Sorry Major if I used your post as a segway for talking about special effects! Let me clear the smoke a bit ( ) and add some more support to your discussion on vehicular mobility differences, and precautions, and techniques (these excerpts from the Tigerfibel):

Buildings and Walls
Should not be run over! The rubble looks better in the weekly movietone news than on the tail end of Your Tiger. The blower will suck in all the dirt and dust, the radiator is covered up and no longer functions. The engine overheats and fails.

Tarp, leaves, rubble, luggage
Must not lay on the blower cover or disturb the cannon when rotating the turret.

Morass, swamps
Avoid dark areas and high grass. Prefer to make long detours. Investigate the ground on foot. Take another man piggyback and stand on one leg. If the ground carries You, it will carry the tank. Go through swiftly, do not steer or change gears. If You get stuck, do not dig Yourself in attempting to get out. Another Tiger will pull You out. Anchor the cable, hook into the tracks and pull Yourself out.

Log dam
The dam must be 3.5 meters in width and the logs must be at least 15 cm in diameter. Otherwise they will break or work loose when passing over the dam.

Rivers
A solid riverbed and firm riverbanks are necessary. Where other tanks wade through the water, the Tiger can go too. Turn off the engine and prepare for underwater driving. Close the sump vent, turn on the bilge pump.

Bridges
Investigate on foot. Prefer to ford. Stop in front of the bridge. Position the Tiger so it can be crossed without any need to steer. Select low gear, do not change gears, do not stop, drive slower than walking pace. Accelerate only after 5 meters of having crossed the bridge.

Ditches and craters
Approach head on, avoid wet areas.

Wooded areas
The Tiger will tear down trees up to 80 cm in diameter using the edge of the front plate. If the clearance between trees is too narrow, drive in a zig-zag pattern, with one side running free.

Mines
Stay on the tracks, bump back on tracks, do not steer, eliminate mines if possible.

Snow
New dry snow is no reason for concern below 70 cm in height. Compacted snow or sleet only up to the level of ground clearance - 50 cm.

Ice
Throw chainlink in front of the track, use inertia, do not steer, approach edges or ditches with one track. Using twigs or sand for traction makes little sense.

Hey guys, are we sure we want all this mobility "realism" (especially that part about the "one-legged piggyback test")? :winkbiggrin:

Seriously though, as MajorMagee is indicating here, getting the physics of mobility nailed is essential for replicating the differences between tracked, semi-tracked, and wheeled vehicles, and the limitations between their weight classes and particular designs.

I wonder if Rainer has any comments (insights) yet on T vs T, from his experience of driving around the different AFVs in the sim's present build (that he can share)?