{"id":58,"date":"2026-10-15T12:20:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T12:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/?page_id=58"},"modified":"2026-10-30T15:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T15:47:10","slug":"week-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/week-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<main class=\"ff-site\" style=\"background:#edf2ec;color:#263e35;width:100%;max-width:none;margin:0;padding:0 0 42px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:1.8\">\n<header style=\"min-height:310px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;text-align:center;background-color:#b9d0be;background-image:url(https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/111.png);background-position:center;background-size:cover;padding:42px 24px\"><div><h1 style=\"margin:0 0 14px;font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:clamp(42px,5.5vw,72px);line-height:1.15;letter-spacing:3px;font-weight:400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/\" style=\"color:#193e2d;text-decoration:none\">Far Frontier<\/a><\/h1><p style=\"color:#284c3b;font-size:clamp(16px,2vw,19px);margin:0\">Sihan Ma\u2019s Game Design Document<\/p><\/div><\/header><nav aria-label=\"Main navigation\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;gap:12px 28px;background:#233f32;padding:18px 24px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/#research\" style=\"color:#f4f5ec;font-size:14px;letter-spacing:0.4px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.7\">Research<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/#weekly-development\" style=\"color:#f4f5ec;font-size:14px;letter-spacing:0.4px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.7\">Weekly Development<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/#game-testing\" style=\"color:#f4f5ec;font-size:14px;letter-spacing:0.4px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.7\">Game Testing &amp; Feedbacks<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/#prototype-updates\" style=\"color:#f4f5ec;font-size:14px;letter-spacing:0.4px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.7\">Prototype Updates<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/#prototypes\" style=\"color:#f4f5ec;font-size:14px;letter-spacing:0.4px;text-decoration:none;line-height:1.7\">Prototype<\/a><\/nav><div style=\"max-width:1040px;margin:32px auto 0;padding:clamp(22px,4vw,46px);background:#fafbf7\">\n<header style=\"padding:12px 0 30px\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/#prototype-updates\" style=\"color:#263e35;text-decoration:underline\">\u2190 Prototype Updates<\/a><\/p><h2 style=\"font-size:27px;font-weight:500;margin:0 0 20px\">Week 3<\/h2><\/header>\n<section style=\"border-top:1px solid #d4dfd2;padding:30px 0 8px\"><h2 style=\"font-size:34px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.3;margin:0 0 24px\">Building the Base Map<\/h2><p style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.8;margin:0 0 24px;color:#526056\">This week, I focused on creating the game\u2019s base map. My initial idea was a forested valley with a river running through its centre. After researching the landscape and considering the overall layout, I decided to build a square map for the prototype.<\/p><h3 style=\"font-size:21px;font-weight:500;margin:0 0 18px\">Landscape References<\/h3><div style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:24px;margin:0 0 30px\"><figure style=\"flex:1 1 280px;min-width:0;margin:0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Yosemite_Valley_%26_the_Merced_river_(40040661032).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/d\/dd\/Yosemite_Valley_%26_the_Merced_river_%2840040661032%29.jpg\" alt=\"Merced River in the foreground of a forested Yosemite Valley landscape\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:1.6;color:#69736b;margin-top:10px\">Yosemite Valley and the Merced River \u2014 a reference for the relationship between a river, valley floor and surrounding slopes. Photo: Mike McBey, <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Yosemite_Valley_%26_the_Merced_river_(40040661032).jpg\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>. Image unchanged.<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure style=\"flex:1 1 280px;min-width:0;margin:0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Glen_Affric.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/b\/b8\/Glen_Affric.jpg\" alt=\"Forested slopes surrounding Loch Affric in Glen Affric, Scotland\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;line-height:1.6;color:#69736b;margin-top:10px\">Glen Affric, Scotland, looking over Loch Affric \u2014 a reference for wooded slopes and the depth of a forest valley. Photo: Rchillyard, <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Glen_Affric.jpg\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Image unchanged.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/section><section style=\"border-top:1px solid #d4dfd2;padding:30px 0 8px\"><h2 style=\"font-size:27px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.35;margin:0 0 20px\">Planning the Terrain in Photoshop<\/h2><p style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.8;margin:0 0 24px;color:#526056\">I sketched the overall terrain in Photoshop, using a method inspired by contour maps. Instead of drawing contour lines, I used shades of grey to represent elevation: lighter areas indicate lower ground, while darker areas indicate higher ground. The long, winding strip through the centre represents the river.