My name is Mariusz, and I also suffer from the shiny object syndrome.
Some time ago I had my doubts, while being intrigued by a certain game engine framework.
But after reading about it, I got scared of the amount of work before me.
I still feel the shiny object syndrome sometimes.
Like, every time I remind myself that Gavin Eisenbeisz did not learn to program and just did Choo-Choo Charles in BluePrint (Unreal Engine’s visual programming diagram tool).
But it’s not only with game engines. Other tools - note-taking, or todo lists - are also part of this.
In this issue I’d like to share my tool of fighting this illness. It does not work all the time, but it helps.
What I do, is to answer few questions:
Will the new tool help me do things faster?
And more importantly, how? How is it better?
Is it just because of a shiney user experience? If so, reject the idea. Might not be worth it just to have a prettier interface.
Although I once changed an application only because… my current tool had font so small it hurt my eyes. Changed it to a similar application that had bigger UI. It did made it eaiser for me to use it.
How much data will I have to move to my new tool?
You’re already using something for it. And you keep your data somewhere, even if it’s a Dropbox folder. But if you want to use this new shiney tool, you’re gonna have to move some of your data.
How much is it?
How much time will it take?
Well, you can always use the tool for new projects and treat like an MVP. That can work. For a while, at least.
How fast will I be able to get started?
This might sound stupid if you’re thinking about a todo list application. Not necessarily, when you think about game engines and other heavy lifting stuff.
How steep is the learning curve?
Demoes are cool, and all, but they always look easy.
Will it be as easy to use other features?
How much is there to learn?
What functionally does it have that my current tool doesn't?
What’s the selling point?
Not UI, functionality. It has to do something special!
What functionality I currently use is not there?
Because this might be the deal breaker. All those habits you created to use your current apps effectively will be gone, replaced by frustration that you have to do it manually…
Still think it’s a good idea to switch…?
Here’s a list of suggestions:
start with a short MVP period. Pin it to your start menu, so you don’t forget it, and use it for a new small project.
Do not start with migrating all the data. It will be a lot of work, and if the MVP fails you will swear a lot when migrating back 😉
Check especially all those functionalities you use currently. Check if they’re still there. If they’re as easy. If you can’t find them, try doing it manually and see how hard it gets.
As I understand the process of game dev more, I am better able to pigeonhole each shiny-object tool into a place on the skeleton of the process. I'm making 2D games so Blender isn't helpful since that's a 3D tool. I've also found that the less excited I am about my current goal, the easier it is to get distracted from it.