History Main / FogOfWar

* Bizarrely averted in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'', where the lack of dust on the battlefield makes the CGI armies look fake -- a flaw compared to other films around the same time that used CGI doubling to create huge armies.

* VideoGame/NintendoWars has had it since ''Game Boy Wars'', but only on certain maps or settings. This fog actually affects AI, since it will ignore units that are hidden in forests, reefs, or just plain not in their vision radius by the fog ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard except in the first two games for the last part]]). Recon units have extra vision radius, infantry and mechs get an extra three squares if [[IHaveTheHighGround they're on mountains]], and in every game she appears in, Sonja gives all her units extra vision in Fog.

* ''VideoGame/{{Stars}}'' only provides current information for areas you are currently scanning, but old information is available for previously scanned areas. Much of the early game maneuvering is deploying scout ships to determine the environments of the planets around you so as to decide where to settle.

** As if lampshading this, [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]] gives fog of war levels ''their own {{Leitmotif}}'' - a dreary dirge, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMGQFF34ZZQ "Shadow Approaches"]].

** In C&C ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals Generals]]'', the radar screen only sees enemies in the line of sight of units on the field. It's built into the USA and China command centers and still requires power. The GLA have a special vehicle (and don't contend with power at all).

*** In ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert Red Alert]]'' the Allies also had a Radar Jammer, which would temporarily stop the opponent's Radar Dome from working if it got within range. Unsurprisingly its range is pathetically short.

*** That's not in the earlier games because ''no'' units were removed from enemy territory upon declaration of war. The rule was introduced in [=Civ IV=] in order to nerf abusive forms of surprise attack (eg. deploying an army next to the to-be-enemy's capital, declaring war, and immediately capturing the city before reinforcements have even a theoretical chance to arrive). Since you generally needed a "Right of Passage" agreement with the other civilization to be able to pull off this trick--crossing another civilization's territory without such an agreement would cause ''them'' to declare war on ''you'' before you got anywhere near the capital--this had the charming nickname "[=RoP=] Rape".[[note]]On the other hand, if you ''could'' get your troops to the target civ's capital or other desired territory before they declared war on you without needing an [=RoP=], engineering a PretextForWar that the AI civs would be too dumb to realize was your fault not theirs was child's play, [[WoundedGazelleGambit allowing you to be as aggressive as you liked without ever suffering a trustworthiness penalty]]. This was especially deadly when you had a Mutual Defense treaty with the third civ: get mutual defense with your desired enemy's neighbor; "peacefully" violate "enemy" territory; wait for them to declare war; and have yourself a war with an enemy fighting on two fronts. And [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI we all know what]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII happens when you fight on two fronts]]...[[/note]]
*** Then again, the description for subs states rather explicitly that they can explore rival territory and are hidden from most units. What else would you expect?
---> '''Opponent:''' Remove your submarines, whose whereabouts are unknown to me, from my territory!
---> '''You:''' Er ... ok, done!

** As if lampshading this, [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]] gives fog of war levels ''their own {{Leitmotif}}'' - a dreary dirge, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMGQFF34ZZQ "Shadow Approaches"]].

* ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'': The hacking mini-game features a fog of war. Unlike in ''HR'', you cannot view the whole system at once. Areas have to be discovered.
* Most turn-based tactical/squad games require your soldiers to be looking in the correct direction to spot enemies. So any piece of the battlefield that is NOT being watched, regardless of how close to your soldiers it really is, is considered to be "fogged".
* ''VideoGame/{{Achron}}'' has an interesting variation, because the fog only blocks vision of units. You can still hear units in the fog, and you can see crates and particle effects from weapons. This is explained that the units are actually camouflaged so they can only be seen at short distance.
* The VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires games have the standard Fog, and also include ''Shroud'', representing that you have not explored an area and have no idea of the landscape. Unlike Fog, Shroud remains gone once the area is explored (as you now know the landscape), and will ''not'' come back.
* Carr Software's ''[[http://www.carrsoft.com/ctf/capture_the_flag_game.html Capture The Flag]]'' allowed for two levels of Fog-of-War. One let you see changes in any sector of the map you have previously seen. Two other only lets you see changes in sections of the map that your active players could see.

* The turn-based ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' games (including kissing cousin ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'') use a Fog of War; one of the diplomatic options available is trading your explored map knowledge with other cultures.
** One particularly realistic aspect of ''Civilization IV'''s fog is that, though most of your units are removed from an enemy's territory when you declare war, submarines are not. This makes subs the best passive scouts in the game.
*** That's not in the earlier games because ''no'' units were removed from enemy territory upon declaration of war. The rule was introduced in [=Civ IV=] in order to nerf abusive forms of surprise attack (eg. deploying an army next to the to-be-enemy's capital, declaring war, and immediately capturing the city before reinforcements have even a theoretical chance to arrive). Since you generally needed a "Right of Passage" agreement with the other civilization to be able to pull off this trick--crossing another civilization's territory without such an agreement would cause ''them'' to declare war on ''you'' before you got anywhere near the capital--this had the charming nickname "[=RoP=] Rape".[[note]]On the other hand, if you ''could'' get your troops to the target civ's capital or other desired territory before they declared war on you without needing an [=RoP=], engineering a PretextForWar that the AI civs would be too dumb to realize was your fault not theirs was child's play, [[WoundedGazelleGambit allowing you to be as aggressive as you liked without ever suffering a trustworthiness penalty]]. This was especially deadly when you had a Mutual Defense treaty with the third civ: get mutual defense with your desired enemy's neighbor; "peacefully" violate "enemy" territory; wait for them to declare war; and have yourself a war with an enemy fighting on two fronts. And [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI we all know what]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII happens when you fight on two fronts]]...[[/note]]
*** Then again, the description for subs states rather explicitly that they can explore rival territory and are hidden from most units. What else would you expect?
---> '''Opponent:''' Remove your submarines, whose whereabouts are unknown to me, from my territory!
---> '''You:''' Er ... ok, done!
** Also, in Civ-series games, launching your first satellite will remove the Fog of War once and for all. Spysats rule!
*** In ''Civ IV'', they only do this once (when you discover the Satellite technology), but not for all.
** Additionally, if you founded a religion and that religion is in a city, you can see that city and the immediate area, the same is true as you increase your spy points with a civ. You can even steal the location of all military units, though it is only good from that turn.
*** This system was reworked for the ''Beyond the Sword'' expansion - owning the religion's holy city (where it was founded) no longer entitles you to automatic line of sight of a rival city with that religion. Rather, espionage now has its own points system (among them, accumulating a certain amount of points entitles you to look at known rival cities).

* ''Conquest Earth'' [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration integrates]] the fog of war with the story and game play, as special units must manually clear the atmosphere on each map.
* Original ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' made heavy use of the this, even detailing it by this name in the tutorial.

* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'''s multiplayer mode has this as an option because at higher levels, attacks tend to become {{One Hit Kill}}s. Without a fog, players would likely just hang around just outside the enemy's range until the opponent makes a mistake or they start throwing each other around.
* Even ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' has a fog of war of sorts. Unlike most examples, it's underground.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'', your character can moan about the fog-like effect your [=PipBoy=] demonstrates when you haven't explored an area.
* The ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series, starting with ''Thracia 776'', has maps with fog. It can be literal fog, nighttime darkness, or in some cases other weather effects (up to blizzards and sandstorms), but it functions with the same fog-of-war rules as ''Advance Wars'', sans units being able to hide on certain terrain. In some of the games, Thieves and classes coming from them (like Assassins and Rogues) get to see much farther in the fog, and sometimes you can get Torches and Torch staves to temporarily dissipate the fog/darkness. ([[MyRulesAreNotYourRules Enemies will have no trouble hunting you down in that darkness, though.]]) Every single one of these is [[ThatOneLevel met with groans of disgust]] by the disgruntled fans.
** [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Even though it introduces Fog of War]], Thracia has some oddity like making the fog '''literally''' pitch black, covering both units and the map, meaning that you cannot navigate the map and what it looks like. Unlike other maps, they are usually relegated to side chapters save for one. Also, thieves do not provide any vision bonus unlike other games.
** As if lampshading this, [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]] gives fog of war levels ''their own {{Leitmotif}}'' - a dreary dirge, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMGQFF34ZZQ "Shadow Approaches"]].
* ''VideoGame/FootballManager'' is a non-wargame example. Players you or your scouts do not know about have no visible attributes, and need to be scouted a couple of times to reveal how good they are. After a period of time, the fog descends again and attributes gradually become hidden. Famous players and frequent opponents are always fully visible.
* In ''VideoGame/GadgetTrial'', all missions have fog of war engaged, and there's no option to disable it. The enemy also is completely unaffected by it. This is compensated for by the fact that the enemy is [[ArtificialStupidity really, really stupid]].
* ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations'': you can see systems on the map but not precisely where they are until you send a ship there, plus if you don't have a ship in or near a system you'll only be able to see enemy ships that are in orbit around a planet. There's even a tech tree for expanding how far you can see through the interstellar void. Luckily, it also affects the enemy, and one fun tactic is to keep fast-moving troop transports out of a soon-to-be enemy's line of sight, then launch a smash and grab with a massive battlefleet carving through their defenses to open a space for the troopship.
* Night battles in ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'' restrict your ability to see enemy units on the map, and prevent you from deploying units on helipads that are out of sight. Echelons with at least one [[SupportPartyMember Handgun unit]] can see adjacent nodes, the Illumination Fairy can grant up to two extra nodes of vision when sufficiently leveled, and capturing a radar node lets you see two nodes away from it.

* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' has a partial fog of war. After exploring a sector on the map, any enemy movement through that sector is quite visible. However, you will not know the strength or size of the enemy group until it comes within range of your militia (or attacks you). This is changed somewhat with much later mods, where enemies may be completely invisible on the map until spotted by a militia unit.
* The definitive feature of the Japan only Game Boy Color game ''Kakurenbo Battle Monster Tactics'', which is expected when you realize that the term "kakurenbo" means "hide and seek." Only the first battle DOESN'T use fog.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' has a Heartless called the [[IronicName Illuminator]] whose only ability is to create this. The problem? You're fighting [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Barbossa]]. He's invincible until you take down the Illuminator, which can respawn.
* In ''Master of Orion II'' the planetary systems on the map are all visible from the beginning, but the actual planets in each system cannot be seen until explored. Likewise, ships of other races cannot be seen if they are outside scanner range. The right leader or racial ability will reveal planets and their ownership. Curiously, the color of the stars tell the player what kinds of planets they're likely to have.
* Certain levels in the strategy-card game ''VideoGame/MetalGearAcid'' and its sequel were in 'Search Mode', which allowed you to see terrain and items but not enemies -- until you were standing very close to them. Thankfully, there are multiple cards which extend your range of eyesight. Not so thankfully, getting hit by an enemy in Search Mode renders you completely blind for some reason we can only guess at. While the effect wears off in a set number of turns, you have few ways of fighting back and no idea where to run from to hide, turning you into a sitting duck. The good news is that it completely subverts TheComputerIsACheatingBastard-type AI; you play in fog of war mode for only a handful of levels. The computer plays in it ''all the time''.
* ''VideoGames/NeptunesPride'' has Fog of War turned off by default, but it can be enabled by turning on Dark Galaxy mode in the game creation options.
* VideoGame/NintendoWars has had it since ''Game Boy Wars'', but only on certain maps or settings. This fog actually affects AI, since it will ignore units that are hidden in forests, reefs, or just plain not in their vision radius by the fog ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard except in the first two games for the last part]]). Recon units have extra vision radius, infantry and mechs get an extra three squares if [[IHaveTheHighGround they're on mountains]], and in every game she appears in, Sonja gives all her units extra vision in Fog.
** The games also have (optional) weather conditions. Rain usually limits the vision further and even adds temporary fog if not present on the battlefield.
** In a slight twist, the characters talk about it like a physical object and think it's perfectly natural for you to see the entire map one battle and have fog of war the next.
** Completely [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in ''Days of Ruin'', where it is present as dust kicked up from the meteoric impact which destroyed most of civilization.
** The AI actually handles fog of war differently in each game:
*** In the GBA Advance Wars titles, the AI had full knowledge of your units, and could attack unhindered; the only way to protect yourself is to hide in forests and reefs, where the AI cannot fire unless they have an adjacent unit (or if Sonja has her COP active).
*** In AW:DS, the AI will maneuver as if omniscient, but has to station a unit to reveal yours before attacking.
*** In Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, the AI behaves as though fully affected by Fog of War.
** There's a cheap trick in Advance Wars where you could scout out the map by moving your unit but canceling their order in order to reveal the map. Though risky as they could collide with a hiding unit, it's a way to navigate the fog. However, the developers were aware of this so the unit will still spend their fuel upon moving through fog of war even if the turn wasn't finalized. Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict doesn't used this trick because the unit moves ''after'' their order is confirmed.
* Done partially in ''VideoGame/OgreBattle'', where you can't see enemies unless they're close to you. How close depends on the angle.
* ''Outpost 2'', which was more of a city-builder with RTS elements and predates a lot of the early examples, didn't have it at all. The player's view was real-time from space, so any activity at the enemy base was totally in-view. The only things that were hidden were enemy units moving at night with their lights off; they were visible, but they wouldn't show up on the MiniMap.

* The PC game ''People's General'' includes a sort of fog of war, where you can see the whole map, but no units except those within sight of your own. Depending on how well you can see them, you will either fully identify a unit, or simply see that there is an enemy unit there but not what type. Since running into an unseen unit leads to devastating ambushes, and since Recon units can help conceal other units, making sure you know where the enemy is is a major part of your strategy.
** This is also the case in the ''VideoGame/PanzerGeneral'' games, which are part of the same franchise.
* ''VideoGame/{{Philophobia}}'' interestingly implements a fog of war system in a 2D Platformer, blacking out any part of the map that is not in the player character's line of sight.
* In ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'', you have to deal with it throughout all of World 4, with the fog getting worse with each level. In 4-10, they go all-out and just replace the fog with a BlackoutBasement level.
* ''VideoGame/ProjectZomboid'' uses a bird's-eye IsometricProjection, but the fog of war is reintroduced by way of a sophisticated "lighting" system. The light level of each map tile is constantly recalculated based on light sources, the player's sightline, and any perception impairments (e.g., panic). The same system shows or hides nearby zombies, while map tiles that have never been viewed are completely black. This can make exploring a building with narrow corridors, many rooms, and closed doors quite tense, while navigating a dense forest at night can be absolutely terrifying.
* The naval warfare simulator ''PT-boats: Knights of the Sea'' has this on two levels, first there's the range at which ships can detect (and usually engage) enemy units, as shown in the map screen, but in addition there's also literal fog limitting visual contact in the first and third person views available.

* In the various ''VideoGame/SpaceEmpires'' games, viewing a star system's map only lets you see stars and planets and other stellar bodies. You can't see enemy or neutral units or colonies unless you have a unit or ship of your own in the system.
* Its inclusion in Force Commander, a ''Franchise/StarWars'' RTS, was a big sticking point -- among many. Since all units are landed from orbit, it is hard to believe no one thought to take even a single satellite photo of at least the terrain.

* While this is not the default case in ''VideoGame/TelepathTactics'', it is a possible setting for maps. In the campaign, the maps for assassinating Gulch and exploring the ruins both use this feature.

* The ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' games suffer from having a fog of war that makes it difficult to learn about major historical events. Apparently Rome would have taken years to find out if Carthage had conquered Egypt, and the English king may have been kept waiting for decades before he found out that the Turks had taken Constantinople and Vienna.
** You are informed about rather more general events however, like which country in the world that you've never encountered in any form has the largest income or army in the world. Even though you don't know where they are.
** Thus the reason for having diplomats. Trading maps helps to keep you up on who has conquered who. Also keeping track of whose at war helps.
** The game also has ''literal'' fog of war, because if your battle takes place in rain or early in the morning, there can be fog that makes it difficult to see your enemy.

* ''{{VideoGame/XCOM}}'' reveals the terrain as it's explored, but doesn't show which parts are not visible at the moment, while aliens are only visible if they're within your troops' line of sight. After you've explored the entire map, it becomes frustrating trying to find that last alien when you're not even sure where to look. This problem is averted in the [[VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown reboot]], where after a certain number of turns the enemy will come to you.

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''VideoGame/StarWarsEmpireAtWar'' with infantry sight ranges and vehicle sensor (or whatever) ranges, as not having it in effect at all would make it easy for any faction to simply abuse bombing runs or orbital bombardments without directly engaging the enemy. The partial version of this trope is in effect even at the start of battles, meaning you know what the map itself looks like, but you won't know exactly what your enemy is up to. On some ground maps, specific [[WeatherOfWar weather effects]] can drastically reduce sight range (specifically rain of volcanic ash and snowstorms). However, there are various ways to reduce the Fog of War, such as building Sensor Nodes (removes the fog within a large radius of the node), claiming abandoned Sensor Arrays/Satellites (lifts the Fog across the whole map as long as it is controlled), and spotter units' "Sensor Ping" ability. Only near the end of the battle (and when it's in your favor) does the Fog lift on its own, saving you the trouble of searching for stragglers.

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''VideoGame/StarWarsEmpireAtWar'' with infantry sight ranges and vehicle sensor (or whatever) ranges. The partial version of this trope is in effect even at the start of battles meaning you know what the map itself looks like, but you won't know exactly what your enemy is up to. On some ground maps, specific [[WeatherOfWar weather effects]] can drastically reduce sight range (specifically rain of volcanic ash and snowstorms). Sensor Nodes can be constructed on build-pads in ground battles to lift it over a larger radius than most of your units can see (for space battles, the defending side can build orbital long-range scanners that function the same way) and a few units come with a "Sensor Ping" ability to lift the Fog on a distant spot, allowing them to function as spotters for artillery units and bombings. [[AntiFrustrationFeature Conveniently]], once a battle is almost is almost finished, the fog will lift across the whole map for the winning faction to cut down the trouble of hunting down stragglers. Both land and space maps sometimes feature abandoned sensor arrays or satellites that can be claimed by any faction and remove the Fog as long as they keep control of it, allowing them to call bombing runs, orbital bombardments, or their faction's special space weapon (Ion Cannon, Hypervelocity Cannon, and Plasma Cannon for Rebellion, Empire, and Consortium, respectively) without directly engaging the enemy. And Yoda is able to use the Force to temporarily lift the Fog. One particularly annoying bug in the expansion ''Forces of Corruption'' is the Fog lifting for no explained reason what-so-ever (even on maps that don't have abandoned sensor arrays/satellites), allowing a player with their faction's space special weapon to blow up enemy ships LONG BEFORE THOSE SHIPS WOULD BE WITHIN SIGHT RANGE.

* [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''VideoGame/StarWarsEmpireAtWar'' with infantry sight ranges and vehicle sensor (or whatever) ranges. One particularly annoying bug in the expansion ''Forces of Corruption'', at least with the Zann Consortium, is the Fog of War lifting for no explained reason what-so-ever, allowing a player with their faction's space special weapon (Ion Cannon, Hypervelocity Cannon, and Plasma Cannon for Rebellion, Empire, and Consortium, respectively) to blow up enemy ships LONG BEFORE THOSE SHIPS WOULD BE WITHIN SIGHT RANGE.
** It's not a bug, there's a building(satellite in space) that you can capture that reveals the whole map. They're one of the first things players go for aside from resource nodes.
*** It occurs even on maps that don't have those, and usually occurs before the structure gets captured ANYWAY. It also occurs in ground battles.

* This is province based in''VideoGame/KnightsOfHonor'', you can see what's happening in the entire province once your marshall crosses the border. Also applies to your spies in enemy courts, depending on what they are employed as.

* Bizarrely averted in the ''Film/LordOfTheRings: the Return of the King'', where the lack of dust on the battlefield makes the CGI armies look fake -- a flaw compared to other films around the same time that used CGI doubling to create huge armies.

* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'''s multiplayer mode has this as an option. No one's quite certain why.
** Because at higher levels, attacks tend to become {{One Hit Kill}}s. Without a fog, players would likely just hang around just outside the enemy's range until the opponent makes a mistake or they start throwing each other around.

* The ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' games featured Fog of War, but only on certain maps or settings. This fog actually affects AI, since it will ignore units that are hidden in forests, reefs, or just plain not in their vision radius by the fog ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard except in the first two games for the last part]]). Recon units have extra vision radius, infantry and mechs get an extra square if [[IHaveTheHighGround they're on mountains]], and in every game she appears in, Sonja gives all her units extra vision.
** The games also have (optional) weather conditions. Rain usually limits the vision further and even adds temporary fog if not present on the battlefield.
** In a slight twist, the characters talk about it like a physical object and think it's perfectly natural for you to see the entire map one battle and have fog of war the next.
** Completely [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in ''Days of Ruin'', where it is present as dust kicked up from the meteoric impact which destroyed most of civilization.
** The AI actually handles fog of war differently in each game:
*** In the GBA Advance Wars titles, the AI had full knowledge of your units, and could attack unhindered; the only way to protect yourself is to hide in forests and reefs, where the AI cannot fire unless they have an adjacent unit (or if Sonja has her COP active).
*** In AW:DS, the AI will maneuver as if omniscient, but has to station a unit to reveal yours before attacking.
*** In Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, the AI behaves as though fully affected by Fog of War.
** There's a cheap trick in Advance Wars where you could scout out the map by moving your unit but canceling their order in order to reveal the map. Though risky as they could collide with a hiding unit, it's a way to navigate the fog. However, the developers were aware of this so the unit will still spend their fuel upon moving through fog of war even if the turn wasn't finalized. Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict doesn't used this trick because the unit moves ''after'' their order is confirmed.

* VideoGame/NintendoWars has had it since ''Game Boy Wars''.

