PLS explain what in your opinion is semantics in this case.
If an infatry squad gets hit by mortar with better AOE profile the total damage its entity will receive will more than a mortar inferior AOE profile.
That has nothing to do with the "larger explosion visuals" and "real placebo effect", better AOE profile mean more damage.
(mortars generally do 80 damage not 60)
Mortars haven't done 80 damage on direct hit since I don't even know how long ago. It's 68 damage (my bad on saying 60) and it's been standardized to that across all mortars. Though they technically do 80 damage it's not applicable to infantry because it literally doesn't do 80 damage to infantry no matter where you hit them.
Again, you're missing the point. The 120mm mortar and the normal mortar do the exact same damage, just 120mm has better AOE. It is literally implied in the statement that you will be doing more damage in an area because of the AOE being better. But are you doing strictly *more* damage? No.
If an axis squad is already clumped up behind green cover it's going to be hit just as hard by the normal mortar as by the 120, so long as the mortar hits right on it. Which is why I mentioned it being a "placebo" effect, because one of the posters was saying that it was "melting" infantry behind cover like it has some kind of special damage against them.