Smoke Screens

Revision as of 00:15, 11 November 2019

Smoke screens are created by smoke screen generators on ships. These have the form of smoke generator consumables

.
Most destroyers and some cruisers mount one.

An angry Fletcher in her smoke screen, preparing to engage the enemy.

Why Smoke ?

A smoke screen does one thing: it obscures vision, preventing those outside the smoke from seeing into or past it. The effect applies equally to ships inside a smoke screen: a ship in smoke can target an opponent at range, but someone else must spot it for her. In terms of detection, smoke interrupts line-of-sight (LoS). Any ship may enter or use a smoke screen, even if it was laid by the enemy.

The vision obscuring effect is not absolute; within the assured detection range ships detect each other without regard to LoS. The range is typically 2.0km but can be increased. There are also counters to smoke. See below.

Within a smoke screen, a ship cannot be spotted by aircraft, even if it is firing at them or someone else.^[1]

Fire on a ship concealed by smoke does not increase its visibility.

Smoke has no effect on the spotting of torpedoes. [unconfirmed]

Mechanics

Smoke timer in action.

When activated, a smoke generator produces "puffs" of smoke^[2] at regular intervals for the emission time listed. Puffs are stationary; they do not move. They do overlap. Taken together, the puffs form a smoke cloud or smoke screen. After a certain period, the puff dissipates. Eventually, so does the entire cloud.

Rather than having to watch the clock or guess when a smoke screen is due to dissipate, there is a UI feature^[3] - a Smoke Timer - that can be displayed to the upper left of the aim point on the battle screen.^[2]

All smoke screens have the same concealment effect but can vary widely in other characteristics.

Emission time - the length of time the generator runs, producing new puffs.
Duration time - the length of time each puff lasts before dissipating.
Radius - the size of a puff, about a half kilometer.

Variations

The Fletcher moves out as her smoke screen dissipates.

Most ships with smoke have two generator charges with a 240 second cooldown, producing puffs of 0.45km radius. Otherwise, the performance of the generators varies by nation. E.g.

USN smoke is considered the standard, with exceptionally long-lasting puffs.^[4]

Royal Navy cruisers and most RN destroyers produce large, short-duration puffs with 5 base charges. RN DDs have a very short cooldown.

A few ships can mount Crawling Smoke Generators with long emission time and short duration, with the ability to maintain concealment at 1/4 speed for the full emission time.

Taking this ability even farther, Italian cruisers mount Exhaust Smoke Generators that maintain concealment at full speed for the full emission time.

French destroyers do not mount smoke generators, resulting in a unique play style.

Enhancements

The premium version of the consumable with an additional charge and shorter cooldown.
The Superintendent commander skill, for an additional charge.
The Smoke Screen Expert skill, for a 20% larger puff.
Reload bonuses from signals (November Foxtrot) and skills (Jack of all Trades) to decrease cooldown time.
The Smoke Generator Mod 1 special upgrade for +30% emission time in exchange for -5% duration. (This might be especially useful on the moving generators.)
Minotaur's unique upgrade Enhanced Smoke Generator is a major enhancement.
Yueyang's unique upgrade Enhanced Armaments actually decreases the effectiveness of her smoke.

Firing in Smoke

A ship sailing peaceably along has a certain detection radius. However, the moment she lights off her main battery, she becomes visible from considerably farther away. This is due to 'gun bloom' — the flame and smoke from her rifles. With clear visibility, the ship's detection range becomes the same as her main gun range.

There is a similar effect when firing in smoke. A ship sitting quietly in smoke is invisible outside 2.0km (barring the use of radar or hydro). When she fires her main batteries, her detection range increases, although not as much as firing in the open.

The amount the ship's detection range increases tends to track the main gun caliber, as does the type of ship. Roughly, the smoke firing detection ranges of DDs varies between 20-25% of the clear firing range, cruisers 35-55%, and BBs 65-100%. Battleships gain little from firing in smoke.

