A staple in both the real-time and turn-based strategy genres, Fog of War simulates the unknowns of the battlefield by covering areas of the map, to be progressively revealed by the player.
Overview
Fog of War is a common concept found in many combat-based real-time and turn-based strategy games. In addition to providing the player with an exploration incentive to uncover the game world, it also serves to mask the disposition and movements of enemy forces. This simulates the fact that any commander is forced to rely on imperfect and incomplete information on the battlefield, and often must improvise based on intuition and common sense. Typically, as a game, map, or level advances, area is progressively revealed as a player's units "see" the area with their own eyes. As a player's units become privy to their opponents, this information is in turn revealed to you, the player, in order to act. In many cases, this new knowledge is temporary; when your units leave the area, their real-time knowledge of the situaiton on the ground (and thus, yours) disappears as well.