[Mobhack]

There is no problem with night vision, most modern stuff has that. USA modern infantry tends to be 20.

Thermal vision has 40 or more hexes range and can see through smoke - and is thus expensive as its a valuable force multiplier. The game only has one range for thermal (or radar) as it was written back in the days when that sort of thing was a vehicle mounted device. So sections given TI have the abilities of an MBT, since there is no "short range thermal" with say a 500 metre max, for modern infantry portable systems. Though in reality thermal systems in the rifle battalion tend to be things like the Javelin sight unit - ie not exactly a replacement for the Image Intensifier goggles stuck on a grunt's helmet. Still requires lugging about like man portable ground surveillance radars.

Fire brigades these days use a man-portable TI unit to locate casualties through smoke - as do Naval damage control parties, but that is a fairly large 2-handed camera type of thing. Its range is only a few yards as well, not 2 kilometres.

So - me I'm not sold on any infantry with "thermal" vision other than forward observers, some surveillance (scout) teams using a "borrowed" Javelin sight unit and so on. Not your average line grunts.

cheers
Andy