Pan Asian cruisers have a considerable advantage: they have almost no detection range increase when firing in smoke.

Upon firing the main guns, the ship's detection range increases. If no enemy ship detects it, the range immediately drops back to the non-firing detection range. If an enemy ship does detect it, the ship remains spotted for at least 20 seconds before the range reverts to the non-firing detection range. Of course, firing again resets the 20 second timer.

Note well that while gun bloom may not cause the ship to become detected, the muzzle flashes and tracers themselves are visible to the enemy from a considerable distance, and may be quite sufficient for accurate counter-fire.

For more information on how the spotting and detection system works in World of Warships, please see the Detection article.

Counters to Smoke

The concealment effect of smoke can be countered by alternate methods of detection: radar, sonar, radio direction finding. And a ship concealed by smoke still can be attacked.

Surveillance Radar

Radar is not hindered by obstructions to LoS; smoke and terrain are no obstacle out to as far as 12 km. See the Surveillance Radar  consumable for details.

Usually, radar is used to spot and target ships hiding in smoke. However, radar works both for a ship looking into smoke, and for a ship looking out from smoke. A radar ship illuminating targets from within a smoke screen can fire on her enemies without herself being seen (assuming that they remain outside her detection radius).

Hydroacoustic Search

The effect of the Hydroacoustic Search  consumable is similar to radar, though with a longer duration and a shorter range. In effect, it increases the assured detection range to 3, 4, 5, or even 6 km.

'Hydro', of course, also has its usual defensive ability to detect the torpedoes coming from that suspicious cloud over there.

Radio Direction Finding

The RDF commander skill displays an approximate bearing to the closest enemy. Especially at a relatively close range, RDF can provide enough information for effective torpedo or gun counter-fire.

Torpedoes

There is a true saying, "Smoke screens are torpedo magnets." Plan accordingly.

Torpedoes are not a counter to concealment; they are a counter to concealed ships. Firing a spread of torpedoes into a smoke screen may have serious consequences for ships inside or behind, often turned broadside to unmask all turrets and thus offering big, fat targets. Even if the fish don't hit, they may force the lurker out into the open.

The captain launching torpedoes should consider how long the smoke screen will last. Torpedoes are much slower than shells and a smart captain hiding in smoke will be gone by the time the screen dissipates.

Counter-fire

The general whereabouts of a ship firing its main guns (not secondary or AA guns) in smoke can be observed by its muzzle flashes, even if the ship itself cannot be seen. This can be enough to place shells very near or on the concealed ship. It's a skill worth practicing. Fast-firing ships may simply saturate the area with shells and watch for explosions as they make contact.

The captain hiding in smoke must be aware of the possibility of counter-fire. He can adjust his movement and positioning, or even hold his fire, to make counter fire much less effective.

Maneuver

Ships are longer than they are wide. A common albeit questionable tactic is to steer nose-in, order flank speed, and charge the smoke. Such a ship is positioned to dodge torpedoes and absorb gunfire. Relying on her forward guns, not every ship has the firepower to quickly kill a revealed enemy, so this tactic is discouraged for destroyers. A battleship that pulls it off can simply run over a previously-hidden destroyer. Cruisers don't like to be rammed, either.

Tactics

There are several ways to deploy smoke, and different ways to use deployed smoke.

A ship setting up a firing position may circle to make a large screen in which she can take different positions to baffle counter-fire.

A ship masking off a large area or corridor for other ships may lay smoke at high speed to create a long smoke screen that hides friends at they move at high speed.

A ship may place her smoke in a gap between islands, then move on to other tasks.

Covering Cap

A common tactic of destroyers in the opening stages of a battle is to move into a capture point (Cap) and "pop smoke". The enemy already will know that there is a ship in the Cap, though not where it is. This leaves the enemy with a tactical problem: surrender the point, send a ship (usually the lead destroyer) into the Cap to contest it, or find the smoked destroyer and kill it. At this point, the situation usually turns on the positioning of support ships.

Generally, this is considered a questionable use of smoke. The Capping destroyer has blinded herself to threats, and probably blinded supporting ships behind her. In addition, the smoke cloud is a dead giveaway of where the destroyer is located. Better to hold onto the smoke charge until it's truly needed.

The Getaway

A ship may advance to contact, hoping to spot the enemy fleet, then suddenly find herself the subject of way too much attention. She will pop smoke, come about hard, and run for her life. While the smoke may not conceal her directly, it will be between her and most of her enemies, hoping to baffle their gunners long enough to break contact.

With luck, the ships firing at her will themselves be spotted and have new things to worry about.

Bound and overwatch

This is a combination tactic used around a capture point (Cap). A destroyer and cruiser team up to exert pressure into the Cap, or perhaps win it. The destroyer pops smoke at the edge of or even within the Cap, the cruiser enters the smoke and takes up a firing position. The destroyer then leaves her smoke to spot for the cruiser and perhaps knife-fight while the cruiser provides cover.

The success of this tactic is highly dependent on the local terrain.

Obscuring fleet movement

A smoke screen can obscure a wide area from an enemy at a distance. Particularly at choke points between land masses, the view of an entire section of the map can be hidden so friendly ships maneuver without being seen.

Saving a teammate

A valuable use of smoke is defensive. If a friendly battleship is under heavy fire, interjecting with a smoke screen may be just the thing to save it and keep those guns firing. Likewise a cruiser that suddenly discovers an uncharted island. Such altruism can save a win and might even be worth a karma point.

The Invisible Ship

A ship pulls into a favorable location, perhaps overlooking an ongoing fight, deploys smoke, and opens fire. This tactic is particularly suitable for ships with fast-firing guns and long-lasting smoke, such as USN destroyers. The difficulty is that the "invisible ship" rarely remain invisible for long. It is recommended that a ship practicing this tactic plan an escape route, such as behind a nearby island.

Pretending to be an island

If the range is long enough, a ship may place a smoke cloud, then sit in the open behind it to lob shells at the enemy, essentially treating the cloud as an island. The virtue of this tactic is that the ship can continue to spot for herself, while remaining obscured from enemy binoculars. And at need she can duck into her cloud for more stealth.

A more common tactic is to set a smoke screen for a more powerful ship to sit behind and shoot while the original setter spots or continues to other tasks.

Notes

↑ How It Works 9: Spotting Part III.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Smoke puffs are more easily visualized by enabling 'Show Smoke Boundaries' option to show the boundaries of smoke clouds laid by both friends and enemies once you are close to the border of the cloud. This and the 'Show Smoke Timer' option appear on the Settings.Controls panel, lower center. Both are recommended.
↑ The Smoke Timer was introduced in Update 0.6.3.
↑ This is historically accurate. In WWII, the composition of USN smoke was a closely guarded secret.

[1] How It Works 9: Spotting Part III.

[SkCtrls-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Smoke puffs are more easily visualized by enabling 'Show Smoke Boundaries' option to show the boundaries of smoke clouds laid by both friends and enemies once you are close to the border of the cloud. This and the 'Show Smoke Timer' option appear on the Settings.Controls panel, lower center. Both are recommended.

[3] The Smoke Timer was introduced in Update 0.6.3.

