L98: GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT
NAT NINA
2024
I created a game design document, accompanied by a short story at the end and some imagery. I was inspired by a variety of game design documents from well-known games: (GTA, Diablo, Deus Ex). Some preliminary conceptualization about the gameplay and concept are here as well. I have not done any programming for this concept yet, but I created renders and a cover page to help communicate the game atmosphere.
Cover page, created using Photoshop and Lightroom.
I wanted it to represent some key elements of the game. The character looks back towards this deserted land he once called home, and the electric towers represent an important part of his life. The pale sky and dark ground represent the character's outlook; the only hope left for him exists beyond this place.
Animation, made using Blender and Adobe Premiere Pro. I wanted to show the character in his desolated home, looking out.
Introduction page, clothing made on Marvelous designer, modeling and rendering done on Blender. Text and layout done on Adobe Illustrator
CONCEPT
L98 is an adventure game set in a futuristic city doomed by an eternal winter. The main character, the last human left in the city, deals with the dilemma of staying in the only place he's known, the only place he's ever felt at home, or leaving to join his long-gone community, who fled from the cold.
The character, Luna, or sometimes referred to by his identification number L98, and his tale are inspired by the real story of the Luna orca, who spent five years in Nookta inlet. The orca seemed to have lost his way from his pod (group of orcas) and was frequently socializing with humans, until his death.
The game's goal is to emerge the player into a sense of complete isolation, while experiencing the nostalgia that the main character feels. Emotions like loneliness, longing and grief are used to sensibilize the player to Luna’s struggles.
The game is inspired by a short story written by me (provided at the end), and should therefore loosely follow it’s plot.
GENRE
L98 is a story-based adventure game, with light survival elements and some puzzle mini-games.
The gameplay will be relatively short, with the goal of experiencing it in one sitting or two: 4-7 hours.
L98 is a story-based adventure game, with light survival elements and some puzzle mini-games.
The gameplay will be relatively short, with the goal of experiencing it in one sitting or two: 4-7 hours.
WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?
The game’s storytelling should be the main focus point, to hopefully create an immersive emotional experience to captivate the player.
The game’s storytelling should be the main focus point, to hopefully create an immersive emotional experience to captivate the player.
CORE MECHANICS
The main mechanics include actions such as jumping, running, walking, crouching, driving the snowmobile and shooting, as the player will have to occasionally hunt for food. The player will also have to solve puzzles by powering and performing maintenance on the electical towers scattered accross the map. Various items will also be obtainable to help the player on their journey.
The main mechanics include actions such as jumping, running, walking, crouching, driving the snowmobile and shooting, as the player will have to occasionally hunt for food. The player will also have to solve puzzles by powering and performing maintenance on the electical towers scattered accross the map. Various items will also be obtainable to help the player on their journey.
OBJECTIVES
The ultimate objective is to take Luna (main character) out of his hometown, where the climate has become too hostile to live in. To do that, the player must explore the town to find supplies, electrical towers and radio sattelites.
PROGRESSION
The user makes progress by preparing for the trip (gathering supplies, preparing routes, communicating with relatives), all while staying alive!
The user makes progress by preparing for the trip (gathering supplies, preparing routes, communicating with relatives), all while staying alive!
ART AND VISUALS
While the story of the game takes place in an imaginary location, it draws obvious parallels to Nunavut. “Nunavut” translates to “Our land” in Inuktitut. The landscape must therefore take from northern Nunavut.
While the story of the game takes place in an imaginary location, it draws obvious parallels to Nunavut. “Nunavut” translates to “Our land” in Inuktitut. The landscape must therefore take from northern Nunavut.
Props are all relics of the present, meaning they look like modern-day objects in 20-30 year old decay.
THEMES
L98 is originally inspired from the real story of an orca of the same identification number and name. The orca was born in Puget Sound, and after being separated from his mother at a young age, went on to live in Mowichat (also known as Nookta Sound), surrounded by humans.
L98 is originally inspired from the real story of an orca of the same identification number and name. The orca was born in Puget Sound, and after being separated from his mother at a young age, went on to live in Mowichat (also known as Nookta Sound), surrounded by humans.
He then gained popularity and was given the second name Luna after a Seattle newspaper held a contest to re-name him. The winner was an 8-year-old who explained: "The orca whale explores the ocean like the moon explores the Earth and that is why his/her name is Luna.". This is why the game is adventure-based, and the player must look around for clues and items.
The whale was also named Tsux'iit by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations band of Mowichat, because he was believed to be a reincarnation of the recently deceased Chief Ambrose Maguinna.
The whale was also named Tsux'iit by the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations band of Mowichat, because he was believed to be a reincarnation of the recently deceased Chief Ambrose Maguinna.
After years of living near humans and interacting with them, Luna died in Muchalat Inlet. He approached a tugboat he knew in an attempt to socialize but was sucked in by the boat’s propellers. His body was destroyed from the blades.
The story of the L98 game concept parallels the orca’s life and death, the consequences of ongoing colonialism on indigenous communities, environmental disaster, identity, and grief.
While it is not explicitly said, Our Land is suffering from a climate change catastrophe caused by outside factors, reflecting the devastation of land caused by settlers, affecting indigenous communities. This turns Our Land into a desolated place, with Luna being the last remaining resident.
Luna is conflicted in his desire to be emancipated and stay in the only place he’s ever known, or go join his family. He feels a strong attachment to his community but doesn’t want to leave their land behind.
Eventually, resources become scarce, and he realizes he must leave. He grabs his snowmobile and starts making his way south. He then notices a few sun rays and is so fascinated by their sight; he steers off the path and into the river. As he is in warmer climate and the river is not as covered in ice, he falls into the river. He then experiences cold shock response and involuntarily breathes in the water. The story ends with Luna drowning as he reflects on his last years of existence.
This ending reflects the L98 orca’s sad death, who was seeking togetherness and community before unexpectedly dying. It is also symbolically bittersweet, as human Luna never has to leave Our Land. The river just pulls him back in.
STORY
The following is a short story narrated by the character. Part I explains the character's background, motives and emotional state. Part II is a loose narration of the game plot. This would be used as a guide text to help a team expand the character and his story.
PART I
June 19th 2062,
My eyes hover over the pendulum above my head. It's repetitive ticking seems to be getting louder as the days go by. Or maybe the silence around me is intensifying, filling the room, and permeating the air. I am running out of sounds to distract me from the windchill-induced cracking of the floorboards above me. The truth is, no noise, song or wall can hide how scared I have become. Lines on the sides of my nose have deepened so heavily that they are now permanent, distinct features on my face. My body, while roughened, has grown wispy and defeated. It is hard to believe it used to be any different. But it did.
I was born in 2026, and the decade following set consecutive heat records around the globe. I have a very faint memory of it all, except for the influx of wild animals coming into Our Land. This meant increased food but also more dangers that we were not ready for. My father and his father were hunting for caribou at the lake, when they were attacked by a polar bear. We found their bodies under the rubble of rocks, next to one another, never leaving each other's side until the end. Oddly, that day was the last time I remember seeing the sun.
My father and grandfather owned the only contractor business in town. When they passed, my eldest sister and brother took over, and I followed along. I was given the small tasks of passing tools around, nailing small structures and observing. Fixing other people's homes was the first way I'd learned to escape my mind. One time, we were replacing the drywall of an older lady's bedroom after heavy rain had caused water damage. My siblings had gone on their break, and I was nailing the corner of the room, rushing because I had been standing for the past 7 hours and was desperate to finish. Suddenly, in what felt like a millisecond, I saw a spark fly across my peripheral vision and heard a large crack sound, hitting my eardrum so hard it felt like a punch. In the blink of an eye, I was on the floor and the smell of smoke was lingering within my sinuses. My brother and sister came running and pulled me away, while my eyes glazed at the rising grey cloud, thinking about how everything in my world could implode in a moment.
Very soon, a layer of thick and grey undying clouds cocooned us under the sky. They never dissipated. The then summer turned into an eternal winter, in which every night was the coldest night. Once our animals started dying, so did our people, and that's when many began fleeing. Our family's connection to Our Land and the foundations that we have built above it meant that we could not think of any other corner of the universe that would be spacious enough for us.
Before the clouds, Our Land was: infinite dry valleys and vegetation that doesn't rise above the knees in the summer and snow slopes under rosy sunsets in the winter, reminiscent of our cold pink cheeks in the season. My father had built, or worked on most houses in the city and every structure had a bit of us in it. I saw him everywhere. He was walking through walls, mending fissures. Building us up with his memory. The more I thought of him, the more I wanted to be like him. I once thought to be strong you needed to be defensive, but now I know that to be strong you must be unmovable, like the mountains surrounding us, the houses we lived in, and this never-ending winter. I told myself I was stronger than anything. I told myself I would never move.
When I was 20 I started tinkering with the family computer. It was a laptop, and the battery was swelling, which cracked the casing slightly open, right under the arrow buttons. I ordered a new battery online and put it together. It was like new again.
Many defects that I didn't even notice the computer had been immediately resolved. It was faster, quieter, and lasted longer. And all it took was a little fix. I then found again the same meditative feeling I had when I was fixing up houses with my brother and sister. It captivated me entirely. I wanted to build machines that were powerful enough to withstand anything, reach anybody, and do anything. I was harvesting, buying, soldering, and fusing parts together. I worked on machines that belonged to strangers, friends, and family members. This helped me build a strong network throughout the community.
Many defects that I didn't even notice the computer had been immediately resolved. It was faster, quieter, and lasted longer. And all it took was a little fix. I then found again the same meditative feeling I had when I was fixing up houses with my brother and sister. It captivated me entirely. I wanted to build machines that were powerful enough to withstand anything, reach anybody, and do anything. I was harvesting, buying, soldering, and fusing parts together. I worked on machines that belonged to strangers, friends, and family members. This helped me build a strong network throughout the community.
The next year, I got a job performing maintenance on the internet infrastructure around the village. The internet provider hired me specifically because our community was too far away from their nearest service point, and they couldn’t make frequent trips here. It kept me busy until people started leaving. Now most of our antennas are useless. I am the only one left whispering into the void.
PART II
As of this week, my supplies have almost been depleted. I am down to 4 cans of beans, 1 can of peaches, half a bag of dried meat, and 6L of water. I have been pushing any related worries aside, which has only sunken this knot in my stomach deeper and deeper. I am not even hungry anymore.
I couldn't sleep. I got up and packed my snowmobile, no longer able to hold myself back. My sister has been begging me to join her and her family on a southward village, somewhere safer. A route along the river points south. This is where I am headed now.
Steering the handlebars. Pressing on the gas. I have enough food to last me until the next village, where I am hoping to replenish. As I move towards a milder climate, the sky softens. It is as if the clouds are melting above, and the sun is about to trickle down on the earth. I watch the sun rays seeping through, and vaguely remember what it was like to feel them on my skin.
I speed towards the light, laughter bubbling inside my throat. This new brightness was so captivating, so close, I did not notice myself swerving onto the river. The thick layer of snow was covering what seemed like sturdy land but was truly an unforgiving glacial current. Under my snowmobile, a crack transforms into a cavity, and I fall backwards into it.
All it took was a millisecond and now the water swallows me whole, with my vehicle blocking the surface, refusing to sink. As soon as the ice water seeps through my clothes and onto my skin, my lungs contract, and my mouth becomes an open gate, inviting death in. I feel the river uncontrollably seeping through my larynx. With open eyes, I watch the light getting darker and further. Breathing in all this emptiness, weighing myself down. This what it has felt like forever.
All it took was a millisecond and now the water swallows me whole, with my vehicle blocking the surface, refusing to sink. As soon as the ice water seeps through my clothes and onto my skin, my lungs contract, and my mouth becomes an open gate, inviting death in. I feel the river uncontrollably seeping through my larynx. With open eyes, I watch the light getting darker and further. Breathing in all this emptiness, weighing myself down. This what it has felt like forever.
