Technical decision session

Bring one difficult technical decision.

I read the written context first. The call is for the engineering decision and what to do next.

Fixed-scope advisory session

Remote. Usually completed within one week.

  • Up to two hours reviewing a brief and lightweight supporting documents
  • A focused 90-minute video call
  • A concise written action note within 24 hours
  • Seven days of brief email follow-up on the agreed decision
01
Send the context

A short brief plus whatever you already have: stat unit output, a cook log, a milestone plan, a term sheet, a few screenshots.

02
I read it

Before the call, included in the fee.

03
We decide

Options, trade-offs and what to do first. This step is genuinely joint.

04
You get the note

A page or two you can forward to your board, your publisher or the engineer who has to do the work.

Good uses

Questions with consequences

How should we investigate poor performance?

Is the optimisation plan attacking the measured problem?

Should we change the engine, the tooling or the development approach?

Can the milestone absorb the performance work?

What technical evidence does a partner or publisher need before a milestone?

Should we build this capability or use a third party?

Clear boundary

Keep the session close to the delivery decision.

Dino Sloth uses operating experience to put technical work in context. Leadership, company strategy, M&A and founder counsel belong on Robert Troughton’s advisory platform.

01Performance plan

Which measured constraint should be investigated first, and what evidence is still missing.

02Engine and tooling

Build, buy or change decisions for engine forks, middleware, build systems and developer tooling.

03Milestone risk

Whether the technical evidence supports the milestone, and what must be proved before the next gate.

04Technical partners

What capability the project genuinely needs from a development or technology partner.

No brokerage. Dino Sloth can assess the technical delivery case for a proposed partner, but does not sell introductions, take commission or offer broader corporate-advisory services.
What if the question is bigger than one session?
I will say so during the free intro and recommend the smallest useful scope. A performance review is the next step when the answer depends on builds, traces or more evidence.
What if you are the wrong people?
I stop. Performance, Unreal, iteration health and technical delivery are Dino Sloth's focus. It will not improvise specialist advice on animation systems, networking, audio, backend, security, legal, financial or corporate-strategy matters. If someone else is better suited, I will say so.
Can I send a build or performance trace?
Not as part of the advisory session. Opening a build, reproducing an issue or analysing an Unreal Insights or platform capture requires dedicated review time and belongs in the performance review.
Can you visit the studio?
Yes. The service is remote by default, but on-site work is available worldwide when it will materially improve the outcome. Travel is scoped and priced in advance.
Can you answer a system-design question on the call?
Only when it sits within Dino Sloth's direct experience and the supplied context is enough. A session can help decide how to investigate or which expertise is needed; it is not a substitute for examining an unfamiliar system or conducting a specialist review.
Worried about granting access? That is usually the real decision, not the fee. Access and confidentiality sets out exactly what access is needed, what can be done with none at all, and when material is deleted — and there is a one-page security summary your infosec team can have without asking.

Start with twenty minutes.

Tell me the decision. I will tell you whether a session is the right shape.