This often comes from expecting C# to be just like C++, where-as more complex use cases are often expected to be done in a (sometimes completely) different way

This often comes from expecting C# to be just like C++, where-as more complex use cases are often expected to be done in a (sometimes completely) different way there. It's a good idea to try not to fight the language and work with the way it exposes its features. My experience was just like yours - easy to move between C and C#, or Rust and C#. But attempting C++ implementation was always far more difficult. It was never worth it over just spending extra effort in either alternative. If GP reply author has C#-specific questions I'd be happy to answer or point him or her in the right direction. C# is a language with strong systems programming capabilities but has its own learning curve.