[4] This is historically accurate. In WWII, the composition of USN smoke was a closely guarded secret.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-__TOC____NOEDITSECTION__
+__TOC__ <!--__NOEDITSECTION__ -->
-[[File:FletcherSmoke.png|328 px|thumbnail|A ''[[Fletcher]]'' sits in it's smokescreen, ready to engage the enemy.]]
-==Summary==
+{{AnnoWiki
-A smoke screen serves one primary function: to conceal a ship or evade detection. It can serve as a getaway device, or add to a ship’s offensive capabilities.
+| pic = | content = '''Smoke screens''' are created by smoke screen generators on ships.  These have the form of
+[[Ship:Consumables#Smoke_Generator|smoke generator consumables]][[Image:Consumable_PCY006_SmokeGenerator.png|32px|link=]].<br /> Most destroyers and some cruisers mount one.}}
+[[File:FletcherSmoke.png|328px|thumbnail|An angry ''[[Fletcher]]'' in her smoke screen, preparing to engage the enemy.]]
+== Why Smoke ? ==
-Smoke screen [[Ship:Consumables#Smoke_Generator|consumables]] can typically be found on any destroyer, Royal Navy cruiser, or select premium ships like ''[[Flint]]'', ''[[Iwaki Alpha]]'', and ''[[Mikhail Kutuzov]]''.  The duration of a smokescreen can vary depending on the vessel’s nationality and tier, with the United States version being known for lasting a long time and the German variant being painfully short lived. Generally speaking, though, all ships with this consumable have a maximum of 4 charges with premium consumables and Superintendent. Also, the standard cooldown for smoke screen consumables is 240 seconds without the premium consumable, and 160 seconds with.
+A smoke screen does one thing: it obscures vision, preventing those outside the smoke from seeing into or past it.  The effect applies equally to ships inside a smoke screen: a ship in smoke can target an opponent at range, but someone else must spot it for her.  In terms of [[Ship:Detection|detection]], smoke interrupts line-of-sight (LoS).  Any ship may enter or use a smoke screen, even if it was laid by the enemy.
-When in a smoke screen, any ship is effectively rendered invisible to the enemy team or any aircraft, and can shoot without being spotted to a certain extent. In return, anyone inside the smokescreen must rely on their teammates to spot targets, as the smoke renders them just as blind.
+The vision obscuring effect is not absolute; within the [[Ship:Detection#Proximity_spotting|assured detection range]] ships detect each other without regard to LoS.  The range is typically 2.0km but can be increased.  There are also counters to smoke.  See [[#Counters_to_Smoke|below]].
+Within a smoke screen, a ship cannot be spotted by aircraft, even if it is firing at them or someone else.<ref>How It Works 9: Spotting Part III.</ref>
+[[Ship:Fire|Fire]] on a ship concealed by smoke does not increase its visibility.
+Smoke has no effect on the spotting of torpedoes.  [unconfirmed]
 ==Mechanics==
-Smoke screens work in a fairly simple way, and are easy to understand. Once activated, the ship will emit a "puff" of smoke at set intervals for as long as the consumable is active. These puffs typically create a circle of smoke with a radius of 450 meters, though the captain skill [[Ship:Commander#Smoke_Screen_Expert|Smoke Screen Expert]] will increase this to 540 meters. In addition, the length of time a [[Ship:Consumables#Smoke_Generator|Smoke Generator]] consumable is active depends on what nation the ship is from, and it's tier. This also hold true for how long a smoke screen lasts, with values anywhere between 45 seconds and 130. Generally, once a smoke screen is placed, there is no way to move it. The smoke will remain stationary until it disappears.  ''[[Perth]]'' remains the only ship with a "moving" smoke screen, through an interesting application of smoke mechanics.
 [[File:SmokeTimer.png|53 px|thumbnail|Smoke timer in action.]]
+When activated, a smoke generator produces "'''puffs'''" of smoke<ref name=SkCtrls>Smoke puffs are more easily visualized by enabling 'Show Smoke Boundaries' option to show the boundaries of smoke clouds laid by both friends and enemies once you are close to the border of the cloud.  This and the 'Show Smoke Timer' option appear on the Settings.Controls panel, lower center.  Both are recommended.</ref> at regular intervals for the emission time listed.  Puffs are stationary; they do not move.  They do overlap.  Taken together, the puffs form a smoke cloud or smoke screen.  After a certain period, the puff dissipates.  Eventually, so does the entire cloud.
