere that there was some hope of ever achieving the Inner Sphere's past technological glory.

In late 3049, the Kell Hounds were searching for a pirate on The Rock, a world in the far Periphery. One pilot noticed a strange BattleMech being used that his computers could not identify. It had stronger armor, better weapons, and he had never seen its like before. Instead of retreating, he sent all the information he had on this Mech, a combination of the Marauder and Catapult BattleMech he named the Mad Cat, to his commanding officers. The pilot was assumed to be lost in battle.

These strange visitors to the Inner Sphere, called the Clans, were found out to be the "descendants" of the Star League army that left the Inner Sphere with Kerensky. Their mission was to return the Star League to its place. The Clans accomplished their goal, but not in the way they expected.

The Successor Houses met and reinstated the Star League. The former enemies were now united against a common foe. They also came up with a plan on how to defeat the Clans. With the help of Khan Phelan Kell of the Wolf Clan in Exile, the pilot thought to be lost on The Rock, they decided on a two-pronged assault on the Clan known as the Smoke Jaguars. A large assault force would move through the Periphery towards the Clan homeworlds and attack the Smoke Jaguars on their home planet of Huntress. Task Force Serpent was made of units from every Successor House and some Mercenary units.

The frontal assault was to be led by Archon-Prince Victor Steiner-Davion of the Federated Commonwealth. Their mission was to annihilate the Smoke Jaguars in the Inner Sphere and work their way towards Task Force Serpent, who would have taken Huntress within a year.

This is where MechCommander takes up. You are a MechCommander in the Federated Commonwealth forces. You are attacking Port Arthur in an effort to remove the Smoke Jaguar presence from the Inner Sphere. The Draconis Combine is also attacking Port Arthur in another area, but you are essentially alone. It is your job to make sure the MechWarriors under your charge accomplish the objectives set out for you by your superiors.

MechWarrior is three different things. First, it is the Role-playing module of the BattleTech universe. Second, it is a person who pilots a BattleMech. Third, it is the computer game made by Activision in the 1980's.

In MechWarrior, you took the role of Gideon Braver Vandenburg, a MechWarrior out to avenge the death of his family. You took control of a mercenary unit, the Blazing Aces, and set out to make money in the Inner Sphere.

1995 saw the return of MechWarrior with the release of MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat. This game focused on a Trial of refusal between the Jade Falcon and the Wolf Clans. You took the role of either a Jade Falcon or Wolf MechWarrior and were sent out on missions against the other clan. Skilled players could become Khan of their respective Clan by the end of the game.

1995 also saw an expansion pack for MechWarrior 2 called Ghost Bear's Legacy. This was a game in itself, yet it required that the player have a MechWarrior 2 CD to install. The game focused on the Ghost Bear Clan as they try to avenge the theft of genetic material from their repository. GBL is arguably the best of the MechWarrior 2 series of games. Not only did it have everything that made MechWarrior 2 so great; it also had Inner Sphere Mechs, an underwater mission and a mission in deep space.

Soon after GBL, Activision finally finished the Netmech multiplayer expansion for MechWarrior 2. This was available on CD and as a free download from the Activision web site. It allowed for up to eight players and became one of the most played games on the Internet.

In September of 1996, Activision released the final MechWarrior 2 game, MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries. A promising "prequel" to MechWarrior 2, Mercs fell way short of its expectations. While it looked great on a high-end computer, there were an incredible number of bugs found in the release, and Activision released the 1.05 patch. This patch fixed a lot of bugs and is still the most-used version of Mercs on the net. The 1.06 patch allowed for mission developers to test multiplayer missions without having to get people to play with them. The 1.08 patch never made it out of beta, but added 3dfx support, but fixed nothing. The 1.1 patch was what most players were waiting for. However, at 18 MB, not a lot of people downloaded it, and it added a few bugs of its own.

Mercs was a half-hearted attempt at bringing back the first MechWarrior. The team fell out of contact with the major players in the Mercs community. This, however, was probably more due to the accounting department then the programmers' wishes.

Activision released the entire MechWarrior 2 series as The Titanium Trilogy in early 1998. Titanium added FPU support and incredible graphics, but is rarely used, since most players do not wish to buy another version of a game they already own.

