As promised, I’ve got my method to convert Mechwarrior 2 from the standard Windows 95 version to the 3Dfx version up. In addition, the Mechwarrior/Battletech timeline is up, which will give a good indication of when the games take place not only in dates, but also in context of the (classic) Battletech universe.
The Heavy Gear section has been revamped, much like other parts of the site. Now, it’s frameless and all the code is compliant. There’s a few updates among the pages, so take a look around.
Updates:
Heavy Gear Links – More links added
Heavy Gear 2 Codes – Santa Hat Easter Egg added
Heavy Gear 2 Downloads – Severs.dat file added
Mechwarrior 2 FAQ – 3DFX Conversion is up
Mechwarrior Timeline – Up and complete
So, I’ve finally got the Mechwarrior 2 series up and running, for the most part, how I’d like it to. I may be over ten years late to the party, but I’m finally playing Ghost Bear’s Legacy.
There’s only one problem, though: that Logitech Extreme 3D joystick that I picked up a month ago. It’s fine for I ’76, since the game doesn’t require any rudder control. The X and Y-axis are fine, but the Z-direction, the twist, is pretty bad. Since the Mech2 series always recenters the torso to match the joystick, it means a jittery z-axis will cause the mech’s torso and aim to jitter as well, making things harder than they should be. This is alright in MW4, where the z-axis works more like a mouse, moving it left causes the torso to turn left and stay turned left rather than recenter.
Help is on the way, as I’m awaiting the arrival of a 99 cent MS Sidewinder Precision Pro from ebay.
It is possible to convert Mechwarrior 2 from the standard version to the 3D-accelerated, non-Titanium, version. In a few weeks (after I retrace my steps), I’ll get a guide up on how to do it. In the meantime, there’s a couple of updates:
Updates:
Interstate ’76 FAQ – Vista and XP SP3 install
Q & A – More questions: I 76, BZ, and HG
I just so happened to stumble upon this site while I was googling HG2 + Battlezone. Now I can’t help, but remember the last time I was here I was following a link from the last HG2 server that was up.
Were you guys the one who maintained the HG2 server for all these years?
Glad you found the site again. To answer the question: No, I’m not responsible for anything to do with the last A-net server (besides telling people where it is). It’s being run by some Battlezone players at BZ 911. Click on this link for the Anet Server Stats.
While I’ve got the itch to play through some old games, I decided I’d give Heavy Gear II another run through. The hardest part about the game is adjusting my mindset. I was still stuck in the walking-tank mode of Mechwarrior. After realizing that in a Gear, being stealthy is as much, if not more, important than being able to take a shot, it all clicked back in place.
Good news, for me at least, is that despite all of the trouble that I’ve heard people having trying to get the game running on XP, I just installed it and it worked. Now, I still ran into a couple of glitches and bugs, but I didn’t have to do any special patching, for whatever reason.
While Heavy Gear II is a cool game, I was never sucked into the universe the way that I was with Battletech. So, on a related note, I thought I’d start to write that Mechwarrior/Battletech timeline I’ve been talking about.
I didn’t.
Instead, I wound up writing about the history of Mechwarrior. It’s a good story, so be sure read through it all.
To this date, I’ve not played through Ghost Bear’s Legacy, so I had to change that. MW2 is still cheap on e-bay, so I picked up GBL and another copy of MW2. This’ll be my fourth. The first being the good ol’ DOS version in 96. The second was an ATI 3D Rage version that came bundled with a new computer. So, I sold the DOS version off since I only really need one copy of the game. I didn’t think about a future where I wouldn’t be using an ATI Rage compatible card, but sure enough, it happened. So, one day at a KB Toys, I picked up MW2: Titanium Edition. And now, years later, I’ve got the 1.1 Netmech/Win95/DOS on one disk, so I think I’ve got my bases covered.
The point? Expect a slew of Mechwarrior 2 and Heavy Gear related updates in the future.
Updates:
Mechwarrior History – Complete
As usual, I’m back to updating things bit by bit. So we’ll start with the biggest news first: the Mechwarrior pages have been redesigned. As with the rest of the site, it’s gotten a fresh coat of paint that is strictly html 4.0 compliant and tweaked up a little bit. The navigation scheme should make it easier to find whatever your looking for as well. The content is mostly the same at this point, but you can bet that in the near future, there will be more up there.
Also, I’ve added preview movies of Interstate ’76, Nitro Pack, and Heavy Gear in their respective sections. All were pulled from other Activision game disks.
Updates:
Heavy Gear Downloads – New preview movie
Interstate ’76 Downloads – New preview movie
Nitro Pack Downloads – New preview movie
Mechwarrior – Entire site redesign
For the most part, there are just a few tweaks to the site here and there, but there are a couple of big updates.
Updates:
Interstate ’76 Tips – Lots of good info on car design has been added
Nitro Pack Downloads – The XP fix for the Nitro Pack can be downloaded here.
Hey there. I just happened to come across a demo of Vigilante 8 on my friend’s Xbox 360 the other day. It reminded me of all the fun I had playing I’76 so I found a copy on the internet and I’m trying to install it on my Vista operating system. Have you heard of anyone succeeding it doing this? Should I just try the same fix as XP installation (trying over and over again) or is this just a futile attempt to get back to my gaming routes?
I ’76 can indeed run on Vista. The game can be installed by manually copying its data to the hard disk. For more information, please check the Interstate ’76 FAQ.
Local Ditch Gaming