Systems Design · Playable Prototype
Zone-Out
Concept
North Star
Don't get caught.
Zone-Out is a cursor survival game set on graph paper. Geometric shapes pour in from every edge. The player controls nothing but their own position. There are no attacks, no power-ups, no lives. Only the question of how long you can last before the shapes find you.
The framing is a classroom daydream. The cursor is the player's mind, wandering. The shapes are the intrusion of the real world. Every 30 seconds the world repaints itself in a new colour scheme, a dramatic visual punctuation that signals both reward and escalating danger. Get caught, and the teacher notices.
Project Highlight
Procedural Colour Scheme Generation
Every 30 seconds, the game world repaints using a single random seed hue. All element colours derive from that seed through colour theory, guaranteeing harmony while ensuring every palette feels dramatically different.
Seed
A random integer H (0-359°) is chosen each cycle. No colour is picked independently. Every element on screen is mathematically derived from H, so the palette is always coherent regardless of what value H lands on.
Element
Derivation Rule
Design Purpose
Cursor
H
Seed hue, full saturation
The player's identity. Anchors the entire palette. Always vivid and readable.
Background
H + 180°
Complementary, very dark
Maximum contrast against the cursor. Keeps graph paper legible at all palette values.
Square
H + 60°
Analogous offset
Distinct from cursor but harmonious. Immediately readable as the primary threat.
Triangle body
H + 120°
Triadic
Separated enough from the square to be recognisable as a different threat type.
Triangle safe edge
H + 100°
Triadic, lighter offset
Visually distinguishable from the triangle body. The player must learn to read this edge to use the triangle's clear mechanic.
Circle
H - 90°
Split-complementary
Reads as safe and distinct from threats. Players learn to associate this colour with a shield before they understand the mechanic.
Timer overlay
H + 30°
Near-analogous
Close to the cursor hue, so the timer feels like it belongs to the player rather than the world.
The result is a system that generates infinite unique palettes with zero design input per cycle. No palette is hand-authored. Every colour relationship is always mathematically valid. The 30-second repaint becomes a spectacle the player earns, a signal that difficulty has escalated, and a source of visual variety, all at once.
Game Design Document
Play