{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-searchlights","lang":"en","title":"Searchlights","summary":"A moving beam scans the area and may reveal the hero. The player chooses a route and movement timing around illuminated zones.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-searchlights.md","aliases":["Searchlight"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Stealth","Lights","Atmosphere"],"sourceIds":["source-22cd55cdb4e35d63","source-d77d1c992874dbab","source-ea09029ee12ae461"],"sources":[{"id":"source-22cd55cdb4e35d63","title":"Game Mechanics: Searchlights","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-d77d1c992874dbab","title":"The Last of Us (2013)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights/game/the-last-of-us","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-ea09029ee12ae461","title":"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights/game/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"A directed beam scans an area and may reveal a character."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-searchlights-rule\"></a>\n\n- A directed beam scans an area and may reveal a character. <a id=\"gm-searchlights-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-searchlights","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-searchlights","categoryIds":["gm-category-stealth","gm-category-lights","gm-category-atmosphere"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Searchlight","description":"A moving beam scans the area and may reveal the hero. The player chooses a route and movement timing around illuminated zones.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/interaction-searchlights.webp","width":500,"height":274,"game":"The Last of Us","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/tlou_searchlight.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":3.16,"credit":"Naughty Dog / Sony Computer Entertainment; 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":"A beam searches beyond the heroes’ cover","alt":"The heroes crouch behind a low wall while a searchlight illuminates the area ahead in The Last of Us.","markers":[{"x":61,"y":24,"label":"Visible search beam"},{"x":31,"y":71,"label":"Low cover along the route"}]},"tips":["Match the visible beam boundary to the actual detection area.","Provide a predictable window for moving between cover."],"examples":[{"title":"The Last of Us","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/searchlights"}]}},"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"}}