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Hawken Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I have question so and so, or some idea or some bug ... etc
A: Use the forum search function FIRST, most likely it has been asked, discussed or polled before

Q: I'm having issue so and so with the game
A: Checklist of things to do:
Repair install (cog button in the launcher)
Re-install
Search forums
If its not on the forums, make a post or even better file a support ticket
Q: My password doesn't work ingame or in the launcher. Why? and how do i fix it?
A: Sometimes special characters may muck up passwords. Login to the playhawen.com website and reset your password to something that doesn't have special characters (but make sure its a strong password) and try again with the new password. Otherwise contact Support

Q: What are the minimum required specs for Hawken?
A: Check this thread out by the devs: http://community.pla...m-requirements/

Q: Can I run Hawken on a Mac/will it be available on Mac?
A: Currently no. People have been successful with Wine or BootCamp, or other Windows emulation software(?), but it may not work. Check the Useful Threads List

Q: What happened to advanced graphics options?
A: They're currently disabled. They'll be back soon, but for now you can tweak your INI files. Refer to the useful thread list. Just a few warnings: tweaking INI's is not supported by the devs, backup your original files, and ONLY modify the files in Documents\My Games\Hawken\HawkenGame\Config not your install directory

Q: When I hit F10 my game freezes, what's going on?
A: F10 takes a tiled, high resolution, high quality screenshot in unreal engine. You can alt tab to unfreeze the game. Better still, you can disable the command all together, check out the settings and console commands section

Q: The "[insert name here].dll is missing" error is occurring, what is going on and how can I fix it?
A: It depends on while file is missing.
if it is MSVCP100.dll, you need to reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 using either of the following links (it depends on if you're running 32bit or 64bit windows
x86 (32 bit only):
http://www.microsoft...on.aspx?id=5555
x64 (64 bit only):
http://www.microsoft...n.aspx?id=14632
If its another dll, check the following link:
https://playhawken.z...ssing-dll-file:

Q: is there an NDA?
A: Alpha is still under NDA. Closed beta onwards, no. Post away!

Q: What is the difference between Meteor Credits (MC) and Hawken Points(HP)?
A: MC is based on real money and can be used to purchase things. This includes body parts exclusively. Hawken Points are gained ingame by playing the game, and can be used to purchase anything except for body parts (which are cosmetic only)

Q: Is Hawken Pay 2 Win?
A: No. People have been calling it pay 2 not grind though. Most useful things (items, etc) can be purchased with ingame Currency (HP). Body parts which are cosmetic only, is the only thing that can only be purchased with real money (meteor credits)

Q: What is required to be successful at Hawken?
A: The answer is simple, experience. Experience can be transferred to any mech unlike other things. You play the game long enough, you get better at it. Simple right!?

Q: What happened to the server browser?
A: It has currently been disabled to test and improve matchmaking. Devs will re-enable it shortly

Q: Will my account be wiped/will I lose everything after open beta?
A: Nope. Your mechs, items, etc are here to stay. There will be no wipes from now on. OB can be considered as the game going "live"

Q: If I buy the same mech more than once, will my XP, items, etc carry over?
A: Nope. Its like having another mech completely. Nothing transfers over and you gotta purchase anything you want/need again. Best not to buy the same one twice IMO

Q: What is up with mech trial/rental mechs?
A: This is a generic question because there's a lot of things to note about trial mechs.
You get to use the mech
you cannot customize it
you keep the EXP gained from it until you purchase it
Q: What is the difference between the Recruit (CR-T Recruit) Assault and the normal Assault Mechs?
A: The recruit mech is the starter mech for all players, the Assault has to be purchased. The differences are the cosmetics (they have different bodies), weapon loadouts, and internals. The recruit mech starts off with 'rookie internals' also

Q: What are rookie internals?
A: Internals that have no drawback to have active on your mech. Normal internals have some downside.

Q: Whats up with Vanguard Initiative (VI), Closed Beta (CB) and Alpha bonuses, why haven't I received it yet?
A: VI bonuses for now only apply to the Vanguard Cupcake mech only. Once account based inventory has been implemented, the skins, repair drone, and thrusters will be available. As for CB and Alpha, they'll be coming shortly also, when account based inventory is done

Q: Do purchasable items (items, internals, weapons, mech parts) apply to every mech I have?
A: No, they only apply to a single mech and you have to buy them for each mech you want it on. The devs currently do not have account based unlocks.

Q: Why isn't the Shift+S Combo a reverse thrust instead of a 180 degree turn?
A: Here's the old thread on it: http://community.pla...c-reverse-dash/
Elix, on December 15 2012 - 06:23 PM, said:
You're going to have to come up with some pretty extraordinary arguments as to why backwards boosting should be added to Hawken, because every previous attempt has failed.

Let me tell you exactly why there should not be backwards boosting: You can retreat while still keeping your crosshairs on your enemy. That's not how you retreat. You should not be rewarded for reckless, unstrategic behaviour (charging into a pile of enemies) with the ability to just rip right back out from the pack with your guns trained on them the whole time.
And:
AsianJoyKiller, on November 21 2012 - 02:32 PM, said:
Been discussed since Alpha.

The consensus is always no.

Want to know why?

The reverse dash mechanic is one that reduces how much thought you have to put into movement and making sure you're well positioned. If you accidentally run into a ambush, you can easily back dash to remove yourself immediately and place distance between you. It also trivializes close quarters combat play, as it allows you to continuously back away from a CQC class without having to turn your back on them, all while being able to periodically fire at them. When you learn to think about your positioning more, and don't overextend, you'll find you never need a back dash.

There's also the fact that it trivializes the skill of those who use 180 retreat tactics.

Q: Why does the mouse feel weird when turning your mech/is there negative mouse acceleration in the game?
A: There is none. Its a turn rate cap:
[ADH]Deuy said:
Hawken has a cap on turn speed, in other words you can't turn your character as fast as you can move your mouse.  The max turn speed is a lot lower than most FPS games. This is in an attempt to simulate being in the cockpit of a huge machine, rather than feeling like a human spinning around.

A lot of people mistake this for negative mouse acceleration.  In fact, when you flick your mouse to the side quickly you are indeed turning at the max speed cap, however you are only turning for a short moment because your mouse move was so fast (it ended quickly).  When you move the mouse slower you can still turn at that same max speed cap, but you will be able to continue turning much farther because you're moving the mouse for a longer period of time. 

You aren't being punished for moving your mouse faster, the mechs simply can't turn that fast and will stop turning when your mouse isn't moving.  We tested having the mech "remember" your mouse movement and attempt to "catch up" to that motion, but this made the controls feel laggy and unresponsive.  It was also a bit nauseating for a lot of people. 

Hope that clears up some confusion.

P.S. -  I personally asked an engineer to check on this based off the feedback from older threads.  He looked into the code extensively and the info above is based off his testing.  We even added a turn speed indicator to the hud for the Open Beta build of the game.  You can see when you've hit the max speed cap now.  The speed cap is hit right away with quick mouse movements and then drops off instantly.  If you try moving your mouse very fast for a longer period of time (like dragging it quickly across the whole length of your desk) it's very difficult to not mix in up and down aim movement rather than just turning.  I think this gives the impression that you just can't turn as fast as when you move the mouse slowly.


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