Smoke screen

Smoke screen carries a warning about targeting on both sides: “Smoke creates an obstacle to targeting both enemy and friendly troops.” Demo build 23882143 records a 50-second cooldown and a minimum-range setting of 3. The linked smoke object also has lifetime and placement records; the short ability catalogue is not proof that no timing or footprint data exists. The description promises an obstacle to targeting, not universal invulnerability or a halt to every projectile already fired. Consider which friendly troops will also lose a firing opportunity before placing the screen.

Installation of mines warns “you might run into them yourself”, while Regenerative armor warns about nearby infantry. These descriptions coexist with Smoke screen in demo build 23882143, but the risks are different: pressure mines, overload damage and obstructed targeting should not be treated as one mechanic. The raw smoke object contains lifetime and placement fields, and the armour ability has a linked damage component. That evidence rules out the old blanket statement that every such risk lacks measurable parameters. Each ability needs its own links and its own tactical assessment.

Consider smoke when changing position or reducing an opponent’s ability to target a crossing. Because friendly targeting is affected too, check whether the screen also obstructs supporting guns or a planned attack. The description does not restrict smoke to retreats; offensive repositioning may also benefit, depending on the ground and the weapons involved. Do not assume that all firing stops, that movement is always unobstructed or that the lifetime of the smoke object equals a fully verified combat window. Watch the actual targeting behaviour on both sides.

Smoke can obstruct the user’s targeting as well as yours, but that does not prove that every weapon on either side stops firing. The ability’s minimum-range setting is 3; it is not the radius of the smoke. Watch whether the opponent is retreating, crossing ground or repositioning for an attack before deciding to advance. The description alone cannot make pushing through safe, and related placement records mean that movement effects should be checked rather than dismissed. Adjust sight lines and support according to the actual screen, not an assumed fixed period of protection.