MechWarrior 3 was to be developed by FASA Interactive, but was passed on to another company named Zipper Interactive. Zipper has no web site that can be found, and the only thing that has been released to the general public regarding this game is 2 screen shots in the June 1998 issue of PC Gamer. The graphics are beautiful from what is visible, but as of yet, not many people have seen gameplay.

MW3 was to portray the Draconis Combine's portion of the assault on Port Arthur. It was meant to complement the FedCom aspect of MechCommander. Whether or not Zipper has stuck with this or not remains to be seen.

MechWarrior 4 is to be developed by FASA Interactive and based on Virtual World's Tesla System 4.0 software. MW4 is still a couple of years off, so there's not a lot of information on it.

FASA is the company that makes the BattleTech and Shadowrun RPG's. The name comes from the Marx Brothers' movie Duck Soup, in which Groucho became the ruler of Freedonia. FASA is the Freedonian Aeronautics and Space Administration, which founder Jordan Weisman "controlled" in high school.

FASA Interactive is a completely separate entity charged with making interactive entertainment titles from FASA's ideas. FASA Interactive is believed to be some Virtual World programmers that wanted to do programs for the home computer, but this has yet to be denied or confirmed by FIT. The FASA Interactive offices occupy the space of the old BattleTech Center in Chicago, IL.

Virtual World was a Location-based Entertainment center that specialized on virtual reality simulations. Their first game, BattleTech, proved that you didn't need uncomfortable headgear to appreciate VR. It was a pod-based VR, meaning that players sat in pods, or cockpits, and were shut off from the outside world while in the game.

The Virtual World pods had around 100 buttons and controls, and each had its own function. There were two monitors -- a primary and a secondary MFD -- which represented what, might be found in a "real" BattleMech. Players could choose from 6 different Mech chassis each with an average of 5 variants.

VW then released Red Planet to its centers. Red Planet allowed players to race through the mining canals of Mars in an alternate future when Mars had been turned into a mining colony by the Colossal Mining Corporation. Slags, as the miners called themselves, held death races at night in hot-wired CMC-owned VTV's (Vectored-Thrust Vehicles). The winner got safe passage off the planet. The losers died.

Virtual World was a true immersive experience. The sites were set up with an "explorer's club" atmosphere that fit along with the exploration backstory of the Virtual Geographic League. Players were "translocated" to the location of their choice and brought back safe and sound at the end. There was a non-alcoholic bar that served soft drinks, candy, and even sandwiches. Players were called into a briefing room before the mission and were shown a movie that explained some of the backstory of the game and some basic control techniques. These movies were well done and had famous people in starring roles. Joan Severance, Gedde Watanabe, and Judge Reinhold were all in both videos. "Weird Al" Yankovic and Cheech Marin also starred in the Red Planet video.

Virtual World now merely sells its pods to companies who wish to have them. The official sites are gone and pretty much the only place to find a pod is Dave and Busters. Other places have them, but are not nationally known. If you would like to buy some pods, they cost $33,000 a piece and come in sets of four, six and eight.

II. MechCommander Information

MechCommander takes place as the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth begin their assault on the planet of Port Arthur in the Smoke Jaguar occupation zone. The introductory movie will introduce the role of the MechCommander and set the tone for the game.

You will be allocated as much materiel as your commander can give you. You will have to earn "resource points" in order to buy bigger and better Mechs and pilots. The strategy comes in while planning for what you will need in the next mission and thinking up ways to get past the Clan defenses while keeping as much intact as possible. What gets damaged in one mission might be damaged in the next unless you are able to repair and refit the Mech or vehicle.

MechCommander is a true strategy game in that you can be totally outnumbered and still win through guile and trickery. You might be able to split up a Clan patrol and face better odds. Or you might be able to lure some Tubie into an ambush and rock him with LRMs. The only limit is your own mind. Keeping your Mechs together in one group may not be the best tactic.

There will be a total of 18 Mechs available in the game.

The Inner Sphere has the following Mechs in the game:

The Clans will have the following Mechs available:

Elementals will be in the single-player game, but will not be controllable in the multiplayer game.

The "Missing 21" is the term given to the Mech designs removed from the FASA sourcebooks and technical readouts. These include the following Mechs and their variants:

These BattleMech designs were borrowed under contract from Harmony Gold who brought the United States the Robotech cartoon. Harmony Gold decided to revoke FASA's use of this art, even though they had every legal right to use it. FASA decided to stop using the Mech art rather than wasting time and money in the legal system. The Mechs, however, are still legal in play. The art, however, will not be published again.

