Mechwarrior
Mechwarrior 3 Game Guide Mechwarrior 3 Game Guide
Mechwarrior 3 Game Guide

Get the Downloadable Guide!
Top
introduction
Gameplay Strategies
Movement & Combat Strategies
Mission Walk-throughs
Contents
Bottom

Chapter One - General Gameplay Strategies

Although understanding weapons, combat and movement is essential to surviving the many Mech dogfights, unless you master the art of ordering your lancemates or using your Mobile Field Base, you won't live very long in the complex single-player campaign. In this chapter you'll be briefed on the finer points of control, campaign salvage and how to hand out Mechs and weapons to your lancemates.


Comfortable Control Scheme

Mechwarrior 3 is a complex game with complex controls; if you can't get comfortable controlling every aspect of your giant Mech, you'll have problems completing the solo campaign and winning online skirmishes with multiplayer opponents. Most players opt for either the mouse and keyboard combination or the sophisticated joystick route. Either way, make sure certain aspects of control feel especially comfortable. Items such as acceleration and deceleration, torso-twisting, targeting and firing are vital to the longevity of your Mech. Not only do you need to get off accurate shots, but you must be able to move your Mech on the fly. Most of these giant machines aren't fast, so any hesitation in getting the big lug moving can mean the difference between succeeding in a mission and ejecting from flaming debris.


Importance of Campaign Salvage

When playing the solo campaign, the only way to acquire new Mechs, new weapons and, often most important, ammunition is to salvage items from enemy Mechs or installations and transfer them to your Mobile Field Base. For awhile, your Mobile Field Base rests relatively empty with plenty of cargo room for weapons, ammunition and armor. After awhile, though, you'll fill up and have to decide what to take with you and what to leave behind. Ammunition for ballistic weapons, such as the more powerful autocannons and the Gauss Rifle, become more and more scarce as the campaign progresses. If you count on an Ultra AC 20 to get you through many missions, you'll soon discover the importance of keeping you ammunition level high.

Don't blindly transfer mission salvage into your Mobile Field Base once you reached the weight limit. Look what you've already acquired and gauge your needs. If you already have 12 ER Large Lasers, you likely do not need any more. Dump some and make room for other weapons or ammunition. If you and your lancemates are equipped with LRM 20s, you'll soon find the ammunition depleted as everyone fires missiles throughout each mission. Make sure you transfer the ammunition for the weapons you use most over the weapons you aren't using that much.

Acquiring new Mechs is a key to surviving the tougher missions of the solo campaign. If your lancemates start blowing apart their Mechs, you could eventually run out of machines if you don't start salvaging new ones. The best way to acquire an enemy Mech is to take out a leg or blow apart the cockpit (located in the head area). Sniping works best; if you're looking to gain a Mech, don't let the lancemates attack - they could care less about your acquisition desire. Aim your weapons at the lower portion of the leg and try not to blow apart the torso. The targeting computer can assist greatly in blowing apart specific areas of the enemy Mech; work on salvaging the more impressive Mechs. Once you've acquired larger Mechs, don't worry about getting leg or head shots on light Mechs like the Owens or Shadowcat - you probably won't need them.

Next: More gameplay strategiesNEXT