"Fellow MechWarriors, it is with great sadness that I must announce the end of online gaming for the MechWarrior series at the MSN Gaming Zone. Our Forum Members posted the news about a month ago to affirm what we all already knew to happen. However, I did not expect MechWarrior Mercs to be removed as well seeing that it is thier latest installment. The termination date is posted for June 19th... and it would be nice if we could have one last gathering of supporters. I've suggested we meet on June 18th since it falls on a Sunday for everyone in the United States. If you'd like more information about this then click this link. to our forums.

The deletion of MW3 was at least a year ago to which the Community adapted to playing at the MW4 rooms. Removal of the CD-Rom matchmaking rooms altogether leaves us with no options. There are some alternatives but most lack the ability for team games. GameSpy and Kali are the two main platforms of organized multiplayer gaming. Hosting your own game for team play requires giving out your IP address to those who wish to join... but is awkward without having a place for random players to meet. MechWarrior 3 has outlasted every one of its rivals because of YOU...the Community. There has been some talk of trying to emulate the equivalent of the Zone lobby... and we DO have individuals that can look into the MW3 Coding. We'll keep you posted if there is a breakthrough. Please remember we still have our Java based IRC applet if you need a place to meet. We are registered with GameSurge at irc.us.gamesure.net/#mech3.

Could this be the end? How many people actually play the game anyway? What's the point? The fact is that MechWarrior 3 was many people's first taste of online multiplayer gaming. It's style of play was ahead of its time. We all like to remember "first times" like that and they hold a special place in our mind. In fact, we compare all future experiences to that "best time" from the past. Isn't that worth saving? The Community may only be a handful... but as long as there are people out there who want to play... MechWarrior 3 shall continue. However, for those who have moved on to bigger, better and faster games, please remember us. There is always a place for a MechWarrior Veteran at our Forums. To those who are about to leave our Halls... I bid you farewell and THANK YOU for all the support you've shown in the past. Mech3.org will still be here, patiently waiting for that next visit. You will always be welcome here.

Feel free to contact the administrator for any additional information. All emails are replied to promptly. And visit our FORUMS!!!"

Last years large scale Zone wide update had resulted in the loss of five MechWarrior 3 gaming lobbies... which included the Pirate's Moon lobby. Despite the rumors of MW3's demise... the two current lobbies still remain. The MW3 Gamers pulled together and over 300 signatures on a petition were gathered for "Operation Damocles" and "Mech III Tournament". The last request we petitioned for was denied because of the tremendous backlog of updates to be done. Well, finally... we now have what we asked for. The "Mech III Tournament" now has full tournament room capabilities which will allow us once again host some friendly competitions.

We already have to events on the drawing board. A MechWarrior 3 Trivia Night and later in December we'll be having a Christmas BBQ where we hope to fill our last two lobbies to max capacity. Please join us for some fun as the year winds down... who knows..maybe we'll have a New Year's Game-O-Rama and bring in 2005 with a blast of UAC 20s!!! Check back with us for more updates.