{"id":462,"date":"2026-02-28T15:24:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T15:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/?p=462"},"modified":"2026-05-11T13:45:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T13:45:58","slug":"week-5-ecological-world-structure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/2026\/02\/28\/week-5-ecological-world-structure\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 5 – Ecological World Structure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What I Did This Week<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During this week\u2019s development, I began to further refine the overall structure of the game world, focusing particularly on exploring the ecosystem logic within it. Whereas in previous weeks I focused more on visual atmosphere and environmental appearance, this week I have begun to consider the connections between different areas from the perspective of ecosystem structure, and how they collectively form a more complete world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the current world setting, our project revolves around the journey of the Forest Keeper. In the current world setting, the Forest Keeper\u2019s journey does not merely take place within a natural environment, but is set within a fantasy world shaped by the interplay of narrative, ecology and creature relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make this world appear more coherent, I have begun to map out the ecological connections between different regions and consider how these environments influence one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current world map comprises three main explorable areas:
\u2022 Lake
\u2022 Clearing
\u2022 Cliffside<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These areas are not isolated scenes, but exist as interconnected ecological layers. Each area plays a distinct role within the ecosystem, whilst also providing habitats for different animal species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1. Ecological Loop Diagram<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This diagram is a preliminary illustration of cyclical relationships that I drew whilst organising the ecosystem structure. At the time, I was primarily considering whether a relatively complete cycle could be formed between plants, animals, resources and restoration, rather than treating them merely as isolated gameplay elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst drawing this structure, I also began to realise that world design is not just about the environment itself, but also requires consideration of how different systems are interconnected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Process & Design Thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When designing the structure of an ecosystem, I first attempt to organise the relationships between different environments using an ecological structure diagram. This diagram helps me understand how different areas interact through natural mechanisms, such as water flow, plant dispersal and animal activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this diagram, different symbols represent different ecological relationships:
\u2022 Solid arrows \u2014 water flow (direction of water flow)
\u2022 Dashed arrows \u2014 seed dispersal
\u2022 Lines \u2014 elevation (terrain height)
\u2022 Icons \u2014 animals (animal distribution)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, I can think more clearly about the ecological connections between different areas, rather than designing each scene in isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When designing each specific area, I also try to assign them distinct ecological roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Click here to read Ecological World Structure<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lake<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake serve the important purpose of moistening natural surroundings. Water resources not only boost the growth of the vegetation around it but also serve as the habitat for various animals that depend upon it. As a result, this area is quite biodiverse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A forest clearing connects different ecological zones in the forest. It also aids the dispersal of plant species and the interaction of animal species. Within the region, plant species may coexist and ranges (two animal species) may overlap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cliffside<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cliffside acts as an environmental boundary linking the forest and the far sea. This area may host species that have adopted to live in a variety of environmental conditions because of differences in elevation and environment. Moreover, it renders greater coherence to the physical pattern of the world. Through this design, the various zones have their own environmental characteristics and are also interconnected ecologically, giving it a more realistic world structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflection & Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whilst organising these ecological relationships, I gradually realised that world design is not merely about constructing visual environments; more importantly, it involves establishing a coherent systemic logic between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, within this structure, different areas can be interconnected through various natural mechanisms:
\u2022 seed dispersal
Some plants may spread between different areas, thereby creating shared plant species.
\u2022 water flow
Water may flow from within the forest down to the base of cliffs, eventually entering the marine environment.
\u2022 animal movement
Although the game may not fully simulate animal migration, such behaviour can be implied through environmental storytelling, such as animal tracks, signs of plant damage, or traces of nests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Figure 2. Ecological Region Structure Map<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This map is an early structural sketch I produced whilst organising the relationships between different regions. Rather than treating the Lake, Clearing and Cliffside as isolated scenes, I began to consider how they might be connected\u2014for instance, whether water flow, the spread of vegetation or terrain transitions might influence the ecological relationships between different areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process also led me to focus more on the overall coherence of the entire world, rather than merely the visual design of individual regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These ecological details also made me realise that players do not necessarily need explicit instructions to understand the world. Often, traces in the environment, the distribution of resources, or the behaviour of animals alone are enough to allow players to gradually grasp the relationships between different areas.ing the world\u2019s believability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this week\u2019s research, I have also gained a clearer understanding that a game world requires not only visual design but also logical support at the system level. When connections are formed between the environment, animals and resource systems, players are more likely to perceive the world\u2019s realism and coherence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan for Next Week<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having finished organising the ecosystem structure, I now wish to begin further research into the world narrative. Rather than continuing to expand the environment itself, I am now focusing more on how players gradually come to understand the world of Forest Keeper through exploration, and how the environment, the animals and player behaviour collectively influence the overall narrative experience.on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will now start the process of organising the narrative structure of the whole world. I will start exploring how the environment, the animals, and player behaviour create the overall narrative experience of the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What I Did This Week During this week\u2019s development, I began to further refine the overall structure of the game world, focusing particularly on exploring the ecosystem logic within it. Whereas in previous weeks I focused more on visual atmosphere and environmental appearance, this week I have begun to consider the connections between different areas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-updates-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":597,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462\/revisions\/597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/jy3c23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}