Installed on Vista with DOSBOX, still issues[screenshots]

[TatsuJiN]

I installed MW 2: Mercenaries using the "MechWarrior 2 DOS - Install Guide for DOSBOX" method. I am using VISTA with windows vista service pack 1, Running MW:2 MERCS windows 95 on the lowest settings. The game allows me to install with either dos or windows so I used DOS.

Here's the issue. When I start instant action or launch a mission I see the mechs around, I hear the audio, and I am able to walk around the map with my mech. However, as soon as I start firing my weapons or use my jetpack, the game crashes, and the game takes me to the menu. I managed to almost complete the first tutorial mission because that mission only asks you to walk to various node points without firing or using jetpacks... but right at the end of the mission where I go back the dropship, the game again crashes and takes me to the menu screen saying that I failed the mission.

Some Screenies... Going good...



Here's what pops up when I fire my weapons or use jetpacks:



Then it takes me to this screen...



Any Ideas? I've spent hours trying different methods to install this game because it was my all time favorite game. Any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks.

[Sir MMPD Radick]

Try 0.73 that just came out recently.
It has better vista support according to the change log.

Otherwise I honestly have no idea.
Your the first to report such an issue in dosbox.

[TatsuJiN]

Downloaded, installed, and ran the latest Dosbox version 0.73.. Still having the same issue...

Is Dosbox the only method for getting MW2: Mercs to run on vista? Or would Kontza's or Slugs Hook work with vista? I havn't tried those options yet. ty for the quick reply.

[Sir MMPD Radick]

No, but it usually works the best.
Mercs has two versions of the game on the disc, so you could use the hook yes.
It does not always work very well on vista, but you could give it a try.

[Skyfaller]

Perhaps you will have more luck using the Windows version. It can be set up easily using MechVM.

Other options you might explore are the Mercs patches, running the game in a higher resolution, or grabbing CPU time using this tool, but I think your chances with MechVM and the Windows version are best.

I have read that a Windows XP virtual machine can be added to Windows 7, perhaps that will help in cases like this, too.

Please keep us posted.

[TatsuJiN]

MechVM
I ran MechVM, Clicked on the install+import button, and wrote the directory to install to. There's a button that says "Install MW2: Mercenaries (DOS+Windows) from G:\" so I click on that and it says "installing MW 2: Mercenaries (DOS)". The game gets installed to the directory I specified. I right clicked the mercswin, went to properties, and changed the compatability to 95 and ran it, it didn't work. I changed the compatability to xp, ran it, didn't work. I also tried running the _mw2mercs batch file by using the same option I did with the mercswin but had no luck. So what I did was I used dosbox and ran the mercs.exe file that was in the directory that mechvm created for me and it runs fine except when I fire my weapons again.

Patches
I ran the 105 patch in my mercs directory and then I ran the 106 patch in the same directory, ran the game, but the problem of bugging out when I fire my weapons remains.

Resolution
Ran the game in the different resolutions and they all work except when I fire my weapons... On a side note, my game doesn't work when I try running the game in the highest setting, it just crashes.

CPU Grabber
The grabbing CPU tool was probably the closest it got to working. I first ran it grabbing 30 CPU... still had the same problem. I kept increasing the cpu grabber amount and when I got to 70 I was able to fire a few shots with my weapons and it didn't crash. I kept firing my weapons just to test it out, but eventually it crashed out. When I got to 80 or 90 cpu grabbing, the game crashed like always when I fired my weapons.

Specs
Here are my computer specs by the way, maybe it might help.
OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 1
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T7250 @ 2.00GHz 2.00 GHz
RAM: 2.00GB
NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GT
DOSBOX: DosBox- 0.73

[Sir MMPD Radick]

For the windows side you cannot just run it directly you must set the hook up first. (Ok you can if you go with kontza's method, but try the hook first)

[TatsuJiN]

Hmm, so all I do is put the MW2inject in the directory that the win95 version of mw2: mercs is installed to? After that i created a shortcut and set the target with the the different hacks i want in it calling the mercwin.exe. After that I double click the shortcut, but it just flashes a black screen.

[npsbre]

Regarding the DOS installation -- did you by any chance swap in a different DOS extender? I didn't know MW2 used Causeway. I had assumed it used DOS4/G or DOS4/GW or whatever -- my MW2:31CC and MW2:Mercs installations have the DOS4/GW executable. (Unless it's a DOSBox thing... but mine runs fine in DOSBox.)

[TatsuJiN]

Don't think I swapped in a different Dos extender. When I look in MW2: merc directory there's a DOS4GW.exe file in there. I don't know what causeway is