+Rather than having to watch the clock or guess when a smoke screen is due to dissipate, there is a UI feature<ref>The Smoke Timer was introduced in [[Ship:Update 0.6.3|Update 0.6.3]].</ref> - a '''Smoke Timer''' - that can be displayed to the upper left of the aim point on the battle screen.<ref  name=SkCtrls />
+All smoke screens have the same concealment effect but can vary widely in other characteristics.
+* Emission time - the length of time the generator runs, producing new puffs.
+* Duration time - the length of time each puff lasts before dissipating.
+* Radius - the size of a puff, about a half kilometer.
+=== Variations ===
+[[File:VanishSmoke.png|328px|thumbnail|The ''Fletcher'' moves out as her smoke screen dissipates.]]
+Most ships with smoke have two generator charges with a 240 second cooldown, producing puffs of 0.45km radius.  Otherwise, the performance of the generators varies by nation.  E.g.<br /><br />
+:* USN [[File:Wows flag USA.png|20px|U.S.A.|link=Ship:Ships of U.S.A.]] smoke is considered the standard, with exceptionally long-lasting puffs.<ref>This is historically accurate.  In WWII, the composition of USN smoke was a closely guarded secret.</ref>
+:* Royal Navy [[File:Wows flag UK.png|20px|U.K.|link=Ship:Ships of U.K.]] cruisers and most RN destroyers produce large, short-duration puffs with 5 base charges.  RN DDs have a very short cooldown.
+:* A few ships can mount [[Ship:Consumables#Crawling_Smoke_Generator|Crawling Smoke Generators]] with long emission time and short duration, with the ability to maintain concealment at 1/4 speed for the full emission time.
+:* Taking this ability even farther, Italian [[File:Wows flag Italy.png|20px|Italy|link=Ship:Ships of Italy]] cruisers mount [[Ship:Consumables#Exhaust_Smoke_Generator|Exhaust Smoke Generators]] that maintain concealment ''at full speed'' for the full emission time.
+:* French [[File:Wows_flag_France.png|20px|France|link=Ship:Ships of France]] destroyers do not mount smoke generators, resulting in a unique play style.
+=== Enhancements ===
+:* The premium version of the consumable [[Image:Consumable_PCY014_SmokeGeneratorPremium.png|32px|link=]] with an additional charge and shorter cooldown.
+:* The [[Ship:Commander#Superintendent|Superintendent]] commander skill, for an additional charge.
+:* The [[Ship:Commander#Smoke_Screen_Expert|Smoke Screen Expert]] skill, for a 20% larger puff.
+:* Reload bonuses from signals (November Foxtrot) and skills (Jack of all Trades) to decrease cooldown time.
+:* The [[Ship:Upgrades#Smoke_Generator_Modification.C2.A01Smoke|Smoke Generator Mod 1]] special upgrade for +30% emission time in exchange for -5% duration.  (This might be especially useful on the moving generators.)
+:* ''[[Minotaur|Minotaur's]]'' unique upgrade [[Ship:Upgrades#Enhanced_Smoke_Generator|Enhanced Smoke Generator]] is a major enhancement.
+:* ''[[Yueyang|Yueyang's]]'' unique upgrade [[Ship:Upgrades#Enhanced Armaments|Enhanced Armaments]] actually decreases the effectiveness of her smoke.
+== Firing in Smoke ==
+<div class="thumb tright">{{VideoYT|g71WA4NANDw|320}}</div>  <!-- Spotting and Smoke -->
+A ship sailing peaceably along has a certain detection radius.  However, the moment she [[Ship:Detection#Firing_main_guns|lights off her main battery]], she becomes visible from considerably farther away.  This is due to 'gun bloom' &mdash; the flame and smoke from her rifles.  With clear visibility, the ship's detection range becomes the same as her main gun range.
+There is a similar effect when firing in smoke.  A ship sitting quietly in smoke is invisible outside 2.0km (barring the use of radar or hydro). When she fires her main batteries, her detection range increases, although not as much as firing in the open.
+The amount the ship's detection range increases tends to track the main gun caliber, as does the type of ship.  Roughly, the smoke firing detection ranges of DDs varies between 20-25% of the clear firing range, cruisers 35-55%, and BBs 65-100%.  Battleships gain little from firing in smoke.
+Pan Asian [[File:Wows_flag_Pan_Asia.png|20px|Pan-Asia|link=Ship:Ships of Pan-Asia]] cruisers have a considerable advantage: they have almost no detection range increase when firing in smoke.
