Technical stuff

What software do I need to run MegaMek?
MegaMek will run on any operating system that can run a Java Virtual Machine, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Your computer might already have Java installed, but it is probably a good idea to get an up-to-date version, even if it is installed.  The primary reason that MegaMek will not run on some computers is that Java is either not installed or not up-to-date.

How do I install and run MegaMek?
MegaMek comes in a zip file. You will need to unzip it using an appropriate unzipping utility. For example, you could use 7-Zip or WinZip on windows. Simply unzip MegaMek into the directory of your choice.

The standard distribution comes with two ways of running MegaMek. A windows exectutable file, and a jar file. Mac OS X users can start the program simply by double-clicking on the MegaMek.jar file. You can also start the program from the command line with this command:

java -jar MegaMek.jar &

Why can’t I host a game?
If you are hosting a game over the internet, and other people cannot connect to your address, then you probably have port forwarding disabled in your router. You will need to allow port forwarding from the router to your computer on the port that MegaMek is using (2346, by default). How to do this will vary depending upon what type of set up you have for connecting with the internet. Check the instructions for your router. You can also try portforward.com, which has instructions on how to forward ports for many routers.

Features/Development

How do I submit a bug or learn about the known bugs?
Bugs are listed in the bug tracker on the project page. For your bug to be at its most useful, you should be able to describe it accurately, and preferably, you should be able to describe how to reproduce the bug. Please include the megameklog.txt file from your game when submitting bugs.

How do I submit my suggestion or idea for a new feature?
Similar to the bug tracker, there’s a feature requests tracker, also on the project page.

When will rule/feature X be supported?
The developers work on MegaMek as a hobby. This is nice for us, since we enjoy it, and nice for you since we’re able to give you this program for free. However, it means the only honest answer to this question is that we’ll work on rule/feature X when it interests us. If this isn’t fast enough..

Can I join the MegaMek developers?
Certainly! MegaMek is open source and anybody is welcome to contribute. A great way to get involved is to fix a bug or implement a new feature, and submit your patch to the patches section on the project page. Organization is fairly informal at present. If you want to make sure you’re not duplicating someone else’s work, you might post a message in the forums to announce your interest, but otherwise, go wild.

I am not a developer. Is there any other way I can help?
How would you like to help?  Are you good with Art? Writing documentation?  If you like playing best, submitting accurate and complete bug reports is always a big help.

Misc

Are the dice conspiring against me?
Short answer: No. Long answer: The dice use the standard Java random number generation routines. You can find them described in the Sun documentation.

The same routine is used for every dice roll in the game. These routines have been tested, and they behave as closely as possible to real dice as is possible on a computer. To put it another way, every time the virtual die is rolled, it stands a one-in-six chance of generating each number, one through six.