Get MW 4 free.

[TheRoadToDawn 0]

Well this is the best thing i have seen since EA gave C&C & RA (1+2) to the public.

 

For Battletech's 25th anniversary, Smith and Tinker along with MEKTEK are now giving away MW4 and expansions to the public.

 

From Smith & Tinker

In honor of BattleTech's 25th anniversary, Smith and Tinker has authorized MekTek.net and MekTek Studios to distribute MechWarrior 4 (along with its expansion packs) completely free. For years, MekTek.net has been the central point for online distribution of MechWarrior 4 expansion packs. Now they can provide the core game free to the fans as well. Keep an eye on BattleTech.com – the free download will be available soon!

 

So for all those Battletech fans among CNCNZ, check out Battletech.com soon.

 

I do not know however if the MEKTEK expansions will be included with the free software.

[Nmenth 291]

Not really a fan, only have one Mechwarrior game which I could never get to run properly on any of my computers... but might have to snag this one... I do like free.

[Luk3us 63]

A freebie? Might have to grab me a copy. I like free too!

[Inferno 22]

Everyone likes free

[Malevolence 6]

I have not heard of MechWarrior for a very long time.

[Gben 20]

Free FTW... keep me updated peeps!

[TheRoadToDawn 0]

Just an update. The free distribution of Mechwarrior 4 from the MEKTEK site is nearing.

 

I know its been a while but I wanted to get this in for those who asked.

 

Here is the article from MEKTEK:

 

Mechwarrior FREE Release Update and MTX Announced

Posted by Vam, Thursday, 10 September 2009 14:26 Comments(0), Read all

 

Its been awhile since we last updated you on the status of the FREE release of Mechwarrior4 so we felt the need to assure everyone that the time is nearing. We had hoped to release the FREE title the last weekend of summer but that unfortunately did not happen due to paperwork. As previously mentioned, I indicated that there are still a number issues to resolve before the FREE release. Those issues are resolving thanks to the hard work of many at MekTek. From a development stand point the FREE release is near ready to go but we are still waiting to resolve some of the legalities associated with such a wide distribution. While we have not provided a set date for the release, we are still on target, and our partners are happy with the progress MekTek has been making. Our focus on the FREE release has been revamping our match making service MekMatch in order to accommodate many more users. In addition to the work being conducted on the Mechwarrior4 FREE release, we are also working on a community software distribution and patching application which we have been alluding to on our forums. This software is known as MekTek X (or simply MTX). X stands for the last decade of service to the Mechwarrior community. MTX was developed out the need for a centralized distribution and patching point for all of MekTek's software currently being developed and planned to be released including MekPak4 for the FREE release, Single Player Campaigns from Mechwarrior4: Vengeance and Black Knight, Assault Tech1: BattleTech, and much more. This software has been in development by Studio MekTek since the announcement of the FREE release and successfully reached beta testing status two weeks ago. MTX is a free desktop product which has been thoroughly tested and will connect you with MekTek.net's community as well BattleTech.com and the rest of our partners.

 

MTX will be the central point of distribution for the launch of the FREE release. This application boasts some of the following features:

• Bootstrap Installations
• Incremental Delta Auto-Patching
• Torrent or HTTP Downloading from an exclusive MekTek Tracker
• Custom Web Browser
• News Updates from MekTek and Partners
• Online Help
• Community Chat Lobbies
• Network Diagnostic Tools

[Gben 20]

thx for the update.

[F15pilotX 4]

Bah, makin me think I could get Modern Warfare 4 for free....shoulda known!

[TheRoadToDawn 0]

However mod my post, thanks. I was doing it during a class. >

 

Gotta love college.

[Daisy 0]

When I think of MechWarrior 4 I think of Mechwarrior 3, and thus I think of how hard they nerfed the Daishi.

 

Still, this is friggin amazing. I wonder how well it'll work online?

Edited September 13, 2009 by Otaku^Fetishization

[TheRoadToDawn 0]

Yeah. Wish I could still play the MWs. Even under Run As Administrator, they still wont function right.

 

Its a bummer. I hope they fix the issue when the MW4 Download is released.

[Gben 20]

I was just thinking about this, so I decided to check out the latest news.

 

from bigdownload.com

Last summer fans of the MechWarrior franchise were excited when news hit that a free version of MechWarrior 4 would be released. However its been some time since that announcement was made and there's been no real updates on what's happening on that front.

 

This week, the team behind the freeversion at MekTek posted up an update on their site declaring that "the release is ready". So what's the hold up. In a word: Microsoft. According to the site the game's developer and owner Microsoft "has endured several administrative changes which currently impede the release." However meetings are scheduled to be held later this month and MechWarrior's current owners Smith and Tinker believe that after those meetings take place "it will only take 1-2 more days before permission is granted."

 

original post from mektek

 

Regarding Mechwarrior4 FREE Release Status

 

The Mechwarrior4 FREE release is still currently to be announced. MekTek had hoped to gain permission for the release while visiting Smith and Tinker, Inc. in Seattle this week. However, we have learned that Microsoft has endured several administrative changes which currently impede the release. The good news, however, is that a meeting to finalize the release is scheduled near the American Thanks Giving Holiday. Smith and Tinker said that it will only take 1-2 more days before permission is granted. From MekTek, we are happy to report that the release is ready and awaiting permission to push that big shiny green release button at MekTek headquarters.

 

by Vam, Thursday, 12 November 2009

 

Note this news is already a month old... Don't you love bureaucracy?

[Luk3us 63]

Its what makes the world goes round.

[comander starlin 6]

the old Mech Warrior series was good i enjoyed them, but if i really wanted to mech style stuff i would sit down and watch gundam. but hay a real great classic is the old BattleZone game.

[Malovolpe 3]

Still waiting for the free Mech4 release. Seems Mektek is taking their sweet time.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

Why would it take some time for a free release? Hmmm? EA would never do that to their games, but Microsoft is involved in all of this? If the copyright claim and content are too strong and strict for this game, forget about this free release anyway.

[Mighty BOB! 5]

From a technical standpoint it shouldn't take much effort to remove any CD key requirement and just shove some ISOs out to the Internet...

[Gben 20]

http://www.mektek.net/projects/mw4/

It's out!!!!!!

Finally, the long awaited moment has arrived!

Studio MekTek, in association with Smith and Tinker, INC., Virtual World Entertainment, LLC, Catalyst Game Labs, and Microsoft Games, is happy to announce the release of Mechwarrior4 Free.

Getting started is easy. Just download and install MTX, MekTek's free content delivery and updating system. Once installed, simply click the Games Available tab, select Mechwarrior4: Mercenaries and click install. The game will download and install, all within MTX, and as updates become available, MTX will help you keep your game up to date.

Once again, a big thanks to Microsoft Games and all of our partners for making this free release possible, and a special thanks to all of you in the community. Without our community, MekTek wouldn't be what it is today. Your continued support and financial contributions have made all of this possible.

Download Mechwarrior4: Mercenaries Free Release (1.7 GB) via MTX today!

Links:

* Technical Reference Manual
* Corrine's Strategy, Map and Variant Guides
* MekMatch



One of the greatest features of MekPak3.1 and of Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries in general, is the ability to customize. Mechwarrior always has been about the Mechlab, especially multiplayer. The Mechlab truly distinguishes MW4 from a long list of shooters that have come out in the past 10 years. The ability to create literally thousands of configurations allows the game to continue in popularity over its lengthy life span. Since the Free Release not only comes with the original mechs and weapons of Mercenaries, but also with the Clan and IS Mech Packs and all the Mektek mechs and weapons here is what you are getting...for free.

* 111 different mechs ranging from 20 to 100 tons.
* 9 Battle Armor
* 6 Infantry
* 32 Beam Weapons
* 43 Ballistic Weapons
* 44 Missile Weapons
* 7 Electronic Components
* 3 different types of armor



And, let's not forget the ability to add Heat Sinks to help with Heat Management, upgrading the Engine to increase Speed, and the option to add armor in incremental amounts. The same Mechlab you love has only gotten better over the years.

As if that wasn't enough, the Free Release comes with many improvements over the original Mercs thanks to the Mektek Mekpaks, like added security and a new kind of zone for multiplayer.

That brings us to what many of you have been looking forward to most of all - the new and exciting features and improvements that have been added solely for this special release.

