---
key: mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t026
type: mechanic
id: shooting-projectiles--t026
lang: en
title: Looter shooters
summary: >-
  Shooting produces equipment whose properties reshape later combat and target
  selection.
updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t026/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t026.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t026.md
aliases: []
tags:
  - Shooting and projectiles
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-8a492c292e237e0e
  - source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1
sources:
  - id: source-8a492c292e237e0e
    title: 'Godot: Ray-casting'
    url: 'https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/physics/ray-casting.html'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1
    title: Borderlands 2
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: shooting-projectiles
    id: t026
    title: Shooting and projectiles
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/shooting-projectiles/#t026'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-22'
    title: Looter shooters
    description: >-
      Shooting produces equipment whose properties reshape later combat and
      target selection.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/borderlands2-inventory-manual.webp
      width: 499
      height: 281
      game: Borderlands 2
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/'
      originalUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/#page=11'
      credit: >-
        Gearbox Software / 2K; screenshot extracted from official PC manual, PDF
        page 11
      rights: >-
        Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Screenshot supplied in the
        official guide; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.
      caption: Weapon selection and stat comparison
      alt: Weapon selection and stat comparison
      markers:
        - x: 38
          'y': 30
          label: Weapon card with statistics
        - x: 52
          'y': 37
          label: Equipped weapon slot
    tips:
      - Show how new loot changes combat actions as well as damage numbers.
    examples:
      - title: Borderlands 2
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/'
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
---
# Looter shooters

id: shooting-projectiles--t026
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t026
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/shooting-projectiles--t026/

Shooting produces equipment whose properties reshape later combat and target selection.

## At a glance

![Weapon selection and stat comparison](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/borderlands2-inventory-manual.webp)

[Borderlands 2](https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Screenshot supplied in the official guide; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.

1. Weapon card with statistics
2. Equipped weapon slot

- Show how new loot changes combat actions as well as damage numbers.

- [Borderlands 2](https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/)

## How it works

Shooting produces equipment whose properties reshape later combat and target selection.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t026-variants"></a>

- Affixes: conditional bonuses change preferred range. <a id="t026-v1"></a>
- Rarity: an unusual item introduces a new action. <a id="t026-v2"></a>
- Sets: several items connect separate abilities. <a id="t026-v3"></a>
- Comparison: item stats explain a practical role change. <a id="t026-v4"></a>

## Design example

A rifle restores charge after a precision hit, favoring deliberate fire over sustained bursts.

Prototype check: Compare items on the same target and separate increased damage numbers from genuinely new decisions.

## 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)
- [Borderlands 2](https://store.steampowered.com/manual/49520/) (id: source-b36b38ceb4ac23e1)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors