Line of Sight?

[ViscountHill]

I'm a bit confused about how LoS really works. I'm not sure to know when and why a particular unit can be seen by the enemy or not. When I select a unit and use the tool LoS/LoF I can see some darker areas, but in different shades of grey. What is the difference between dark and darker areas? I'm sorry if this is explained at the manual but I am not able to find it. If so, please tell me where.

thanks

[rbodleyscott]

I'm a bit confused about how LoS really works. I'm not sure to know when and why a particular unit can be seen by the enemy or not. When I select a unit and use the tool LoS/LoF I can see some darker areas, but in different shades of grey. What is the difference between dark and darker areas? I'm sorry if this is explained at the manual but I am not able to find it. If so, please tell me where.

The LOS tool only shows what your unit can see. It does not show you whether your unit can be seen by enemy.

The areas that are dark when LOS is not toggled on are areas that none of your units can see.

The grey squares that appear when you toggle the LOS tool on are the squares that the selected unit cannot see. The darker areas are where this coincides with an area that none of your units can see.

[ViscountHill]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the quick answer. I'm finding out the management of this forum is great.

Yes, I assumed LOS tool does not show if a unit can be seen by the enemy, but I was trying to use the tool to find out the reason why a particular area is seen by any unit.

Now I understand the meaning of the two different shades of grey. Still, I have some doubts. For instance, using the tool this way it seems although hills have the look of a plateau in which all areas are the same high, in fact any unit in any area of a hill can see around its position as if in a "summit". I mean, a unit can be placed in one border of a hill and still is able to see what is beyond the other side of the hill a couple or many tiles away. Is that right?

[rbodleyscott]

Now I understand the meaning of the two different shades of grey. Still, I have some doubts. For instance, using the tool this way it seems although hills have the look of a plateau in which all areas are the same high, in fact any unit in any area of a hill can see around its position as if in a "summit". I mean, a unit can be placed in one border of a hill and still is able to see what is beyond the other side of the hill a couple or many tiles away. Is that right?

Yes, the LOS algorithm in the engine is fairly simple like that. It does not perform the fairly complex trigonometrical calculations that would be necessary to perform true LOS calculations. But that would perhaps be over-analysing the relatively simplistic height level information that the game contains.

This does of course make it easier for the player to estimate what the enemy units can see (once the player understands these simple LOS rules).