r/MercenariesGames

TL;DR: Point MLoader at the server below and multiplayer works again over the internet. Or drop in my Merc2Fix.asi to permanently fix it without needing MLoader at all, and as a bonus get access to the dev cheat menu and the game's Lua API for very basic modding/scripting.

Mercenaries 2 was a favorite of mine growing up, but I didn't have internet at the time, so I never got to try co-op. A couple of decades later it sounded like a fun game to revisit, but multiplayer had been broken for a very long time. TeknoGods released a server emulator ages ago, but it needed weird VPN setups to make the game think other players were on your LAN. Fine if you knew what you were doing, miserable otherwise.

Using the old server as a starting point, I updated it and reintroduced missing features so the game runs properly over the open internet. No VPN tricks, no LAN fakery. Just connect and play.

While I was in there I also got the game's embedded Lua scripting engine wired up to a local REPL. Big thanks to u/Kunster_ for this post pointing me at the Lua registration-table patch technique, that single hint unblocked everything: https://www.reddit.com/r/MercenariesGames/comments/1ufm2d1/mercenaries_2_pc_cheat_menu/

The dev cheat menu (Cheat.DisplayOptions) opens in-game, and I've already mapped out a few engine functions to use as a base for actual scripting use, the functions are only presumed at this stage. Documentation is in the repo.

How to use it:

Easy install (recommended): download the release, drop Merc2Fix.asi and dxwrapper.dll (d3d9.dll) into your Mercenaries 2 install folder, launch the game normally. No MLoader needed.

MLoader users: point MLoader at 51.81.177.161 and you're done.

Hosting note: until I finish the relay update (this coming weekend), hosts need to forward UDP 10000. Joining clients don't have to do anything, only the host. After the relay ships, even that goes away ideally.

I've updated the server to act as a relay for the UDP p2p connection, port forwarding is no longer required to host or join.

At the moment, to connect to a friend, use the "Find a friend" button, and enter their exact username. Accounts are tied to username only, no password as no data is stored on the server aside from basic connection info.

To create an account, simply enter a username (This becomes a locked field changeable via the ini file) and any password, then hit login. No need to create account, the password is not saved and does not matter, just needs to be something.

This is still a very early release of the server, its functioning for me and a friend, but I cant promise it will for anyone else, ideally the port issue will be resolved this weekend to remove the last barrier to entry, though anyone wanting to try it is free to experiment.

Links:

GitHub: https://github.com/loganw234/Mercenaries2

Happy to answer questions that I can. Just keep in mind, all this is new to me as well, I just liked the game as a kid.