{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-heat-haze","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-heat-haze","lang":"en","title":"Heat haze","summary":"Image distortion suggests heated air.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-heat-haze/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-heat-haze.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-heat-haze.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Game design techniques","Immersion","Visual effects"],"sourceIds":["source-7743b657a5c3db15","source-bd3dd12f113ab817","source-cc0ec30230945677","source-476085d46147a389","source-8050fd55c89b1e2e","source-897b38eb3e5eca6e"],"sources":[{"id":"source-7743b657a5c3db15","title":"Game Mechanics: Heat haze","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-bd3dd12f113ab817","title":"Doom 3 (2004)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze/game/doom-3","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-cc0ec30230945677","title":"Gothic 3 (2006)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze/game/gothic-3","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-476085d46147a389","title":"Far Cry 2 (2008)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze/game/far-cry-2","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-8050fd55c89b1e2e","title":"Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (2008)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze/game/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-897b38eb3e5eca6e","title":"Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze/game/kingdom-come-deliverance","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Image distortion suggests heated air."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-heat-haze-rule\"></a>\n\n- Image distortion suggests heated air. <a id=\"gm-heat-haze-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-heat-haze","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-heat-haze","categoryIds":["gm-category-immersion","gm-category-visual-effects"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Heat haze","description":"Image distortion suggests heated air.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/atmosphere-heat-haze.webp","width":600,"height":334,"game":"Gothic 3","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/gothic_3_heat_haze.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":3.7,"credit":"Piranha Bytes; frame from clip via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"The background shimmers above a torch","alt":"Gothic 3: The background shimmers above a torch.","markers":[{"x":45,"y":37,"label":"Distortion area above the flame"}]},"tips":["Anchor distortion to the heat source and limit its strength."],"examples":[{"title":"Gothic 3","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/heat-haze"}]}},"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"}}