*** In Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, the AI behaves as though fully affected by FoW.

* The ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' games featured Fog of War, but only on certain maps or settings. This fog actually affects AI, since it will ignore units that are hidden in forests, reefs, or just plain not in their vision radius by the fog ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard except in the first two games for the last part]]). Recon units have extra vision radius, infantry and mechs get an extra square if [[IHaveTheHighGround they're on mountains]], and in every game she appears in, Sonja gives all her units extra vision.

*** In Civ4, they only do this once (when you discover the Satellite technology), but not for all.

** Also, interestingly enough, in Days of Ruin/Dark Conflict, the paths any of your units travel, as well as the spaces directly adjacent to the paths, are revealed until the end of your turn. It's a real cheap way to scope out numerous forests at once (but keep in mind the AI can do it as well).

While this is a realistic limitation, many players find it irritating and restrictive, often because the AI driving the other side [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard is usually not likewise handicapped]]. Turning off the FogOfWar is thus one of the more popular {{Cheat Code}}s a game could have, or for that matter it can easily be an option to turn it off without any kind of cheat code.

This exists in RealLife, in the sense that you need to have someone or some sensor observing the enemy in order to actually know their whereabouts. However, generally when someone talks about the FogOfWar they mean the sense of confusion created in one's mind when subjected to the chaos of combat. Usually they're talking about commanders making or trying to make decisions while sorting through the morass of time -- late, conflicting, and rushed reports with limited time in which to act. The stress of getting shot at doesn't help. To quote an old saying: "Order, counter-order, disorder."

** The games also have (optional) weather conditions. Rain usually limits the vision further and even adds temporary FogOfWar if not present on the battlefield.

** One particularly realistic aspect of ''Civilization IV'''s FogOfWar is that, though most of your units are removed from an enemy's territory when you declare war, submarines are not. This makes subs the best passive scouts in the game.

* Even ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' has a FogOfWar of sorts. Unlike most examples, it's underground.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'', your character can moan about the FogOfWar-like effect your [=PipBoy=] demonstrates when you haven't explored an area.

* In ''VideoGame/GadgetTrial'', all missions have FogOfWar engaged, and there's no option to disable it. The enemy also is completely unaffected by it. This is compensated for by the fact that the enemy is [[ArtificialStupidity really, really stupid]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Harpoon}}'', has realistic FogOfWar, which is to say knowledge of (for example) [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevity_code#B bandits]] (or [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevity_code#B bogeys]]) is limited by how they are detected; a contact ping on radar may just give distance, bearing and heading. A visual sighting might be necessary to determine its nationality and intent. [[labelnote:more...]]Being a tactical naval simulator, ''Harpoon'' borrows a lot of features from traditional simulations (like the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Hunter Silent Hunter]] series of submarine games), including 1:1 time scale, and handling each sensor contact individually.[[/labelnote]]

* ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' has a partial FogOfWar. After exploring a sector on the map, any enemy movement through that sector is quite visible. However, you will not know the strength or size of the enemy group until it comes within range of your militia (or attacks you). This is changed somewhat with much later mods, where enemies may be completely invisible on the map until spotted by a militia unit.

* Certain levels in the strategy-card game ''VideoGame/MetalGearAcid'' and its sequel were in 'Search Mode', which allowed you to see terrain and items but not enemies -- until you were standing very close to them. Thankfully, there are multiple cards which extend your range of eyesight. Not so thankfully, getting hit by an enemy in Search Mode renders you completely blind for some reason we can only guess at. While the effect wears off in a set number of turns, you have few ways of fighting back and no idea where to run from to hide, turning you into a sitting duck. The good news is that it completely subverts TheComputerIsACheatingBastard-type AI; you play in FogOfWar-mode for only a handful of levels. The computer plays in it ''all the time''.

* ''VideoGame/ParaWorld'' quite literally has a FogOfWar-the areas that aren't within sight range of your units are covered in fog, obscuring enemy units and leaving only wild animals and enemy buildings visible. This has the unfortunate effect of slowing the game down, so it's usually more desirable to turn it off.

* Played straight in the 1992 film of ''Film/LastOfTheMohicans''. Musket fire apparently creates clouds of smoke thick enough to blanket the adjoining lake, and the heroes literally escape through the resulting FogOfWar.

* The ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'' games featured Fog of War, but only on certain maps or settings. This fog actually affects AI, since it will ignore units that are hidden in forests, reefs by the fog, or just plain not in their vision radius ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard except in the first two games for the last part]]). Recon units have extra vision radius, infantry and mechs get an extra square if [[IHaveTheHighGround they're on mountains]], and in every game she appears in, Sonja gives all her units extra vision.