Guns And Vehicles

Most vehicles have different roles in the complex, evolving battlefield. Infantry need to be transported in APCs. Aircraft can destroy tanks, but tanks can destroy antiarcraft guns, which can destroy aircraft. Light tanks can zoom along for long periods, on hit and run missions which paralyze slower vehicles and take the initiative; yet a slow, lumbering heavy tank destroyer can blast one to shreds with one shot. So the proper choice of weapon depends on your intended target.

Most tanks use the long-barreled tank cannon as a main armament. These fire small, fast shells with low flight time, out to long ranges. They do lots of prop damage, and are great against hard targets such as other tanks, bunkers, tank destroyers, etc. At long ranges, these shells are accurate but do less damage; they are useless against infantry and pass right through light targets like trucks. Therefore, most tanks also carry a small quantity of high-explosive or HEAT rounds, for use against light vehicles. Some tanks will carry an autoloading gun, to be able to quickly put out more damage & escape; or, they will carry a howitzer, which sacrifices muzzle velocity, penetration, and ammo quantity for more damage and versatility. As a secondary armament, many good tanks carry a machine-gun or autocannon, to defend against infantry and provide some measure of defense against aircraft.

Artillery usually carry howitzers as a main armament. Being designed to stand back at range, and drop lots of high explosive accurately on an enemy, artillery relies less on penetration and more on explosive power to handle targets. Not being designed to take direct fire like tanks, artillery can be larger for the same weight, and therefore carry more ammunition. Occasionally, other weapons will be used instead of the howitzer on these platforms, such as mortars firing low-angle. Either way, most artillery should be equipped primarily with HE or HEAT ammo, with a considerable quantity of antitank ammo for self defense.

Assault guns typically carry howitzers or mortars as a main armament. Like the regular artillery, these vehicles are mostly designed to attack fixed positions, so firing lots of high explosive from a light gun is a plus. Unlike artillery, range is relatively irrelevant, since they are armored to withstand direct fire. Also shell size is less relevant, since they have to carry less ammo to do the same job. Assault guns with an antitank capability will usually carry a howitzer with a lot of HEAT ammo, in order to defend themselves against tanks, but ultimately assault guns are not designed to fight tanks. Some fit a machine-gun for anti-infantry and anti-aircraft use.

Tank destroyers often carry a tank cannon like a tank would. Unlike a tank, a tank destroyer usually carries less ammunition, in order to fit a bigger gun, and more armor. Often, a tank destroyer will carry exclusively antitank ammunition, being wholly dedicated to the role of fighting tanks. These vehicles rely heavily on a lot of damage, a lot of range, and a lot of penetration to defeat enemies. Therefore, the biggest tank gun that is practical is often the best armament. Heavily armored tank destroyers often fit no high explosive, as they are armored against softer targets; lightly armored "panzerjagers" will often carry a few high explosive rounds, as they are more vulnerable to light vehicles. A machine gun is often not fitted to these vehicles, since their best defense is to hide or face their strongest armor forward. However, it would be advised to install one anyway just to defeat infantry or provide a tiny damage boost.

Antiaircraft vehicles, APCs, IFVs, and dedicated urban combat/antimech vehicles usually carry quick-firing cannons with lots of elevation, in order to provide general purpose fire support. Either a mix of HE and AP, or a dual-purpose round (APHE or HEAT), is typically the best loadout. While these vehicles are designed to handle light armor like trucks, armored cars, and similar, their best bet of survival against a tank is simply to run or exploit low-health spots. A machine gun is often unnecessary, but some IFVs will carry weapons like a mortar firing HEAT as a desperate antitank weapon, to provide some measure of combat capability if necessary.

Aircraft often rely on a combination of a quick-firing armament for strafing light targets and the top armor of heavier targets, and a low-velocity round with a lot of explosive and penetrative punch to pick off tanks and heavy vehicles. The fast-firing armament of such a vehicle is also useful for defense against other aircraft. They are immune to infantry because of their speed and range, and therefore do not need a dedicated anti-infantry weapon.

Types of weapons

Cannon

The cannon fires a small, high velocity shell far and accurately. Used on contraptions that want to penetrate stuff.

Auto-loader

The auto-loader is basically a cannon with 4-6 shells chambered. Once the shells are fired with the increased fire-rate, one must wait for a really, really long reload period.

Machine Gun

The MG fires a lot of tiny, weak bullets that hurt stuff. It is recommended to install these on almost everything, even if it's the weakest caliber, to provide yourself anti-infantry capabilities, exploiting weak spots, firing into gaps created by destroying armor and for a tiny damage boost.

Heavy Machine Gun

The heavy machine gun fires larger rounds with more explosive filler than the regular machine gun. These can be seen as "lightweight autocannons" sacrificing muzzle velocity for size and weight. They are useful for knocking out wheels, tracks, infantry, and soft targets.

Autocannon

The "older brother" of the heavy machine gun, autocannons fire at a steady rate, with higher penetration and damage. They are good for firing at aircraft and light vehicles. The heavier autocannons, despite firing slower, do a surprisingly good amount of damage for their weight.

Howitzer

These are used primarily for firing large shells relatively accurately at longer ranges. They're more accurate than mortars, but less so than tank cannons or short cannons. They can carry a good HE payload and have a modest muzzle velocity.