<\/p><figure style=\"max-width:640px;margin:0 0 30px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-terrain-plan.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-terrain-plan.png\" alt=\"Photoshop terrain plan using light and dark shades to indicate different elevations, with a winding river through the centre\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><figcaption style=\"font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;color:#69736b;margin-top:10px\">Figure 1. Initial terrain plan drawn in Photoshop.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/section><section style=\"border-top:1px solid #d4dfd2;padding:30px 0 8px\"><h2 style=\"font-size:27px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.35;margin:0 0 20px\">Building the Terrain and Planning Roads<\/h2><p style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.8;margin:0 0 24px;color:#526056\">I began shaping the landscape with Unity\u2019s Terrain editor, applying a hard-ground surface to establish the basic terrain and using a river texture to lay out the river channel.<\/p><p style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.8;margin:0 0 24px;color:#526056\">I then drew red lines over the terrain plan to map out the routes players could drive. These routes broadly follow the shape of the landscape. Using this plan as a guide, I painted different road materials onto the terrain and completed the basic road network.<\/p><figure style=\"max-width:640px;margin:0 0 30px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-road-plan.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-road-plan.png\" alt=\"Terrain plan overlaid with red lines showing the planned network of drivable routes\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><figcaption style=\"font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;color:#69736b;margin-top:10px\">Figure 2. Road layout planned over the terrain sketch.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.8;margin:0 0 24px;color:#526056\">During this stage, I also addressed an early balancing issue in which vehicles could cross difficult terrain too easily. The aim was to make the ground conditions more relevant to the driving experience.<\/p><figure style=\"max-width:100%;margin:0 0 30px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-terrain-in-unity-scaled.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-terrain-in-unity-scaled.png\" alt=\"Overview of the base terrain in Unity, showing the central river, hills and early routes\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><figcaption style=\"font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;color:#69736b;margin-top:10px\">Figure 3. The base terrain, river and road network in Unity.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/section><section style=\"border-top:1px solid #d4dfd2;padding:30px 0 8px\"><h2 style=\"font-size:27px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.35;margin:0 0 20px\">Creating the Forest Environment<\/h2><p style=\"font-size:18px;line-height:1.8;margin:0 0 24px;color:#526056\">Finally, I populated the map with trees and vegetation using a low-poly forest asset pack for Unity that is licensed for commercial use. This established the forest environment around the terrain and road network.<\/p><figure style=\"max-width:100%;margin:0 0 30px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-forest-environment-scaled.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/96\/2026\/10\/ff-week3-forest-environment-scaled.png\" alt=\"Unity scene showing a dense low-poly forest with varied trees, vegetation and distant hills\" style=\"display:block;width:100%;height:auto\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><figcaption style=\"font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;color:#69736b;margin-top:10px\">Figure 4. The forest environment after adding trees and vegetation.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div style=\"padding:22px 24px;background:#e2ecdf;border-left:3px solid #78916e;margin:0 0 20px\"><h3 style=\"font-size:21px;font-weight:500;margin:0 0 10px\">Current Outcome<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0;line-height:1.8\">The map is now playable and provides enough space for players to drive around and explore.<\/p><\/div><\/section><\/div><\/main>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Far Frontier Sihan Ma\u2019s Game Design Document ResearchWeekly DevelopmentGame Testing &amp; FeedbacksPrototype UpdatesPrototype \u2190 Prototype Updates Week 3 Building the Base Map This week, I focused on creating the game\u2019s base map. My initial idea was a forested valley with a river running through its centre. After researching the landscape and considering the overall layout, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"portfolio-review-black-white","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-58","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":364,"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/58\/revisions\/364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.wsagames.com\/sm8g25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}