* Clan and IS Mech Pack mechs available in campaign
* Mektek mechs and weapons added to campaigns
* Zonematch has been replaced with MekMatch in all visible text and is the one and only mech-matching service
* 5 new MekMatch servers to host and play on! You can change servers whenever you like. Each server has a dedicated community to cater to
o League Server
o New Players
o Australia
o Europe
o North America
* "Connect" and "Host" default to the last server chosen



For those that will be hosting games:

* New features for dedicated servers like the ability to add a fixed number of bots to a dedicated server upon launch chosen in setup! Bot Levels can also be set. Default game length has been changed to 30 minutes instead of original 10.



Other Improvements:

* Game loads much quicker and no longer requires a CD
* Original mechs, Clan and IS Mech Pack, and Mektek mechs arranged alphabetically in Mechlab list (no longer have special symbols in front of the mech name except for Battle Armors and Infantry).
* New Screenshot Folder for in-game screenshots (instead of the main Mercs installation folder where it was difficult to locate them).



Improvements on-screen:

* LTRI (Long Tom Range Indicator) added when a weapon with trajectory is installed on a mech! Torso pitch angle in degrees is also shown! Even height of mech has been calculated and accounted for in range.
* Mission and Computer Clock added as part of the UI. Mission Clock is a semi-transparent pie chart indicating how much time is left on a multiplayer map!
* Additional Chat state. Besides the in-game chat box's normal and large size you have the option of completely turning off chat (disappears). Pressing the "y" or "u" key (general chat and team chat) causes the chat box to reappear!

Hehe... it apparently crashed the server over the weekend...

MECHWARRIOR IS BACK! MEKTEK CRASHES HARD DURING RELEASE!

The web server is back online and we have a new version of MTX available.

The new version brings with it an offline mode, allowing you to install games and updates when the web servers are down. A critical flaw in our design pattern has been addressed where MTX would fail when our servers went down. There are risks involved with installing and updating in offline mode as the client can't verify the files to make sure they haven't become corrupted, but it does give you the option if you wish to install when the web server is unavailable. If the files are corrupted, you will have to re-download and reinstall in order to connect to servers running the correct version. If you already obtained the MTX patches else where then you should be able to download and install those patches with MTX by using the Browse > Open *.mtx function.

We've also removed the skin from MTX in this version. At some point we will allow for custom skins so you will have the ability to customize MTX's appearance. The public outcry of the application being laggy has been addressed and the result is a much more snappy windows form application.

We strongly recommend that you install the current public beta version 1.0.3.5 by clicking here. This version is not dependent on our website and should function much better under heavy traffic.

Some people have expressed questions and concerns about using MTX to install the game.
The main reason we are using MTX to deliver this free distribution of Mechwarrior: Mercenaries is to be able to serve the many updates we have planned in the near future. Patching and updating Mercs without an easy method of distribution to the amount of people who will need the patches and updates, will become a much larger problem than simply being patient with us and MTX while we work out the bugs. The community will fragment with all the different versions that will be out there once we start releasing updates without a system in place to deliver the updates to everyone playing the free release. We are aware of hardware issues and long standing bugs with Mechwarrior4 which we plan to address in the future. Also worth noting that we are planning to release more Mechwarrior titles via MTX in the future. We realize MTX caused grief for many folk and we apologize. We hope our 100,000 guests that crashed our server this weekend will return and not be too disgruntled.

MekTek will be releasing a self extracting installer containing both MTX and Mechwarrior4: Mercenaries very shortly. However, in the meantime, if you have your MTX files, download the new installer of MTX, and give it a try.

MTX is still in open beta and with your help, we can resolve the issues that some of you are having.

Please remember that we are not being paid to bring you this game, at absolutely no cost to you. But please realize,that there is considerable cost to us, not only in time, but also financially. Between the costs of server upgrades, insurance, lost time from our day jobs, and sleepless nights attempting to bring you this game, we have paid a considerable price. All we ask in return is a little bit of patience.
As we have for the last 10 years, we do what we do for the love of the franchise. Our ultimate goal in this is to help revive Mechwarrior, a series that we hold dear.

Thank you for your continued support.

The MekTek Team.

[Mighty BOB! 5]

lol, it's about time.

[Gben 20]

now just wait for the painfully slow torrent... I've been averaging 10kb/s!

 

Alternate download location can be found in this article.