--- key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation type: mechanic id: game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation lang: en title: Terrain deformation summary: >- Actions reshape the terrain, creating pits, passages and footholds. The altered surface affects what the player can do next. updatedAt: '2026-10-21' status: active url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation/ jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation.md aliases: [] tags: - Game design techniques - World interactions sourceIds: - source-407bd652108bee27 - source-d33bd92599f51d0e - source-d0e84aec2e7ab9d6 - source-da7d94407a9a620a - source-a80bc317834fee79 - source-fc74289282acaca1 - source-5441304ec5c4d11c - source-ca6b0895463b9f0e - source-1404171b36eceff2 - source-0a031a39aeeef0d8 sources: - id: source-407bd652108bee27 title: 'Game Mechanics: Terrain deformation' url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation' verifiedAt: null - id: source-d33bd92599f51d0e title: Call of Duty (2003) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/call-of-duty' verifiedAt: null - id: source-d0e84aec2e7ab9d6 title: Far Cry (2004) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/far-cry' verifiedAt: null - id: source-da7d94407a9a620a title: 'Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (2008)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames verifiedAt: null - id: source-a80bc317834fee79 title: MX vs. ATV Reflex (2009) url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/mx-vs-atv-reflex verifiedAt: null - id: source-fc74289282acaca1 title: 'Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010)' url: >- https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/battlefield-bad-company-2 verifiedAt: null - id: source-5441304ec5c4d11c title: Off-Road Drive (2011) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/off-road-drive' verifiedAt: null - id: source-ca6b0895463b9f0e title: SnowRunner (2021) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/snowrunner' verifiedAt: null - id: source-1404171b36eceff2 title: Enlisted (2024) url: 'https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/enlisted' verifiedAt: null - id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8 title: Deep Rock Galactic url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: game-mechanics id: gm-terrain-deformation title: Game design techniques url: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-terrain-deformation categoryIds: - gm-category-world-interactions supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-21' title: Terrain deformation description: >- Actions reshape the terrain, creating pits, passages and footholds. The altered surface affects what the player can do next. image: src: images/mechanics/drg-mining.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Deep Rock Galactic sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/548430/ss_82bae16c1411fad6a4a09c8c9f62cdf86bd6e8c9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792497307 credit: Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing rights: © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved. caption: Pickaxes reshape the rock alt: >- Deep Rock Galactic: two players strike the rock with pickaxes, sending golden chunks away from the wall. markers: - x: 49 'y': 54 label: Rock being broken with pickaxes - x: 68 'y': 34 label: The player’s tool tips: - Update collisions together with the visible geometry. - Check that players can escape pits they create. examples: - title: Deep Rock Galactic url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/' 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 --- # Terrain deformation id: game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation type: mechanic key: mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-terrain-deformation/ Actions reshape the terrain, creating pits, passages and footholds. The altered surface affects what the player can do next. ## At a glance ![Deep Rock Galactic: two players strike the rock with pickaxes, sending golden chunks away from the wall.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/drg-mining.webp) [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) · © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved. 1. Rock being broken with pickaxes 2. The player’s tool - Update collisions together with the visible geometry. - Check that players can escape pits they create. - [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) ## How it works Interactions alter the ground's shape during play. ## Variants ### How the technique works - Interactions alter the ground's shape during play. ## Context and limits 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. ## Connected materials ## Sources and 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. - [Game Mechanics: Terrain deformation](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation) (id: source-407bd652108bee27) - [Call of Duty (2003)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/call-of-duty) (id: source-d33bd92599f51d0e) - [Far Cry (2004)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/far-cry) (id: source-d0e84aec2e7ab9d6) - [Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (2008)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames) (id: source-da7d94407a9a620a) - [MX vs. ATV Reflex (2009)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/mx-vs-atv-reflex) (id: source-a80bc317834fee79) - [Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/battlefield-bad-company-2) (id: source-fc74289282acaca1) - [Off-Road Drive (2011)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/off-road-drive) (id: source-5441304ec5c4d11c) - [SnowRunner (2021)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/snowrunner) (id: source-ca6b0895463b9f0e) - [Enlisted (2024)](https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/terrain-deformation/game/enlisted) (id: source-1404171b36eceff2) - [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) (id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors