MekTek releases Mechwarrior 4 Mercenaries- How to install it
Looking for a way to install MekTek's Mechwarrior 4? Head to to "Plan C".
It seems that MekTek FINALLY got through all of the legal hassle of convincing Microsoft that MechWarrior 4 should be free. The problem is that their release of the free MechWarrior 4 is having some serious issues. MekTek's website is still down after being on the wrong side of a mad grab for files. According to Battletech.com, MekTek logged about 100,000 unique hits for MechWarrior 4: Mercanaries before their 'heavy duty' server couldn't take it any more and committed seppuku. You might think "well, if I got the files via a handy external torrent, I'm in the clear, right?" WRONG. It seems that MekTek's auto updater is coded to check their website for some stupid reason to apply patches. So good luck installing the game or patches when their servers are down. (Although they did fix this for any future patches).
If you are still having issues with MekTek, you can use Plan B: Dwell On It has a hadny link & guide to grabbing and installing the game. Then, you just have to let MekTek's MTX launcher do it's deal to patch away the CD checks.
If you do NOT want to deal with MekTek's MTX launcher bullshit (plan C), here is a work around for you. This is done by the very hardworking Retro-Future Rodent on SA. Caveat: This only works with MekTek patches 17-20, but will allow you to bypass MTX completely.
You'll NEED the "mechwarrior4mercenaries.all.to.51.03.01.0017.mtx" file for this, but neither of
the other .mtx patch files are needed.
I'm also including a registry file that you'll need to edit one of line in notepad. Change:
"MTXGamesPath"="E:\\mektek"
to where you've installed mektek. Hopefully with this patch you'll never need to have run MTX,
but anyone who has doesn't want to mess up their installation should change that before opening it.The rest is simple enough:
Open mechwarrior4mercenaries.all.to.51.03.01.0017.mtx with a program that deals with zips. I use 7zip.
Make a folder somewhere on your hard-drive, I used E:\Mechwarrior.
Copy all the files inside the "base" folder into the folder you just made. This can take a while, you're moving just over 2GbCopy all the files and folders from my patch zip into the folder that contains MW4Mercs.exe
Run patch.bat and wait for it to finish. Should only take a minute or so and will inform you as each file is patched.
Copy everything in PATCH and paste it over the contents of your Mechwarrior directory, overwriting files.
Run Mechwarrior4.regYou should now be patched and ready to play, you can delete /patch/, patch.bat and xdelta. I've done some test installations and it's worked fine, allowing me to get right in, make a player and join a multiplayer server each time.
I only have access to XP Home though so anyone with Vista or 7 may well have to look at the commands in patch.bat and run them manually if it shits itself in either OS, that or give me the money to buy a copy of 7.
Reports are that his patch works on Windows 7, so give it a try and see if it works for you.
I have mirrored the MekTek patch files that Retro-Future Rodent provided. Go forth and enjoy the bounty of MekTek's free MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries (multiplayer or singleplayer).
Ubisoft sees DRM as “vital” to success for Splinter Cell Conviction
This is really dis-hearting to see;Splinter Cell Conviction’s Maxime Béland is defending Ubisoft's "always on DRM" as vital to the success of the game. “We consider that protecting our PC games is vital to our business and will allow us to continue investing in the development of creative and innovative games on the PC platform,” even though the DRM has been nothing but failure for legitimate customers for Assasins Creed. The public has been very outspoken about Ubisoft's DRM failure and it's surprising to see that the DRM is going to stay. When you design a system that DDoS's itself, what do you expect?
As always with super restrictive DRM, it's the legit customers that get screwed. Pirates cracked the game before it was even released, although there are still some issues with Assasins Creed (the game downloads bits of data for each level). This DRM also completely destroys any First Sale rights since the game is tied permanently to your Ubisoft account. The game looks super fun, but I will wait to play it on a Xbox 360
COD Modern Warfare 2 Free Multiplayer on Steam
If you haven't played Modern Warfare 2 online multiplayer yet, this weekend is your lucky day. Steam is offering a 3 day pass to online multiplayer this weekend starting sometime today (April 8th).The game will be free to play presumably until sometime on Sunday evening; there isn't a specified starting or ending time. Check the Store section of steam for the pre-load link and start downloading.
I finally get to try out some Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer; I'm still not happy about the lack of dedicated servers but at least I can try it for free. I played the single player on the console at the local game center, but I was unimpressed with much of it: Why helllooo red jam smeared all over the screen.. why couldn't that have gone the route of L4D2 blood smears?
I'm going to give multiplayer a solid try, but I'm not expecting it to change my mind on purchasing Modern Warfare 2. Plus, I'm probably going to get rocked by all the people with their weapons unlocked.
PS3 Firmware 3.21 removes Linux support
Sony is releasing the 3.21 PS3 firmware on April 1 and it's no April fools joke: PS3 owners will lose support for Linux and the 'OtherOS' install. The PS3 3.21 firmware does nothing else-no added features, game support-it just removes functionality. Sony is citing 'security concerns' but we all know that is a codeword for piracy.SCEA's Patrick Seybold explains that the removal of said functionality is necessary "due to security concerns ... [and] will help ensure that PS3 owners will continue to have access to the broad range of gaming and entertainment content from SCE and its content partners on a more secure system." I call bullshit on this one, Sony is out to squash the OtherOS exploit before it can be used for piracy.
If you wish to keep your Yellow Dog, or any other Linux install going on your older PS3 you will have to opt out of the 3.21 firmware update. The downside is that you lose the ability to play back DRM protected video stored on a media server OR play any future PS3 titles that require the 3.21 (or higher) firmware. PS3 owners who opt out of the 3.21 firmware update also can't sign into the PlayStation Network, which means no more online play or chat.
This reminds me of the constant battle that Sony has been fighting with home brew/piracy on the PSP. It seems that they update the firmware every other day to try and they still are unable to prevent people from using the PSP how they want. It's sad to see Sony start down this path with the PS3 and removing a feature because it MAY lead to home brew or piracy. Why not let patch the exploit in a way that still allows the OtherOS?
If you are looking for how to install Linux on your PS3 before the firmware update, check out Popular Mechanics.