MechWarrior 3 versions

Base game

In the US, there seem to have been a few releases: version 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and Gold Edition. They can all be patched to 1.2. Presumably there was also a 1.1 patch (which I have not been able to find). In a weird quirk, the Gold Edition Readme says it is version 1.2, but it is still missing two multiplayer maps, zbd/c3/readermp3.zbd and zbd/c3/readermp4.zbd. Applying the 1.2 patch will install these.

Localisations and versions:

• English (US): 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, Gold Edition
• German (DE): 1.0, 1.2 patch exists
• French (FR): 1.0, 1.2 patch exists
• Italian (IT): Unconfirmed
• Japanese (JA): 1.2 (メックウォリア３)
• Taiwanese (TW): An extremely believable big box edition exists on eBay, but is horrendously expensive (機甲爭霸戰3, see BattleTech on zh.wikipedia.org or chiuinan.github.io)
• Chinese/Hong Kong: Unconfirmed (Simplified: 机甲战士3, Traditional: 機甲戰士3, see BattleTech on zh.wikipedia.org or chiuinan.github.io)
• English (GB): Unconfirmed if this is different than US, although redumps exist
• Russian (RU): Unconfirmed, possibly a bootleg/fan translation only

Please do reach out if you have a version I'm missing. I would love to confirm the information holds for all versions.

I have installed all versions in a virtual machine, gathered the files, patched the versions to 1.2, and gathered the files again. This has allowed me to find differences, but also check that the structures, value-ranges, and methods should hold.

Expansion

I know a lot less about the Pirate's Moon expansion. For one, I never played it, as it was never released in German.

My focus has also been mainly on the base game, and there's still enough unknown information it that. I also only own a single US version of PM. Still, the code from the base game was easy enough to apply to Pirate's Moon, so some things could be discovered. When Pirate's Moon-specific information is known, it is noted in this project.

System requirements

MechWarrior 3 only runs on Windows, and required DirectX 6.1. It is probably a 32-bit executable, given the time frame. And it was likely programmed in C++, specifically Microsoft Visual C++ based on the dependencies. MechWarrior 3 came on a standard CD-ROM.

DRM

The PC Gaming Wiki claims MechWarrior 3 is protected by Macrovision's SafeDisc DRM. At the time MW3 was released, only SafeDisc version 1 was available. Instructions from CD Media World on how to detect SafeDisc protection:

The following files should exist on every the original CD: 00000001.TMP, CLCD16.DLL, CLCD32.DLL, CLOKSPL.EXE, DPLAYERX.DLL

There is always a GAME.EXE and GAME.ICD file where the .ICD is the original game executable (in encrypted form) and the .EXE is a loader containing a parts of the SafeDisc protection.

(Formatting edited for readability.) The Wine mailing list agrees largely, sometimes SECDRV.SYS and DRVMGT.DLL are also found.

None of the US version I own have any of these files, the German version does though. It is possible the US versions have an earlier variant of SafeDisc copy protection, based on the earlier SafeAudio copy protection It uses weak sectors to detect when a disk has been copied. (For more information, see this CD Freaks/Myce article on SafeDisc 2.)

There are indications something odd is present on US disks. When I list the video directory, the date of the parent directory (..) is always mangled:

Version 1.00 (DE):

04/06/1999  02:25    <DIR>          .
04/06/1999  02:25    <DIR>          ..

Version 1.00 (US):

12/05/1999  02:18    <DIR>          .
The parameter is incorrect.
<0x16>?      <DIR>          ..

Version 1.1 (US):

09/07/1999  12:01    <DIR>          .
The parameter is incorrect.

?      <DIR>                              ..

Version 1.2 (US):

05/10/1999  08:35    <DIR>          .
<0x11>?      <DIR>          ..

SafeDisc itself is a liability, as the driver contains a buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2007-5587).

I don't want to comment too much on DRM, although as a customer, it has always been an annoyance and a hindrance for me. It is a concern for any effort legally examining the game. Some countries allow circumventing DRM for abandoned products or legitimate fair use. Some don't. This is why I've approached the project by installing the game, and then working on binary files. No DRM is bypassed.