+Upon firing the main guns, the ship's detection range increases.  If no enemy ship detects it, the range immediately drops back to the non-firing detection range.  If an enemy ship does detect it, the ship remains spotted for at least 20 seconds before the range reverts to the non-firing detection range.  Of course, firing again resets the 20 second timer.
+Note well that while gun bloom may not cause the ship to become detected, the '''muzzle flashes''' and tracers themselves are visible to the enemy from a considerable distance, and may be quite sufficient for accurate [[#Counter-Fire|counter-fire]].
+For more information on how the spotting and detection system works in ''World of Warships'', please see the [[Ship:Detection|Detection]] article.
+== Counters to Smoke ==
+The concealment effect of smoke can be countered by alternate methods of detection: radar, sonar, radio direction finding.  And a ship concealed by smoke still can be attacked.
+=== Surveillance Radar ===
+Radar is not hindered by obstructions to LoS; smoke and terrain are no obstacle out to as far as 12 km.  See the {{Surveillance Radar}} consumable for details.
+Usually, radar is used to spot and target ships hiding in smoke. However, radar works both for a ship looking into smoke, and for a ship looking out from smoke.  A radar ship illuminating targets from within a smoke screen can fire on her enemies without herself being seen (assuming that they remain outside her detection radius).
+=== Hydroacoustic Search ===
+The effect of the {{Hydroacoustic Search}} consumable is similar to radar, though with a longer duration and a shorter range.  In effect, it increases the assured detection range to 3, 4, 5, or even 6 km.
+'Hydro', of course, also has its usual defensive ability to detect the torpedoes coming from that suspicious cloud over there.
+=== Radio Direction Finding ===
+The [[Ship:Commander#Radio_Location|RDF]] commander skill displays an approximate bearing to the closest enemy.  Especially at a relatively close range, RDF can provide enough information for effective torpedo or gun counter-fire.
+=== Torpedoes ===
+{{AnnoWiki|content=<center>There is a true saying,&nbsp;&nbsp; <span style="font-size:110%"><strong>"Smoke screens are torpedo magnets."</strong></span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Plan accordingly.</center>}}
+Torpedoes are not a counter to concealment; they are a counter to concealed ships.  Firing a spread of torpedoes into a smoke screen may have serious consequences for ships inside or behind, often turned broadside to unmask all turrets and thus offering big, fat targets. Even if the fish don't hit, they may force the lurker out into the open.
+The captain launching torpedoes should consider how long the smoke screen will last.  Torpedoes are much slower than shells and a smart captain hiding in smoke will be gone by the time the screen dissipates.
+=== Counter-fire ===
+The general whereabouts of a ship firing its main guns (not secondary or AA guns) in smoke can be observed by its muzzle flashes, even if the ship itself cannot be seen.  This can be enough to place shells very near or on the concealed ship.  It's a skill worth practicing.  Fast-firing ships may simply saturate the area with shells and watch for explosions as they make contact.
+The captain hiding in smoke must be aware of the possibility of counter-fire.  He can adjust his movement and positioning, or even hold his fire, to make counter fire much less effective.
+=== Maneuver ===
+Ships are longer than they are wide.  A common albeit questionable tactic is to steer nose-in, order flank speed, and charge the smoke.  Such a ship is positioned to dodge torpedoes and absorb gunfire.  Relying on her forward guns, not every ship has the firepower to quickly kill a revealed enemy, so this tactic is discouraged for destroyers.  A battleship that pulls it off can simply run over a previously-hidden destroyer.  Cruisers don't like to be rammed, either.
+== Tactics ==
+There are several ways to deploy smoke, and different ways to use deployed smoke.
+* A ship setting up a firing position may circle to make a large screen in which she can take different positions to baffle counter-fire.
+* A ship masking off a large area or corridor for other ships may lay smoke at high speed to create a long smoke screen that hides friends at they move at high speed.
