LOS/LOF through trees

[SlowMotion]

While playing version 1.01 I have several times seen cases where a tank thinks it has LOS/LOF and starts firing and hits a tree. To me it seemed obvious that a tree is blocking view. So, is this a bug or is the tank smart enough to destroy the tree first and this way achieve LOF?

Here is a screenshot which shows one such case. The whole Sherman tank is behind several trees, yet target line is red and tank's gunner is in Aiming state.

[A Canadian Cat]

Yeah sometimes the target line can be drawn but there is no shot. The more trees the more likely it is to happen. I usually let my tank gunners pick their own targets and they seem to know when there is no point in shooting at an enemy even though they can see him.

If its just a few trees or one tree then they will often make a slight adjustment to compensate. Just this morning I was watching a turn where an M10 was taking pot shots at a panther. The first shot bounced off the front armor high into the sky (I have seen that a lot). The gunner adjusted a bit and the second shot hit a tree that was between them. Then the gunner adjusted again and this time managed to hit the gun off a ricochet. Fourth shot was the same (man I really hope that gun is wrecked, really really hope:-).

Just because you can see the target doesn't mean a round is going to make it all the way to your target. Some times the coverage is so thing there is no point in taking the shot. From what you have pictured above it looks like one of those times.

[SlowMotion]

In this case I think the tank crew selected their target on their own. During commands phase I started checking what some units were doing and noticed this case. It seems to me visibility to target is totally blocked, at least on computer screen. No idea how the game simulates visibility through things that are partly visible, like trees or fences.

[YankeeDog]

In this case I think the tank crew selected their target on their own. During commands phase I started checking what some units were doing and noticed this case. It seems to me visibility to target is totally blocked, at least on computer screen. No idea how the game simulates visibility through things that are partly visible, like trees or fences.

From what I can tell, it seems that foliage is one of the areas of the game where LOS is still somewhat abstracted and things are not completely WYSIWYG. Foliage like tree canopies definitely degrades LOS for units in the game, but you can't assume the view you see on the screen is *exactly* what your units can see.

Sometimes, if you put the camera on the position of the gun, your view of a given enemy units is completely obscured by the tree canop(ies) or whatever, but the pixelgunner looking through the gunsight is able to gain LOS/LOF.

[slysniper]

if it gives you line that they can view the enemy, look to see how close you are to tree trunks with the line. I find the shot will normally be successful if no tree trunks are close to the line, if you are barely missing the trunks, then most of the time the shell will hit the tree and explode, not worth taking the risk.

If it is only one tree trunk that is close to your path, you might try it, but expect a few rounds hitting the tree before maybe one sneaks through.

[LongLeftFlank]

This is partly a map design issue; frankly, tanks should not normally be able to pull in behind stands of mature trees and fight through them in summer. Low branches and thickets of smaller trees on the edge of the wood would make LOS largely impossible. Keyholing through a gap is a different matter. An AFV in a fighting position in woodlands is generally concealed in brush, not sitting amid trees; the latter is a hiding place from air power. There are exceptions, sure, but not the rule.