Where to Spawn?
For new players, the most important question is, "how do I find the fighting". Here is a brief rundown of the current user interface, and how to find where to spawn.
MAIN MAP:
Here you see an overview of Europe. You can use the zoom keys to get a closer view. The yellow rectangle is the area of the map that you will zoom into if you zoom to the next level. Here is a close-up of the zoom buttons.
The red (flashing) dots show where fighting is taking place, so you'll want to zoom into those areas.
The "MISSIONS" button will show you a list of all the missions posted. In order to spawn into the game, you must choose a mission. However, this missions button is rarely used, since it is just a straight list of all the mission currently posted. Most people like to find the location they want to spawn into on the map, and then look at the different spawn facilities for missions posted there.
The "CITY SEARCH" field is simply a place to find a specific city. As you type, there will be a list of all the cities that match the current letters you've typed in. If you select one of those cities and are zoomed in on the map, the map will center on that city.
When you look around the map, you'll see certain icons over some cities. Here is what each of them mean:
This will show on enemy cities that the High Command has put an Attack Objective on. No facilities can be captured in an enemy city unless it has an Attack icon on it. These are cities you want to attack. Attack Objectives can also be put on bridges by High Command. You can destroy bridges only if they have one of these Attack icons on it. Use bombers and sappers (engineers) to destroy bridges.
This will show on friendly cities that the opposing High Command has put an Attack Objective on. No facilities can be captured by the enemy in a friendly city unless it has the Defend icon on it. These are cities you want to defend. Attack Objectives can also be put on bridges by the enemy High Command. The enemy can only destroy bridges that have a defend icon on it. You can use sappers (engineers) to repair damaged/destroyed bridges.
This icon will show up on a city that is not entirely under the control of the country that owns it. This means that one of the facilities in the city has fallen into enemy hands.
This icon will show up when the defenders of a city have declared it overrun by the enemy. If it's a friendly city, be wary of spawning into that city, as you will face overwhelming enemy units. If you see this icon on an enemy city, you may want to go there to help stomp out the last bit of enemy resistance. If you feel the city you are defending has been overrun, bring up your chat and type: .overrun
This icon will show on cities that have been overrun and the defender's High Command have decided to pull all of their supply out of. That supply will trickle into their surrounding cities. If you are attacking a city that is falling back, you'll want to capture all of the facilities as quickly as possible in order to gain ownership of the city. The enemy will often counter-attack and regain the city.
This icon will show on cities that have been overrun and the defender's High Command have decided to Hold at All Costs. This means to use every last unit to keep the enemy from gaining control of the city.
SPECIALTY CITIES:
Some cities have special resources available to them. They are indicated by an icon next to the city. These are:
Air Force: This city has an airfield which can spawn fighters and tactical bombers.
Air Force (Bombers): This city has an airfield which can spawn fighters, tactical bombers as well as medium/heavy bombers. Heavier bombers are generally used the same as the tactical bombers, but they are also useful in bombing enemy production facilities (see FACILITIES below).
Paratroopers: Some cities which have an airfield will have the paratrooper icon as well. For these cities, the airfield will be able to spawn transport planes, and the Army Base near that airfield will be able to spawn paratroopers.
Navy: This city has a naval dock which can spawn fairmiles. A city can have multiple docks. If the dock is located in deep water (not a river), then the dock can also spawn transport vessels.
Navy (Destroyers): This city has a naval dock which can spawn fairmiles, transports and destroyers.
FACILITIES:
When you select a city on the main map, you'll see all of the facilities in that city, and a flag representing the person who owns that facility. There are check boxes to the left of the map for facility types. They are Civilian, Army, Airforce, Navy, and Depots. You will only see a facility on the map if it's category is checked.
Airfield: This is the location to spawn air units. To spawn a unit at the AF, select it and click the Next button (or double-click it). You must have Air checked to see these on the map.
Naval Dock: This is a location to spawn navy units. To spawn a unit at the dock, select it and click the Next button (or double-click it). You must have Navy checked to see these on the map.
Army Base: This is a location to spawn ground units (infantry, guns and vehicles). To spawn a unit at the AB, select it and click the Next button (or double-click it). You must have Army checked to see these on the map.
Forward Base (or Fire Base): This is a location to spawn ground units (infantry, guns and vehicles). They exist between friendly and enemy cities. These facilities can be destroyed by sappers (engineers). There is one location per side between the city for the FB. Only one country can own the FB between cities. To spawn a unit, select it and click the Next button (or double-click it). You must have Army checked to see these on the map.
Example of an FB:
Depot: This is a location to spawn infantry units. To spawn a unit, select it and click the Next button (or double-click it). You must have Depots checked to see these on the map. You can also use depots to spawn in enemy cities. Look here: Depot Spawning (that page was made before the addition of Attack Objectives, so keep that in mind when you read it).
Civilian Facility: These are usually city flags, brewerys, factories, etc. You cannot spawn units from these facilities. They have no strategic value, other than the fact that you must own every flag in a city in order to have full control of that city. You must have Civilian checked to see these on the map.
Production Facility: These factories produce resource points for their country. You cannot spawn units from these facilities. Resource points are used by the High Command to develop new units, as well as increase production on current units in the field. These factories can be bombed by the enemy, resulting in lower resource points until it's repaired (automatically). They can also be captured (but not used) by the enemy. Factory production status can be seen in the World at War virtual newspaper on the main www.wwiionline.com page. To see production status for a side, take the link for either Axis or Allied. The resource system is typically called RDP for "Resource Development and Production".
Bridge: This is a bridge going across a river. You cannot spawn units from this facility. You must have Civilian checked to see these on the map. Bombers and sappers (engineers) can destroy bridges. Sappers can repair bridges.
MOBILE SPAWNING:
Mobile Spawning allows players to spawn trucks and deploy near enemy facilities. Infantry units can then spawn directly at that truck's location. You can find MS missions at Army Bases (ABs) and Forward Bases (FBs). When you see a mission with a green truck icon next to it, that mobile spawn is deployed and ready for troops to spawn from it.
However, this mission also acts as a normal mission, and you can choose not to spawn from the MS, but from the original location (FB or AB). After you select the mission and your unit type, you will have the following options.
To spawn from the original location, click the normal Launch button. To spawn from the MS location, click the mobile spawn launch. If you do not choose an infantry unit, the MS launch button will not be available.