+* A ship may place her smoke in a gap between islands, then move on to other tasks.
+=== Covering Cap ===
+A common tactic of destroyers in the opening stages of a battle is to move into a capture point (Cap) and "pop smoke".  The enemy already will know that there is a ship in the Cap, though not where it is.  This leaves the enemy with a tactical problem: surrender the point, send a ship (usually the lead destroyer) into the Cap to contest it, or find the smoked destroyer and kill it.  At this point, the situation usually turns on the positioning of support ships.
+Generally, this is considered a questionable use of smoke.  The Capping destroyer has blinded herself to threats, and probably blinded supporting ships behind her.  In addition, the smoke cloud is a dead giveaway of where the destroyer is located.  Better to hold onto the smoke charge until it's truly needed.
+=== The Getaway ===
+A ship may advance to contact, hoping to spot the enemy fleet, then suddenly find herself the subject of way too much attention.  She will pop smoke, come about hard, and run for her life.  While the smoke may not conceal her directly, it will be between her and most of her enemies, hoping to baffle their gunners long enough to break contact.
+With luck, the ships firing at her will themselves be spotted and have new things to worry about.
+=== Bound and overwatch ===
+This is a combination tactic used around a capture point (Cap).  A destroyer and cruiser team up to exert pressure into the Cap, or perhaps win it.  The destroyer pops smoke at the edge of or even within the Cap, the cruiser enters the smoke and takes up a firing position.  The destroyer then leaves her smoke to spot for the cruiser and perhaps knife-fight while the cruiser provides cover.
-On the technical side of things, a smoke screen somewhat acts as a block to line-of-sight, just as any solid landmass would. Anyone inside the smoke is unable to see out of it, just as enemy ships are unable to see into the smoke screen. Teammates are needed to spot outside the smoke, meaning that it is inadvisable to active the consumable without any support.
+The success of this tactic is highly dependent on the local terrain.
-Firing while in smoke increases the detection of a ship. While not firing, all ships are subject to a 2.0km detection radius, and will not be seen without the use of {{Surveillance Radar}} or {{Hydroacoustic Search}}. However, upon firing, a ship's detection will increase based on the caliber of its guns. For instance, low tier destroyers do not get any penalty, as their guns are too small. Yamato has a 20km penalty.
+=== Obscuring fleet movement ===
-In [[Ship:Update_0.6.3|Update 6.3]], a UI feature was added, showing the exact amount of time left until the final puff of smoke dissipates. Previously, players would have to remember the length of time it took for a smoke screen to disappear, or suffer the consequences of potentially being revealed to the enemy team while dead in the water. This feature can be turned on in the game's menu, under the 'Controls' tab.  It is also recommended that the option to show smoke screen boundaries is turned on. This will allow a player to see where a smoke screen ends, and the area it covers.  This can also be found under the 'Controls' tab.
+A smoke screen can obscure a wide area from an enemy at a distance.  Particularly at choke points between land masses, the view of an entire section of the map can be hidden so friendly ships maneuver without being seen.
-==Tactics==
+=== Saving a teammate ===
-There are many ways to use a smoke screen. It is a very versatile consumable for a destroyer, and can be equally beneficial to the team as a whole.
-Typically, a destroyer will deploy smoke once spotted as a way to evade detection. It is also not rare to see a destroyer place down a smoke screen soon after entering a capture point, as a way to take the point unmolested at the start of a match. While the first could be considered an adequate use of the consumable, the second it is not optimal. Smoking right inside the capture point leaves the destroyer blind to incoming threats, and blinds the rest of the team behind it. Instead, try saving the smoke for later, since it's the easiest way for a destroyer to break contact with the enemy team—which might become necessary if the capture point is overwhelmed.
+A valuable use of smoke is defensive.  If a friendly battleship is under heavy fire, interjecting with a smoke screen may be just the thing to save it and keep those guns firing.  Likewise a cruiser that suddenly discovers an uncharted island.  Such altruism can save a win and might even be worth a karma point.
-[[File:VanishSmoke.png|328 px|thumbnail|The ''Fletcher'' takes flight, her smoke screen quickly dissipating.]]
-Smoke screens can also be utilised in an offensive role, allowing a ship to fire while remaining unspotted. American destroyers in particular excel in this use of smoke, as their quick firing guns and long lasting smoke complement each other perfectly. Royal Navy cruisers rely on it almost exclusively to damage enemy ships.
+=== The Invisible Ship ===
-However, there are a few caveats to go along with this use of smoke. For one, an allied ship '''has''' to be in the area to spot, else anyone in smoke will be blind. Secondly, positioning is important when placing down an offensive smoke. Places where multiple enemy ships are in range, while also giving an escape route of sorts, are ideal. Placing the smoke screen near an island gives an extra layer of security, as it's easy to get solid cover in case the enemy starts shooting back.
+A ship pulls into a favorable location, perhaps overlooking an ongoing fight, deploys smoke, and opens fire.  This tactic is particularly suitable for ships with fast-firing guns and long-lasting smoke, such as USN destroyers.  The difficulty is that the "invisible ship" rarely remain invisible for long.  It is recommended that a ship practicing this tactic plan an escape route, such as behind a nearby island.
-There is no better way to gain karma points in game, then to utilize smoke for the benefit of the team. If a battleship is under heavy focus fire, interjecting with a smoke screen may be just the thing to save it and keep those guns firing. Smoke is a powerful survivability tool in that way. It can also be used to cover a team approaching capture points, leaving them undetected until the last moment. Even better than supplying the team with smoke is scouting for them. As was mentioned, there has to be someone outside the smoke screen, spotting enemy ships. Otherwise, there would be nothing seen, and nothing to shoot at. A destroyer that sits in smoke can do damage with her guns, but not as much as a cruiser or battleships in smoke can.
+=== Pretending to be an island ===
-==Counters==
+If the range is long enough, a ship may place a smoke cloud, then sit in the open behind it to lob shells at the enemy, essentially treating the cloud as an island.  The virtue of this tactic is that the ship can continue to spot for herself, while remaining obscured from enemy binoculars.  And at need she can duck into her cloud for more stealth.
-There are several good counters to smoke screens. [[Torpedoes_(WoWS)|Torpedoes]], [[Ship:Consumables#Hydroacoustic_Search|Hydroacoustic Search]], and [[Ship:Consumables#Surveillance_Radar|Surveillance Radar]] are the best at it.
-Torpedoes can be fired into the smoke, resulting in a few possibilities. Either the Torpedoes will miss completely and do nothing, they will miss narrowly and potentially flush ships out of the smoke and into open water, or they will hit and cause damage. Hitting ships in smoke with torpedoes happens often enough that many destroyer captains will fire off their tubes in the hope of catching an unsuspecting ship off guard.
+A more common tactic is to set a smoke screen for a more powerful ship to sit behind and shoot while the original setter spots or continues to other tasks.
-Hydroacoustic Search allows ships with the consumable activated to spot torpedoes from further out, and guarantees the detection of an enemy ship within a set perimeter—Even if said enemy ship is in smoke, or is behind an island. Typically, this guaranteed detection range is short, only extending to a maximum of 5.88 km on German tier 10 ships.
+== Notes ==
-Surveillance Radar is the most potent of all counters, allowing ships with the consumable equipped to detect ships out to a maximum range of 11.7 km, just as can be done with hydroacoustic search.  However, radar is unable to spot torpedoes, and has a much shorter duration than it's counterpart, lasting less than half the time.
+<references />
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