---
key: mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t021
type: mechanic
id: shooting-projectiles--t021
lang: en
title: First-person shooters
summary: >-
  The player aims from the character’s viewpoint. Position, visibility and
  ammunition use shape decisions during combat.
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t021/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t021.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t021.md
aliases:
  - First-person shooter
tags:
  - Shooting and projectiles
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-8a492c292e237e0e
  - source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
sources:
  - id: source-8a492c292e237e0e
    title: 'Godot: Ray-casting'
    url: 'https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/ray-casting.html'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
    title: Deep Rock Galactic
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: shooting-projectiles
    id: t021
    title: Shooting and projectiles
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/shooting-projectiles/#t021'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
    title: First-person shooter
    description: >-
      The player aims from the character’s viewpoint. Position, visibility and
      ammunition use shape decisions during combat.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/drg-autocannon.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_e6e1d97ee0a5fc8b82c5a9a1aacba178206e3522.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792497307
      credit: Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
      rights: © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.
      caption: Weapon and target in one view
      alt: >-
        Deep Rock Galactic: the player’s hands and autocannon appear in first
        person, facing a group of approaching bugs.
      markers:
        - x: 53
          'y': 50
          label: A target in front of the character
        - x: 74
          'y': 81
          label: Weapon visible in first person
    tips:
      - Keep the weapon clear of the main aiming area.
      - 'Distinguish feedback for firing, hitting and defeating a target.'
    examples:
      - title: Deep Rock Galactic
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/shooting-projectiles
---
# First-person shooters

id: shooting-projectiles--t021
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t021
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t021/

The player aims from the character’s viewpoint. Position, visibility and ammunition use shape decisions during combat.

## At a glance

![Deep Rock Galactic: the player’s hands and autocannon appear in first person, facing a group of approaching bugs.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/drg-autocannon.webp)

[Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) · © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.

1. A target in front of the character
2. Weapon visible in first person

- Keep the weapon clear of the main aiming area.
- Distinguish feedback for firing, hitting and defeating a target.

- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/)

## How it works

The player controls a first-person view and weapon, trading precision against speed and exposure.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t021-variants"></a>

- Aim down sights: zoom trades awareness for precision. <a id="t021-v1"></a>
- Hip fire: movement increases the spread of shots. <a id="t021-v2"></a>
- Leading shots: slow projectiles require prediction. <a id="t021-v3"></a>
- Reloading: an empty magazine creates vulnerability. <a id="t021-v4"></a>

## Design example

A fast corridor enemy forces a choice between a shotgun and a precise shot through a doorway.

Prototype check: Test shots beside a wall: camera and muzzle lines must not produce an unexplained hit result.

## Context and limits

Shooting connects position selection to the moment of firing. Distinguish view direction, weapon direction and the actual hit query: the camera may see a target while a wall blocks the muzzle. Traveling projectiles need readable trajectories and flight time; immediate hits need clear feedback and a consistent reticle. These overviews propose original rules and hypothetical scenarios. Godot's documentation explains ray intersection queries, not network lag compensation or a universal weapon model.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [Godot: Ray-casting](https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/ray-casting.html) (id: source-8a492c292e237e0e)
- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) (id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors