Introduction
Every programmer knows the feeling: you’re staring at your screen thinking, “The bug is fixed! Every possible cause of the error has been addressed and my tests pass!” and then you run it… and get the same exact error. The error points to a function in a library you are using and the stack trace is so deep that you are essentially drowning in code. That unsettling doubt creeps in: Did I even cause this problem? Is this a bug in the library or another tool? This blog post is about one of those awful moments where nothing made sense, and I questioned everything — even my sanity.
My Role in the Project
For our game, my role focused on designing and implementing NPCs. This included creating dialogue systems, NPC pathfinding, and handling various interactions. One of the biggest challenges I faced was implementing Unity’s NavMesh system for NPC movement — something that should have been straightforward but ended up being a multi-day nightmare.
Unity’s built-in NavMesh system doesn’t play nicely with 2D games, so I used a library called NavMeshPlus. While this tool was supposed to be “plug and play”, it instead introduced a bizarre issue that left me dangerously close to an involuntary commitment.
The Impossible Bug
Everything was going smoothly at first. I successfully baked the nav mesh, adjusted my NPC routes, and felt satisfied. But then I needed to adjust a few things — nothing major — so I cleared the nav mesh and tried to rebake it. And that’s when everything broke.
The rebake refused to work. Every attempt ended with a NullReferenceException from the NavMeshPlus library. I retraced my steps, rewrote the code, reinstalled the library — nothing worked. I was positive my code was flawless; this had to be a bug in the library or Unity itself. The doubt crept in further: Maybe the library was broken. Maybe I’m not the problem for once.
Over the next few days, I spent roughly 12 hours troubleshooting this one issue. I read forum posts, dug through GitHub issues, and examined the NavMeshPlus source code. Each dead end pushed me closer to that maddening belief that the tools themselves were failing me.
When Everything Just Worked but I Still Hate It
Eventually, I reached my breaking point. Out of desperation, I deleted the entire project from my system, cloned a fresh copy from our repository, and reimplemented my changes — step by step, exactly as I’d done before.
To my disbelief, it worked perfectly. Same steps, same logic, same code (I even copy pasted it) — but this time, everything was fine. I had no explanation. Somehow, some file that wasn’t tracked in source control must have been causing an issue, and no amount of debugging would have found it. While I was relieved, the lack of a clear answer was maddening.
Conclusion: You’re Always the Problem
This experience taught me a crucial lesson: trust established tools, but always doubt your own work first. Unity and NavMeshPlus are widely used and well-maintained — far more reliable than my own code. It took me far too long to realize that the problem wasn’t the library or Unity; it was something in my local environment.
If you find yourself trapped in a debugging spiral, consider these tips:
- Check your local environment. Unnoticed changes in non-tracked files can silently sabotage your progress.
- Don’t lose faith in proven tools. Libraries like NavMeshPlus are far more stable than they may appear during moments of frustration.
- Take breaks. Walking away for an hour might save you hours of fruitless trial and error.
Most importantly, don’t fall into the trap of thinking your tools are cursed. They probably aren’t. It’s far more likely that something seemingly insignificant — some forgotten file or overlooked setting — is quietly wrecking your day. And sometimes, the best debugging tool is simply starting fresh.
Trust me — you or your local environment are always the problem.
