Hello all, I have uploaded a copy of my control scheme file into the "Resources" section, along with an overview of how it all works.

I find that having the right control scheme can make a world of difference to what is possible in a speedrun, so hopefully this makes things easier and more enjoyable.

Great question, I've uploaded my keyboard scheme into the "resources" section, along with a bit of an explanation as to how it works. The default scheme was a bit of a mess and there are absolutely easier ways to do it!

That last second really is a perfect run, at least as far as things go currently. I've done countless 2:01s, but maybe 3 2:00s. All I can see in it is getting the MFB order in at the earliest possible moment, and then making sure they have no obstacles on the way to the nav point. I'm sure you know this, but the elementals and other enemy units aren't actually needed to complete the objective, I just kill them to make sure they don't get in the way.

Something I did notice was the way the enemy AI weren't attacking the nav point. I saw you give an order to the lancemate, what order was it? Have you tested using the nav points/lancemate commands to bait the enemy AI? I've definitely seen it replicated by other players, and while it was obviously OK here it's a pretty important part of some of the other missions, so I'd want to make sure it works properly for you.

Makes sense, but remember there's no expectation of continuity between missions on the IL leaderboard, so don't feel a need to do anything like that just for the sake of the run.

Congrats on the WR! The frustrating part of this mission is the MFB pathing being a bit hit and miss. I've found that they seem to be quite consistent in their travel times, unless they encounter an obstacle which they will then try to avoid. This can be an active enemy unit, a downed mech etc.

I'd be curious to see if it's possible to shave some time off by ignoring the M4 objectives and instead completely clearing the path of all enemy units. You don't "need" to kill any of the enemies to complete the mission, and they'll never actually destroy an MFB, but I have had the MFB get stuck on a tank at least twice before haha

Going by the 2 runs you've posted, your positioning for the 2nd platform seems a little different to mine. You seem further to the left, whereas I'm more in the middle of the lake. It actually looks like being further left might be more reliable in terms of making sure the shots land, but getting to that position takes more time.

Congrats on the WR! I tried so hard to get sub 40 on this one. I think it might just be possible, but it might depend on timing all the LRM shots as effectively as possible to avoid overheating slowdown. Also, love that you were dumbfiring them, but stressed me out when some of the final salvo hit the bridge!

Pretty much perfect APC kills, awesome job!

I like your use of the radar as well. I think its an extremely useful tool. I have mine set to show the map, which is a big help for me as it shows what direction the feet are pointing. I find that really useful for finding direct paths.

Agree that this is definitely on pace for a sub-1:10. Congrats on getting the first 2 APCs. There's a lot of luck involved, but the opportunity is definitely there. And nice work on hitting that other APC at close range with the LRMs before it turned and ran off. Once they move away from those starting positions, they get really hard to predict. Have lost plenty of runs on that.

The 2nd missile platform is in a really odd spot and gave me lots of problems in trying to consistently land the LRMs around the terrain, so I appreciate how challenging that one can be.

Nice work Prox, excited to see you jumping into running MW3!

Congrats Eric! Taking 30 minutes off a PB is no joke, can't wait to see what comes next!

(Note: Time edited to full fun time to align with category rules.)

Hi all,

With the discovery of the 0 second O4M2 it has become necessary to introduce a "No Early Objectives" category to the Individual Level leaderboard.

This category will only be relevant for missions where the Early Objectives exploit can be used, such as O1M4, O4M2, O4M5, and any others that are discovered.

Please reach out if there are any questions.

Hi all,

I'd like to bring some more speedrunning attention to MechWarrior 3: https://www.speedrun.com/mechwarrior_3 This was a significant game from my childhood that I decided to revisit last year, and then also thought it would be worth looking into speedruning.

The game has fluid movement and lots of customisation, that gives runners many different ways to approach each mission, with categories for both the full game speedrun and individual levels.

This video demonstrates various strategies used:

How to install and run the game:

I also recently discovered a way to achieve a 0 second speedrun:

Hi all,

I have twice now encountered instances where the game runs at a significantly increased speed:

I'm unsure of if this is a hardware glitch, an error with the timing fix used to run the game, or something similar, or if it is a genuine bug/glitch that can be replicated and exploited.

I have no idea what caused this to take place - both times, it occurred from just loading into a mission as per normal, with nothing to suggest there was anything out of the ordinary.

My current thinking is that a run should not include this increased speed, unless it can be explained, understood and replicated. I don't think it would be good to have runs determined something completely beyond the runners control. (Please keep in mind that standard rules apply, externally modifying the game is not permitted - everything must take place in game).

Of course this is open for discussion, posting here for transparency and awareness. Thanks all, ~FG

Times from the 2008 SDA run have now been posted. It's great to see the way strategies change over time. Those runs are really well played - before I figured out the O4M6 strategy that works for me, I tried running the UAC20 strat and struggled to get anywhere near that time.

That's part of the speedrunning appeal for me - finding new ways to approach the problem!

Greetings all! I'm very pleased to say that MechWarrior 3 now has now been updated with a ruleset and Individual Level (IL) leaderboard!

The purpose of this update is to make the game more accessible for new runners. The ruleset is simple and provides the guidance needed for a runner to get started, while the IL leaderboard provides a runners with a more palatable way to run the game.

These rules are always open for query and discussion - my objective here is to help others enjoy running MechWarrior 3.

Please reach out at any time, no matter the question. Hope to see more runs on the board in the new year! Cheers all, ~FG

Hi all, earlier this year I put together a segment run so that I could work on finding the optimal strategy for each mission.

Check it out:

Comparing mission times between this and my current WR time, the segmented run is about 3 minutes quicker, which shows there are WR improvements possible. Pulling it off in a live run is the where the challenge really lies, but still serves as an example of what could be possible.

Hi Chad, I'm here.

Started running Mechwarrior 3 a few months ago. Have put a few on the board. Am currently working on a segmented run, just to see how far the game can be pushed, then will probably go back for another full game attempt.

I love how many variables there are in MW3 speedrunning. So many different ways to approach it, with different mech / weapon combinations etc.

And of course, there aren't really any glitches at play. That could always blow things wide open, if anything was to come up.