Mechwarrior III - 1999 - emulated in PCem ( Pentium 200 MHz with Voodoo 2 SLI)

One of my favourite games from the 90s. My rig (i5 4670@3.6 GHz) struggles emulating a P200 hardware, but the experience is definitely playable. The game itself was designed for Pentium II hardware, so I am happy to see that for the most time the FPS is above 15+ ingame. One curious thing about the emulation that the menus are slower than they should be. I noticed this with M1 Tank Platoon too, and I don't know if it is an emulation issue or I am using the wrong drivers on Win98.

[@PDX0621]

I remember thinking my head was going to explode the first time I played this and thinking "how could graphics EVER get any better than this."

[@ZeroHxC07]

They got better while gameplay got worse 😂

[@jayjay53313]

This MW3 graphics was considered best at its time during release. FASA left Activision and engaged Microprose, many doubted the move would jeopardize the game. The outcome was unexpectedly well with the graphics and gameplay. Activision joint DP9 to come up with heavy gear to compete against MW3, both release around similar time

[@jayjay53313]

​​@@ZeroHxC07do you mean MW3 gameplay worse than MW2 or the newer ones getting worse?

[@ZeroHxC07]

@@jayjay53313 no I meant gameplay In games overall. Mechearrior 5 doesn’t really hold a candle to the old Ones

[@jayjay53313]

@@ZeroHxC07 noted, MW5 is a bit letdown but can be made better if developer amended few things and add several more things.

[@tatuira93]

Damn, Zipper really knew how to set up an atmosphere. While other Mechwarrior games are corny and cheesy (and that can be charming), Mech 3 actually feels authentic, like you're in the middle of a war and shit is going south pretty fast. Mech Commander and Mech 4 on the other hand feels a lot like the Command & Conquer FMVs of old, lol. Mech 5 is apparently trying to be more serious and grounded... but it apparently also falls flat on it's face. Mech 3 remains the king in that aspect, imo, followed from a distance by Mech 2 Mercs.

[@zoltanthehun993]

Mech 3 has a gritty desaturated look which helps to establish a very grounded atmosphere. Plus the startup of a Mech and the status report is pure joy.

[@smyers820gm]

I personally, really enjoyed the mechwarrior 4 I think they really blew a fantastic opportunity. They should have continued to add more content. More mechs. More missions.

[@Androsynth75]

MW5 started out rocky but it’s landed in a damn solid spot, particularly with the community content. I’ve got like 300 hours in it by now.

[@charlesashe-nn2sf]

This MW game is my favorite. Everything about it was right, and I played through it several times. The story was wonderful and I really felt like the mechs had mass. It was so much fun.

[@biffrapper]

The singleplayer was nice, but they ruined the multiplayer with the weapons changes and lag issues.

[@mrazikcomp]

my is mw2 and mw2 mercenaries

[@AngryCalvin]

I played a good number of games from the golden era of PC gaming in the 90’s. That included way around a couple dozen mech games that I owned. Mechwarrior 3 is the most memorable and fun out of all of them. Even the box art gave me great joy. The graphics and gameplay were unbelievable. The ultimate mech experience.

[@BathSaltShaman]

Commander voice sounds familiar. Wonder if he’s the same actor that played Col. Dubois in Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendency? Came out not long after this.

[@AmbientMusicStudio]

That intro brings back so many good memories. This was a great game.

[@ragnarocdemon]

So wish they would relanuch this game, best mechwarrior ever! thanks for the video!

[@zoltanthehun993]

The campaign was really good in this one, so I understand your feelings about it.

[@ObsidianDragon7030]

Still wonder how they messed up the Bushwackers Stock Configuration. Supposed to have Double Heat Sinks but the one you start with has Singles, which is why The first few levels until you can salvage a Double is PAIN.

[@zoltanthehun993]

There are some issues with the game, bit it is still very enjoyable and engaging. It is hard to decide which mech game is the best from the late 90s, but this one is definitely somewhere near the top.

[@ObsidianDragon7030]

@@zoltanthehun993 Oh Absolutely! In fact once I put DHS's into it, the Bushwacker carried me all the way to the final chapter nearabouts!

[@smyers820gm]

Bushwacker was innersphere. Never had double heat sinks 🤷‍♂️

[@ObsidianDragon7030]

@@smyers820gm Incorrect. The Mech was first produced in 3053 and like quite a few mechs developed after 3050 were created with Double Heat Sinks.

[@smyers820gm]

@@ObsidianDragon7030 yes, my bad

[@MrLlama-mm7pd]

I played soooo much of this game.

[@zoltanthehun993]

I hear you. It is such a joy to play this.

[@charlesashe-nn2sf]

@@zoltanthehun993 Amen, my friend. Amen.

[@jaysonrees738]

The walking animation is outstanding!

[@flesch74]

immer noch goil

[@richterdelgan123]

"COM"-piu-tah sounds

[@Havoccus]

Which 2D card did you use? The game throws a "Failed to initialize video device" error with a 4MB Ati Graphics Pro Turbo with the same setting (P2 200 MHz+V2 SLI)

[@zoltanthehun993]

I use the S3 Virge/DX, my experience is that having the right video card - driver combination matters a lot.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

It's not necessary to emulate this in PCem. The game will run natively on modern versions of Windows with a few modifications. Unfortunately the frame rate (then and now) needs to be caped due to in-game physics.

[@zoltanthehun993]

It is not necessary, but it is certainly fun ;)

[@AngryCalvin]

I was never able to get this game to run on a computer after Windows XP. I tried all the different ways with voodoo wrappers and everything and it still went crazy.

[@zogmorp]

did you have the cd-rom iso in the virtual D drive? If so the game should be playing the soundtrack during the mission. Must have the music.

[@zoltanthehun993]

I am not sure if CD Audio emulation works in PCem, I will need to check.

[@jownbey]

Gotta be the worst drop scenario since quake 2 haha

[@zoltanthehun993]

Yeah, maybe Unreal comes in as 3rd.

[@mrazikcomp]

GA-8I865GME-775-RH (rev. 3.9) c2d motherboard on 8i865 chipset with w98 drivers , no need emulation ;)

[@zoltanthehun993]

Nice hardware you have :) For me emulation is a hobby so...

[@RSWE550]

How did you set this up?

[@zoltanthehun993]

It takes some digging. I suggest to use tfor pcem bioses first then for the actual CD roms. Plus you need learning and lots of reading. If I find some time I will make a tutorial.

[@ohcriancasissoesoofim4322]

Demayz

[@d0sitmatr]

who played with a flight sim joystick (of the era) ? SSSOOOO much better than KB.

[@danielfietkau733]

MW3 was a huge step up from the good old MW2. Although MW2 was 100% into the clan-lore, MW3 gave a better...immersion into the universe at it's current state. (I haven't read the books beyond the Battle of Tukayyid back then). Overall just a very well designed and produced game. The german dubbing was on the spot, which is today no longer a must have even for AAA games (Diablo 4...). I Should have never sold my old rig with the Athlon Thunderbird 133/1200 and the Diamond Monster 3dfx II Voodoo 2 🤣