{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-shooting-down-helicopters","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-shooting-down-helicopters","lang":"en","title":"Shooting down helicopters","summary":"The player damages an aerial target until it is destroyed. Helicopter movement requires watching the sky and choosing attack timing.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-shooting-down-helicopters/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-shooting-down-helicopters.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-shooting-down-helicopters.md","aliases":["Shoot down a helicopter"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Combat","Destruction"],"sourceIds":["source-e767ec5aea25d6d5","source-f9c893d7f73007d5","source-61c87d84436f2ad2","source-1262fed1baed4268","source-0f0ce27b68b68342"],"sources":[{"id":"source-e767ec5aea25d6d5","title":"Game Mechanics: Shooting down helicopters","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-f9c893d7f73007d5","title":"Just Cause (2006)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters/game/just-cause","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-61c87d84436f2ad2","title":"Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters/game/grand-theft-auto-iv","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-1262fed1baed4268","title":"Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters/game/metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-0f0ce27b68b68342","title":"Far Cry 5 (2018)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters/game/far-cry-5","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"The player damages an airborne target until it crashes or breaks apart."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-shooting-down-helicopters-rule\"></a>\n\n- The player damages an airborne target until it crashes or breaks apart. <a id=\"gm-shooting-down-helicopters-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-shooting-down-helicopters","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-shooting-down-helicopters","categoryIds":["gm-category-combat","gm-category-destruction"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Shoot down a helicopter","description":"The player damages an aerial target until it is destroyed. Helicopter movement requires watching the sky and choosing attack timing.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/combat-shooting-down-helicopters.webp","width":400,"height":220,"game":"Just Cause (2006)","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/webm/just_cause_helicopter_anti-aircraft_gun.webm","sourceFrameSeconds":6.29,"credit":"Avalanche Studios / Eidos Interactive; 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 helicopter under anti-aircraft fire","alt":"A damaged helicopter trails smoke above the player’s mounted gun in Just Cause.","markers":[{"x":49,"y":30,"label":"Smoking helicopter"},{"x":43,"y":78,"label":"The player’s mounted gun"}]},"tips":["Distinguish a hit, critical damage and a crash.","Give aerial threats a recognizable sound and silhouette."],"examples":[{"title":"Just Cause (2006)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/shooting-down-helicopters"}]}},"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"}}