{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemies-reloading-weapons","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-enemies-reloading-weapons","lang":"en","title":"Enemies reloading weapons","summary":"After emptying a magazine, an enemy stops firing to reload. This pause creates an opening to move or attack.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemies-reloading-weapons/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemies-reloading-weapons.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-enemies-reloading-weapons.md","aliases":["Enemy reload"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Combat","Weapons"],"sourceIds":["source-4d6c3a7a191604b2","source-409b94b36c90ae0e"],"sources":[{"id":"source-4d6c3a7a191604b2","title":"Game Mechanics: Enemies reloading weapons","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemies-reloading-weapons","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-409b94b36c90ae0e","title":"Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemies-reloading-weapons/game/return-to-castle-wolfenstein","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"An emptied magazine makes an enemy pause firing to reload."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-enemies-reloading-weapons-rule\"></a>\n\n- An emptied magazine makes an enemy pause firing to reload. <a id=\"gm-enemies-reloading-weapons-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-enemies-reloading-weapons","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-enemies-reloading-weapons","categoryIds":["gm-category-combat","gm-category-weapons"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Enemy reload","description":"After emptying a magazine, an enemy stops firing to reload. This pause creates an opening to move or attack.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/combat-enemies-reloading-weapons.webp","width":596,"height":468,"game":"Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001)","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemies-reloading-weapons","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/rtcw_enemy_reload.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":5.72,"credit":"Gray Matter Interactive / id Software; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. All rights reserved; excluded from the portal’s MIT and CC BY 4.0 licenses.","caption":"A pause between bursts","alt":"A Return to Castle Wolfenstein soldier handles his weapon during a reload pause.","markers":[{"x":53,"y":44,"label":"Hands at the weapon during the reload"}]},"tips":["Communicate reloads with a recognizable gesture and sound.","Allow enough time for the player to exploit the opening."],"examples":[{"title":"Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/enemies-reloading-weapons"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}