Thoughts After Dev Diary

Some time ago I published this short reel/article about perfectionism, titled Done Is Better Than Perfect. As per the usual, I needed to remind myself of that lesson again.

I have this habit of endlessly planning, endlessly researching, endlessly improving the project, until I get sick of it. I then move onto another project, where I get the thrill of discovery and the illusion of progress again - while the old project gets stuck in eighty percent finished category. In fact, I have a whole bunch of projects like that, which were always waiting for publishing.

And the funny thing is, as you create projects like that, it gets ever harder to publish them. Because now you've invested so much work into them that it feels disastrous if the idea doesn't pan out.

How to break that dumb loop? I knew I'd have a hard time starting with one of my more serious projects. I was stuck in such a spiral of procrastination about them that I wouldn't be able to get moving again.

So I thought about a simpler way to get moving: instead of starting with one of my bigger projects, why not start with a small, tiny little hobby project that doesn't amount to anything? A project which I just started, where the emotional stakes are small and I don't particularly have any emotional investment in its success, as a way of forcing myself through this feeling of being mentally stuck?

And here we are.

I finally got unstuck - let's hope it sticks this time.

Video Transcript

Ever wanted to feel like a hacker straight out of a movie?

That was exactly the appeal of a delightful retro hacking game called Uplink. It didn't require real hacking skills, yet it captured the thrill of being a true digital wizard perfectly. Inspired by this nostalgia, I decided, why not create my own modern take? Welcome to my new project: Zeronet.

Since it's a hacking game, my first step was to recreate a believable modern desktop environment. I've been meaning to dive deeper into Unity's UI Toolkit for ages, and this seemed like the ideal chance. To start, I built a basic window system with standard functionality: draggable and resizable windows, minimize, maximize, and close buttons. At its core, there's a UIDocument acting as the foundation. Custom apps for in-game hacking missions will all connect here, forming a robust environment for the player.

Next up: another diary entry on Zeronet or perhaps an update on one of my other game projects, I have a number of them, so stay tuned!

On a personal note: I'm sharing these dev diaries publicly because, without clear deadlines and accountability, my ADHD-driven perfectionism tends to turn into endless procrastination. By publishing these updates, I hope to stay motivated and committed to the process.

If you're interested in following along, subscribe to keep updated. And if you want to support me more directly, check out my profile page for various ways to help out. Every bit of encouragement truly helps!