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derac
This is cool, maybe "target left arm" implies that it's your left, when targetting them and you're facing each other. So, their right arm.
20k
Oh man this was my biggest pet peeve with mechcommander as a kid, thanks for fixing it!
pkhuong
If you need a compact byte -> bit lookup table on x86, consider using the memory form of the bit test (BT) instruction.
golden-face
Great writeup! Vividly remember this being a thing especially in multiplayer. What was that janky match matching service, MSN something?

Also a really underrated game, the mechanics (line of sight over the horizon stuff) and isometric graphics were pretty cool for the time and it had a well developed story/campaign mode.

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protocolture
I really need to put some of these techniques to the test with Metal Fatigue.
tangenter
I wish they would release MC1 source the way they did with MC2.
Night_Thastus
Now let's see this working for Darkest Hours. ;)

(Assuming they didn't fix it themselves, it is a pretty big overhaul to MC1)

99% sure it should work fine for (Exodus and Turncoat), (X-Ray and DSC Raid), and (Xenocide and Bengal Lancers) since those are just custom campaigns.

Lovely stuff. Always a joy to see anything MechWarrior related end up here on HN.

MHLoppy
As far as I know even DH is still only modifying the game at the data files level, not the "actual code" level (with the exclusion of the resolution edits).

So probably the fix for the left arm bug will work fine for DH or any of RizZen's other campaigns, but because of the new weapons I wouldn't bother using the weapon classification fix unless you revise the fix to match the modded weapons (which is unlikely to be worth the effort tbh).

blobbers
I never played this game! I didn't realize there was a RTS after Crescent Hawk's revenge. I'm looking at the MC2 source code now... it looks like there is a Linux port, meaning could probably get it working for Apple using Fable 5, AI haters, I will challenge you to a batchall.
toast0
I wonder if the board game materials have rules or guidance about where equipment goes? I dunno how close the computer games stick to the board game materials though.
iamacyborg
Dear god I loved this game when it came out. It was hard.
close04
It just hit me, in 2026, that MeshCommander [1] (the Intel AMT remote management tool) is probably a homage naming after MechCommander.

Came here excited that MeshCommander is maintained again.

[1] https://github.com/Ylianst/MeshCommander

efromvt
I wonder if all those different heavy shenanigans are just to get the hollander's gauss/hunchback autoconnon in the right torso by default.

(original Mechcommander is still the best of the series, even if mission 5 broke my soul for awhile).

srean
I have forever been confused by 'left' and 'right'. It takes me a few seconds of deliberate thinking to get it right.

So in one of my first piece of software that I wrote for real money I had two functions. One called create_scene_left(), the other called create_scene_rght().

I was very pleased with myself for sneaking in creating_a_scene, but the left and right versions did the opposite of what their names indicated. Users of the software had no problems, but I am sure it would confuse any maintainer.

It even took me an year to even realize that the names were wrong.

M95D
> Mantis targets 64-bit Windows systems and requires .NET 8 or higher to run.

So, it won't work on the same retro PC as the game.