I personally love 'going dark' - it is exhilarating - though I recognize the risks. On my last project I went dark for about 6 months developing a configuratio

I personally love 'going dark' - it is exhilarating - though I recognize the risks. On my last project I went dark for about 6 months developing a configuration tool for another part of the project. My code ended up looking nothing like the rest of the codebase, I didn't use the same approach to just about anything, but I've got to say, the tool itself is amazing. I don't know if I could have built just as good a piece of software without going dark, but I do know it wouldn't have been as much fun. For all of the differences with the rest of the codebase, my own section has a cohesiveness of design that sets it apart. I'm actually trying to get better at staying with the pack, but sometimes I see that gnarly problem out of the corner of my eye and I just want to bolt.