About AI Defenses

Each Town has several AI defense units around it, which serve as a light deterrent to surprise attacks.

Orientation

Generally, AI defenses will be found covering the main avenues of approach to any CP (choke point or objective of attack/defense, normally a city/town or an airfield) and will also cover surrounding approaches to the CP, though there are gaps in the coverage. The AI generally face N, S, E, and W and in most places are oriented to cover the road approaches. There are however some towns that have AI which face other directions. You have to keep your wits about you when you are attacking a CP, and reporting the state (up = active ... down = destroyed) and location of AI defenses to your buddies and mission and squad leaders.

Certain types of towns will have larger numbers, and higher qualities, of AI defenses. A small town may only posses a single AAA AI machine gun in the Army Base in addition to ground AI on it's perimeter, whereas a town with an airfield and docks will often be ringed with heavy flak defenses. Airfields are generally heavily defended by FlaK and even ground fire AI.

You cannot kill AI defenses with small arms fire, like rifles and machine guns. You have to blow it up. If you are attacking the defending AI you must use grenades, or the high explosive rounds from tanks and SPG's (self propelled guns like StuG's and Close Support <CS> tanks) supporting your attack. Bombs will also destroy AI defenses but not many players can be that accurate at pinpoint bombing.

When defending a CP, blown up AI defenses the enemy has eliminated can be rebuilt by your infantry engineers. This is a vital role that engineers play in defending their towns, cities and airfields. Engineers can also rebuild blown up bridges.

How AI Defenses Work

Depending on the type of AI the characteristics are different.

Anti-Air AI will detect and fire at enemy forces regardless of the direction of approach.
Anti-Tank, ship, and infantry AI will detect approaching enemy within a 70 degree arc based off of the center of direction facing.

AI Defenses have 2 ranges:

Detection Range - The AI defense will begin to 'twitch' when enemy forces enter the detection rage. This twitching can be used as an indicator that enemy forces are in the area
Engagement Range - When enemy forces enter the range of the AI weapon, it will begin to fire in the general direction of the approaching force.

When triggered the AI will randomly fire in the general direction of approaching enemy troops. While first burst hits are not common, if under fire from an AI you need to move as eventually either the AI will hit you, or enemy forces will find you based on observing the "twitching" of the AI indicating it is tracking an enemy unit not yet close enough to fire upon.

How AI Defenses are Equipped

The type of weapon used by the AI is determined by the country that owns the facility the AI is connected to. For instance, when the facility is controlled by Germany, the machine gunners will have the MG34.

Destroying and Rebuilding AI Defenses

AI can be destroyed with a grenade, HE satchel charge, HE rounds from armored vehicles, bombs, and if you are in a fighter or ground attack aircraft, you can use your heavy MGs and cannons to take it out but its quite hard and requires great accuracy and nerves of steel, crashing into the ground from your dive happens frequently.

AI can be rebuilt with the engineer by utilizing the repair kit. 1 Kit will repair 1 AI position.

Understanding WWII Online's AI Guns

They Don't Come to You - You have to walk, drive, or fly into their field of fire. Don't get mad at them, understand and avoid them.
Types of AI - There are 3 Types of AI. Anti Personal - Anti Tank - Anti Aircraft.
AI Characters - AI Characters are determined by ownership - British, French, German, or American. Weapons are all about the same.
Repairing AI - AI self repairs or can be repaired by an Engineer with a repair kit.
Death by AI - Death by AI results in killed by "Enemy Forces" in your AAR.
On Defense - Watch the AI Gunners for movement, they can alert you to an enemy presence.
On Offense - Always check the map when spawning from a Mobile Spawn as often AI positions are marked and can be avoided.
Approaching Any City - Most roads approaching cities are covered by Anti Tank and Anti Personal AI. Approaching from a 45 degree angle is usually safer, but is never guaranteed. Be watchful and help your mission mates or squad with location and status of any AI defenses you identify that are facing your attack. It's always wise when you become aware of an AI defense firing in your direction to flank around it and get outside it's arc of fire, which is limited to about 70 degrees of coverage. The closer to the AI you are the smaller this arc of coverage becomes, as it covers a cone from it's location outwards.

AI Field of Fire

Below is an image of the town of Hirson with AI field of fire zones illustrated.

Use this image to visualize the AI field of fire at any city anytime you open the map.

AI guns can always be flanked.

AI field of fire is approximately a 70 degree arc.

The Anti Personal LMG's have a range of 150 meters, the Anti tank guns are at 800 meters.

Anti Tank Gun - Green - Anti Personal LMG - Red

Identifying AI Guns on the In Game Map

The AI on the in game map is a top down view of the position. The artwork is small and difficult to make out, but is readable.

MG Tower - Look for the dark "L" shape the top of the L is the front
MG Pit 1 - Look for the dark blob on the left side
MG Pit 2 - Difficult to read this one, its 50 50 which way its pointing
AT Pit - This ones easy, very visible
AA Pit 1 - 360 degrees
AAA Pit 1 - 360 degrees
AAA Pit 2 - 360 degrees
AAA Pit 3 - 360 degrees
In the enlarged image below each of the AI and their direction of fire are indicated.

The Guns

There are currently 6 types of AI defenses in the game.


AI Types
Type	Image	Alt Type Image
Anti-Aircraft Artillery - FlaK Guns
Anti-Aircraft - Machine Gun
Anti-Personnel (machine gunners) - Tower
Anti-Personnel (Machine Gunners) - Fighting Position
Anti-Ship
Anti-Tank