{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-self-guided-missiles","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-self-guided-missiles","lang":"en","title":"Self-guided missiles","summary":"A missile or other projectile adjusts its path toward a selected target after launch. The player selects the target and the system guides the projectile.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-self-guided-missiles/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-self-guided-missiles.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-self-guided-missiles.md","aliases":["Homing projectiles"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Combat"],"sourceIds":["source-369bcf4c3ea18654","source-ef90ba337c5e58c6","source-7ff3e85238673ecb"],"sources":[{"id":"source-369bcf4c3ea18654","title":"Game Mechanics: Self-guided missiles","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/self-guided-missiles","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-ef90ba337c5e58c6","title":"Resistance 3 (2011)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/self-guided-missiles/game/resistance-3","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-7ff3e85238673ecb","title":"Bulletstorm (2011)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/self-guided-missiles/game/bulletstorm","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"After launch, a missile adjusts its path toward a selected target."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-self-guided-missiles-rule\"></a>\n\n- After launch, a missile adjusts its path toward a selected target. <a id=\"gm-self-guided-missiles-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-self-guided-missiles","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-self-guided-missiles","categoryIds":["gm-category-combat"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Homing projectiles","description":"A missile or other projectile adjusts its path toward a selected target after launch. The player selects the target and the system guides the projectile.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/combat-self-guided-missiles.webp","width":460,"height":254,"game":"Resistance 3 (2011)","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/self-guided-missiles","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/resistance3_bullseye.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":3.84,"credit":"Insomniac Games / Sony Computer Entertainment; 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":"Bullseye: rounds follow a tagged target","alt":"Glowing Bullseye shot trails curve toward a target by the far wall in Resistance 3.","markers":[{"x":31,"y":61,"label":"Curving projectile trails"},{"x":27,"y":72,"label":"The tagged target’s area"}]},"tips":["Distinguish target acquisition from manual projectile steering.","Communicate target loss and turning limits."],"examples":[{"title":"Resistance 3 (2011)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/self-guided-missiles"}]}},"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"}}