Welcome to the Central Highlands! New Terrain Q&A with Walsh

Hi y'all! We are excited to bring you an update on Nickel Steel's upcoming terrain, Dong Giang! Thanks to Tanner for interviewing this gorgeous terrain's creator, Walsh. Very grateful for Walsh providing some beautiful screenshots of this terrain, too! We hope you'll enjoy.

Tanner: Welcome, Walsh! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about your new terrain, coming soon in alpha to S.O.G. Nickel Steel! Can you tell us a bit about it?

Walsh: This is Dong Giang! It is a 13 x 13 km terrain based in the central highlands of South Vietnam. Based on the central highlands region of Vietnam (directly west of Da Nang), you'll find rolling hills and tranquil villages that quickly give way to tall peaks and thick jungle. The US has a limited presence here, with a modest airfield and a few smaller FOBs scattered across the landscape. The Viet Cong, however, lurk in every corner, with numerous camps and caves to be discovered in the depths of the wilderness. With only a single highway cutting across the map and unbroken canopy to the north and south, you'll be forced to ascend into the highlands on foot. Who knows what you might find deep in the jungles of Dong Giang?

Where does the name Dong Giang come from? Is it based on a real place?

Walsh: Yes, Dong Giang is the district the terrain is based on. While I took some creative liberties to adapt it for Arma, the majority of the area's layout and features remain true to the real location.

Who is the intended playerbase and audience for this terrain? How do you foresee people using it?

Walsh: Dong Giang was created for the community — plain and simple. In my opinion, Arma has a noticeable shortage of Vietnam-era maps, so I wanted to offer something new for players of SOG Prairie Fire to enjoy. Mike Force has already been configured to work with this terrain, and I’m hopeful that more game modes will be added in the future.

I also built this map with the Milsim community in mind. Having helped run one of the largest Vietnam Milsim groups, I know what players in that scene are looking for. I specifically designed certain areas to suit their playstyle, while still making sure that more casual players can enjoy the map as well.

I guess looking at the current player base of SOG and Unsung, the majority of players fall into Mike Force and/or Milsim. I decided to create something that would cater towards the largest player group.

This is impressive work. Have you developed terrains before?

Walsh: No, surprisingly. I didn’t truly grasp the scale of what I had taken on until about six months in — and by then, I had barely scratched the surface. Thanks to the incredible mentorship from HorribleGoat, I was able to sharpen my skills and eventually build something I’m genuinely proud of.

This was your first project, right? Why did you choose a terrain?

Walsh: When it comes to terrain development, yes. I’ve done some modding and re-texturing before, but never on this scale. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted a new map to play — specifically one set in the Central Highlands, similar to the style of the old 2003 Vietcong game. While CLN touched on this theme, I wanted something that focused entirely on it.

How long did this take? How many people were involved?

Walsh: There have been a few people involved who have come and gone over the years. With myself doing the majority of the work I still couldn't have gotten this far without the help and assistance of community veterans such as Henriksson, Brainreaction and Jason Kile. They have contributed greatly towards this project and I couldn't have done it without them.

What were some of the biggest challenges bringing Dong Giang to life?

Walsh: The biggest challenges were the learning curve and the level of dedication required. HorribleGoat once told me that most people give up after about six months, but I’m far too stubborn to let that happen. Gaining the necessary knowledge, staying committed to learning, and maintaining the willpower to keep pushing forward were major obstacles — ones I’m proud to have overcome.

There were also smaller but frustrating challenges, like trying to add a water source a year into development without realizing it needed to be placed at sea level. That mistake forced a major shift in the project and required several adjustments.

Testing AI was another eye-opener. I used to assume AI would just figure things out, but I quickly learned that the environment needs to be carefully developed, with clear paths and open spaces to allow the AI to function properly. It was yet another important lesson picked up along the way.

What are you most proud of about Dong Giang?

Walsh: The biggest accomplishment has to be bringing this [terrain] to a playable state for the community to enjoy. It wasn’t much fun having it locked away on my local PC — it deserved to be out there for everyone to experience.

I built most of this project myself while working a full-time job, often with some pretty intense hours. Having it completed feels like a small but meaningful achievement to have attached to my name.

This terrain is also very personal to me. It's dedicated to a good friend and fellow member of my milsim unit, Darious Corbit Miller — known simply as Miller — who sadly passed away suddenly last year. In his honor, I’ve hidden an easter egg somewhere deep in the jungle: his favorite flight helmet. Let’s see who can find it.

What makes Dong Giang unique?

Walsh: Thick, dense jungles. I designed this terrain to support stealth-focused missions deep in the Central Highlands, all without sacrificing performance. I’ve put a lot of effort into testing and refining it, adding extensive foliage to make the jungle feel as immersive and authentic as possible.

Are you going to use this to transition into further game development, maybe future SGD titles?

Walsh: I'm currently on track to take up some learning in the Unreal Engine world and see where that takes me. Ideally I'd like to continue to shadow HorribleGoat and learn the ropes of terrain development in a new engine, but only time will tell!

Thanks, Walsh! I'm sure our playerbase will be excited to venture into the Central Highlands soon! See you on the battlefield!

Airborne!
~Sam & Tanner