The Camo Workshop- Terrain Types

Terrain types

Impassable	Is impassable to vehicles, is very difficult for infantry types, less so for commandos, rangers. Represents either extremely rough terrain, or extremely steep and/or scree-covered slopes or cliffs (truly impassable terrain is not implementable, as it gives the AI path finding routines severe fits).
Sand Dunes	Difficult going for vehicles and infantry, there is a high breakdown (sticking) possibility for vehicles, especially 2WD trucks. The code is set up to penalize for speed. If you charge into a soft sand hex at the end of your movement allowance (and therefore at top speed) you will have a MUCH higher chance of bogging down than if you only move one or two hexes at the start of your turn. HINT: Ignore the movement radius shown in Sand Dunes (aka Soft Sand). That tells you the Maximum number of hexes you can move IF YOU'RE LUCKY! You can move them all if you want to but if you do, chances are your luck will not hold out for long. Avoid Soft sand with 2WD trucks unless you're desperate and keep the speed of tracked and 4WD vehicles to under 1/2 of the movement radius shown and most times you will get through OK. This is a trap for the unwary and the hasty player. We could simple lower the sticking chance and the number of hexes allowed but this way we give the gamblers the chance to gamble and win....or lose.
Snowdrifts	Ski troop types less affected by snowdrifts, but snowmobiles can get stuck in this type though at a lower chance than regular vehicles. Vehicle Immobilisations are much more likely, especially for wheeled vehicles. These are deep drifts that are true obstacles, not the stuff of that has blown over your driveway. (See HINT above regarding vehicles in Sand Dunes )
Trenches	Fire Trenches provide cover (even if you moved) as for being dug in. Major obstacle to vehicles, which can be ditched trying to cross these, they are meant to represent wide fire trenches, not foxholes. Due to the ditching possibilities these can also be seem as a form of AT ditch. Ordinary foxholes protect only infantry, who will be counted as dug in if they start the move in such. The vehicle revetments and gun positions issued at the start of a battle cannot be reoccupied. NB, Some forts and bunkers may have a carry capacity, and hence provide shelter for 'passengers'.
Hedgerows	Represent major hedge obstacles with a substantial base, as in the Normandy Bocage, though also found elsewhere. A major obstacle to vehicles, which can be bogged down (stuck) crossing these. Good protection to stationary infantry, dug in infantry in these can be very difficult to shift!. Hedgerows can be made taller in the Map Editor by laying them again and again along the same track. Each application will raise the height of the hedgerow.
Paddy Fields	Are treated similar to marshes. Flooded paddy fields are less bad going to amphibious vehicles, which are less likely to stick in them as well, but still not good vehicle terrain at all for these. Paddies are a serious obstacle for all ground units, and are best avoided as they are prime ambush terrain. You do not want to get caught out in the middle of a paddy. Paddies that are not flooded can be represented by Mud, Tall Grass or Dry Tall Grass terrains, depending on the season and condition of the paddy.
Mud	Mud is a serious obstacle to all, and has a high chance of being bogged down if crossed by a vehicle. This is not your minor mud puddle by the side of the road. This is a thoroughly water-soaked ground due to flooding, heavy snow melt, torrential rains, monsoons and etc.. This is the stuff that stopped the Germans in the Soviet Union in WW2.
Volcanic sand	Effects are similar to soft sand. Wheeled and track vehicles have an increased immobilisation chance. Although provided mainly for Iwo Jima in WW2, this terrain type has possibilities for usage as light scree elsewhere (collection of rocks, small stones and grit that accumulates at the foot of a cliff).
Railway Track	Rail Track is not very good going for vehicles, but affects foot less so. Rail Track does negate the underlying terrain (mud, rough or marshland, say), so viewing a rail line as a poor quality road. As with roads, if damaged by shell holes, it is less good going than if undamaged.
Tram Lines	Treated as paved roads, mainly cosmetic therefore to be used in city maps for flavour.

Plain Terrain	Green Grassy Plain, Bare Earth,Grass type 2,Red Earth, Grass Type 3, Leaves, Yellow Sand Desert,Dry Grassy Plain, Red Sand Desert, Beach sand or Grey Sand Desert (all also known as "Clear") are not obstacles to Movement, per se, though the off-road movement cost is decidedly higher for some Classes of movement, such as the "Wheeled Class" (two-wheel drive vehicles). Relatively flat these terrains may be, but they are not considered flat as a billiard table either. There are plenty of minor ground fluctuations, tufts of grass, short ground cover, nooks or crannies for a determined trooper to hide behind and in.
Snow	Plain white snow costs extra MP to cross, snow terrain maps add to all terrain, including road movement cost.
Roads	Roads are metalled (grey) or dirt (brown). In dust conditions (Visibility about 80, summer or desert terrain), travel over dirt roads produces dust more quickly than on metalled roads. Dirt roads need less vehicle movement through a hex to produce dust trails, the amount of vehicle movement through hexes for dust production is cumulative.
Swamp	Swamp, Frozen Swamp and Marsh Wetland hexes not good going for any type, but especially for vehicles which can become stuck. Defending units cannot dig in here.
Tall Grass	Tall Grass and Dry Tall Grass provide some LOS blocking at a low level, some protection for infantry within such hexes. In jungle maps this can be rather tall, representing bamboo, elepant grass and the like. Can also be low-lying scrub of any kind.
Shell Holes	Shell holes provide some cover, but increase movement costs in damaged hexes.
Buildings	Buildings provide cover, especially if of stone construction. Vehicles can drive through building hexes, but may become broken down as they collapse. Collapsing buildings may cause casualties to infantry etc, but a collapsed building (rubble) hex is quite good cover, again stone rubble is better.
Trees	Summer Trees and Winter Trees -- all Wooded hexes block LOS to varying degrees, provide good cover but cost more MP to traverse, especially for vehicles.
Orchards	Orchards are lower height, lower density wooded areas, and block LOS less than regular woods. Orchards can represent tea plantations, vineyards and so forth. Can also be used for urban treed areas which are mostly cleared.
Frozen Ground	Represents light snow over frozen ground. It is treated like clear terrain for movement purposes
Water	Full hexes of water can represent canals, lakes, wide rivers or the ocean. Where the height is shown as -1, troops may wade through such at increased move cost, though non amphibious vehicles may become ditched trying this. Barges (landing craft) may offload in shallow water, though then the passengers will then have to wade ashore. Vehicles (and infantry types) with swim ability traverse water at 1 hex per swim point. For WinSPMBTv3 Shallow water ( -1 ) may now be traversed by infantry and vehicles
Bridges	Bridges negate the terrain below them, usually water obstacles. Stone bridges are tougher than wooden ones, needing hits from larger calibre artillery or bombs etc. Dropping a bridge segment kills any elements currently stacked on it (enemy or friendly). Rail bridges cost a bit more than road in terms of move cost. In some lesser developed areas dirt roads may cross water by fords rather than wooden bridges. Occasionally the wooden bridge or ford may have been washed out, with areas of swamp etc around the ford.
Fields	All farm fields provide some low level LOS cover for infantry & etc, especially if standing wheat crops. Fields cost a few more move points to cross for vehicles. The types of fields are: Yellow Crops, Green Crops, Winter Field, Ploughed Field, Snow-Covered Field and Crop Stubble in Early/Late Winter.
Rough	Rough terrain costs more MP to traverse, but provides excellent cover, especially for infantry. Represents broken or rock strewn terrain. You may find generated maps with dried up river beds, chiefly of rough but sometimes with marshy spots. Desert maps can have Wadis, wide areas or gullies filled with rough terrain. There are rough terrain tiles for each of the different soil types represented in the game.
Paved	Pavement, Stone cobblestones and Brick Cobblestones are found around buildings, also in city grids. Acts like road terrain. These three terrain types are ONLY available on ground level. They CANNOT be placed on hills
Streams	These represent drainage ditches or small linear water obstacles. Streams cost a lot of MP to cross, and are a ditching risk for vehicles. Streams may have muddy or marshy banks, such banks tend to be worse sticking risks. Streams may have more fordable parts, if you hover the mouse over a ford (-1 height river) it will tell you. Fords are deliberately not given a special terrain hex marker as they are generally difficult to find with exactitude on the ground. Movement cost is less through a ford, as is bogging down chance. Still, not a good idea to blast through at full speed!.
Slopes	Slope hexes cost 1 MP to traverse over the base terrain type.
Fire	Fires may start in some terrain types, this causes suppression especially to soft troops, and can cause casualties to infantry, guns etc. Large fires (e.g. caused by napalm or flame throwers) is worse than small fires.
Wrecks	Vehicle wrecks provide some LOS block, but they count like normal units to stacking costs, each unit or wreck in a traversed hex deducts 1 MP.