These tanks will be included in the game:

These carriers will be included in the game:

These miscellaneous vehicles will be included in the game:

Yes. Mechs will be fully customizable, but not to the extent of the MechWarrior games. You determine what weapons go on the Mech and even what sensors are used. Mechs come in 3 basic flavors: Armor (A), Weapons (W) and Jets (J). Each basic configuration has its own strengths and weaknesses and its own cost.

You can buy individual weapons and retrofit a Mech with a loadout of your choice. What you can think of and how many resource points you have to spend only limit you.

Yes. Clan Mechs will be obtainable through salvage in the single-player game. If you tell your pilots to target a certain part of an enemy Mech, you might be able to salvage a brand new Clan OmniMech, slightly marred, for your forces.

Yes and no. Death From Above (DFA) is a very real way to kill a Mech in the game. However, punching, kicking, charging, grappling and clubbing will not be available due to limitations in the engine.

No. There is no building in MechCommander. You "build" all your forces before actually going into the mission. You will be able to focus on the battle, not on protecting a base.

No. The designers felt it would be better for gameplay to not have a fog of war. However, you will not be able to see terrain until it gets within visual range. The map will start black, but will be revealed as you move across the terrain.

The only people who know this for sure work for FASA Interactive. It is my guess that a resource point pool will be given to each player depending on the number of players in the game. With these points, players will have to purchase Mechs, weapons if needed, and pilots.

Multiplayer will support up to 6 players. It is still unknown how the forces will be split up, though.

No. FASA Interactive will release a mission editor at a later date.

Again, the only people who know this are the people who work for FASA Interactive. With each Mech having over 100,000 frames of animation, it would be a major chore to add new Mechs, but very possible.

Yes.

You can download the demo from the Internet. A list of download sites is available at the MechCommander web site. (See list of links at end of document)

For those of us without direct connections to the net or who do not wish to wait for the 111 MB download, a demo CD is already available in stores. The demo will also be included with the June issue of Computer Gaming World.

The demo includes 2 missions that will not be in the final game. It does a good job at showing what the game will be like. It is 111 MB. It could have been smaller, but would not have been representative of the game.

The Electronics Boutique web site lists MechCommander with a release date of June 24. FASA Interactive still has not publicly announced a specific date. It should be available by the beginning of July.

FASA Interactive minimum system requirements:

133MHz Pentium PC
16MB RAM
Windows 95
DirectX 5
4x CD-ROM
160MB Hard Drive space

FASA Interactive recommended system requirements:

166MHz Pentium PC
32MB RAM
Windows 95
DirectX 5
4x CD-ROM drive
160MB Hard Drive space

Most games that run in Windows 95 will also run in Windows 98. However, all is not guaranteed. MechCommander should be able to run without any problems though.

There are those that have run the demo on NT4, but the good folks at FASA Interactive say the best bet will be to wait until NT5 is released. Of course that also means you'll need that much more RAM to play.

No. But I'm always open for a job offer...in case *you* work for FASA Interactive.

You'd have to ask the companies that yourself. You'd probably want to live in Chicago so you don't have to commute 12,000 miles to work everyday.

The simple answer is three and a half years of experience. I had never really heard of BattleTech before going to the Dallas Virtual World site. After I played there, I was hooked and I read everything I could find about the subject.

I got MW2 when it was released because of my experiences at Virtual World. I picked up GBL and Mercs on their release dates as well.

During all this time I read every novel I could (I've still only read about 2/3 of the novels) got as many sourcebooks as I could afford and even bought the BattleTech game.

During that time, I took on the role of a member of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. I was a lance commander in the AFFC, and stayed with the AFFC after Katherine Steiner seceded from the Federated Commonwealth.

I am the Archon-Prince of the Federated Commonwealth in the Astral Dominion League for Mercs. I turn a gaming league into an RP experience, which is necessary since I rarely play the game anymore.

There are many places to find information on BattleTech. Here are just a few of the places I like to visit:

FASA, FASA Interactive, BattleTech, MechWarrior, MechCommander, BattleMech, and all related items are trademark and copyright their respective holders. Used without permission.