Yeah, for example, if you look at these two shots from ArmA, the first shows dust from a hand grenade, the second shows the burning vehicles later on: http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/8103/arma2008062323050681vh0.jpg http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6293/arma2008062323093964gp4.jpg (Screenshot by Brennus, posted in this SimHQ thread: http://www.simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2538346#Post2538346 . I hope this form of linking is okay) For one, the dust in the first shot obscures the target area so if there was someone there, you won't be absolutely certain you got him until the dust cleared. The other guy, OTOH, would obviously know you didn't get him, giving him a serious advantage in that particular situation. It's comparable to the problem presented in the Bradley vid higher up in this thread. You can tell yourself "Nobody can survive that" but you don't know until the smoke clears. In the second shot I posted above, obviously smoke and fire obscure the entire area, so if, say, you were setting up an ambush you could effectively counteract any long range capability of an assault force like that because they couldn't see through the smoke and fire (neither could you, but that may be less of an advantage for you than the other guy). They'd have to come in close, maybe offering themselves up to shorter range AT fire. Any retreating force is also effectively masked by the burning vehicles they leave behind. I have to correct what I said before, I don't think eSim is "underestimating" the tactical value of smoke and dust, I just think they're selling it a little short. Having effects comparable to ArmA would change this sim a lot and in a more realistic way.