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Understanding how vision mechanics works – when tanks become visible to you and when you become visible to the enemy – is one of the most important and least understood elements of the game. Those who do not understand vision mechanics are preyed upon by those that do. I hope to help promote a better understanding of vision mechanics among new players and to explain some of the most common misunderstandings. There have been endless posts on the forums which demonstrate that players do not have a good understanding of vision mechanics and the same questions and complaints are endlessly raised.
This guide is intended to provide a basic overview which illuminates the essentials in an easily absorbed manner. There are lots of other guides, including on Youtube, that provide a lot more detail. Most of the info for this post is drawn from this (somewhat dated) wiki article http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Battle_Mechanics#Spotting_Mechanics, personal experience and past discussions on the forums.
First, some basic terms:
- Spotting Range – The maximum range in meters at which you will spot a particular enemy if you have line of sight. It is determined by a formula based on your View Range and your opponent’s Camo Factor, and is capped at 445m.. A simplified version of the formula is: SR = VR * (1 - CF) , or 445m, which ever is less.
- View Range – a variable in the Spotting Range formula which is determined by the base View Range of your tank and modified by crew skills, consumables and equipment. There is no theoretical (but there is a practical) limit to View Range. It is expressed in meters and higher is better.
- Camo Factor– a variable in the Spotting Range formula that is determined by the base camo rating of the tank, modified by crew skills, consumables and equipment, as well as the environment (eg bushes). It is expressed as a percentage or a fraction, with better camo being represented as as higher percentage or fraction.
- Draw Range (sometimes called render range) – the maximum distance at which your client will draw spotted vehicles on your display. It is determined by your graphics settings and map size, but the maximum value is 564m. You should maximize this in your settings.
- Radio range – the distance you can reach with your radio. If the sum of the radio range of two allied vehicles is less than their distance apart, they can communicate target information to one another. Radio range is affected by the radio mounted and crew skills.
Simply put, an enemy tank will be rendered on your screen – be visible to you - if it has been spotted by you, or by an ally in radio range, and it is within your Draw Range. You will spot an enemy vehicle yourself if it is within your Spotting Range and you have line of sight.
There are a few considerations. Vehicles stay ‘lit’ or spotted for a period of time – generally about 10 seconds – after they are no longer within the Spotting Range of any allied tank. After that they disappear from view. You can ‘proxy’ spot or be spotted, if an enemy vehicle is within 50m of you, regardless of cover and camo, even through solid obstacles.
The Camo Factor is dynamic, it changes during play. Camo nets only start working after 3 seconds after coming to a halt. Camo is reduced if you move your hull, but not your turret, unless you are a light tank. Bushes provide varying degrees of camo. Firing your gun dramatically reduces your own camo value and the camo provided by nearby bushes (within 15m) is negated.
A few common points of confusion:
- Having an enemy vehicle within your View Range does not mean you will spot it. You must have line of sight and it must be within your Spotting Range, that is, you must overcome its camo.
- A View Range greater than the 445m Spotting Range cap is still of value, as it will offset the impact of your opponent's Camo Factor on your Spotting Range, per the formula.
- Being in or behind a bush does not mean you will go unspotted if you fire. Firing reduces your camo value and that of nearby (within 15m) bushes.
- You will not necessarily spot an enemy that fires on you. Its camo is reduced by firing, not eliminated, so it may remain outside your Spotting Range. Also, it may be completely outside your View Range or more than 445m away - which means you can never spot it regardless of its Camo Factor - but within the 564m Draw Range, permitting you to be visible to it. These are the invisible tanks.
- Tanks sitting in the open can disappear, even if they are within your View Range. If they have been outside your Spotting Range, or that of an allied vehicle, for 10 or so seconds, they will simply disappear even if just sitting, or moving, in the open.
- The ‘sixth sense’ commander’s perk only kicks in after 3 seconds, so you can be spotted and shot before it goes off. As long as you remain spotted, it will not go off again. You may think you have gone dark, but are mistaken, and are surprised to take fire without sixth sense tripping again.
- You can be fired upon even if you are unspotted. Blind firing known locations, or where trees etc are knocked over, is very much a thing.
I hope this guide helps. I’d be happy to edit to reflect useful comments and additions. For more info and detail, much of which is glossed over or not addressed here, see the wiki page linked above, or the many other guides available.
GLHF
Edited by MiddleAgedNoob, Jan 14 2019 - 21:39.
