For the topics you want to prototype, i would agree. But I have some generic helpers, that I’ll reuse in most of my projects, like a free camera, an API to draw graphs, a performance monitor where I can easy hook code blocks to, etc. So mostly debug tools.
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Right. Make sense to copypaste things like this although they’re often so simple that implementing them per game is not a big deal, not that you start a new game every week.
This is easy to forget but… that main bulk of code you’re always reusing is - surprise - the engine itself.
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Right… kind of. I agree that prototyping is about exploring new ideas, but if prototyping is supposed to be fast, quick, and dirty, then you can’t really go faster than using code you’ve already built and know works.
Reusing reliable components doesn’t stop you from prototyping. It makes prototyping faster, eventually we all have to get down and write code, new code, but it doesn’t have to be either one or the other.
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It just tends to steer you towards reliable which is in the opposite direction of experimentation and discovery.
But it really depends on what exactly you mean by “component”. It’s a very broad term. If it’s some housekeeping/debugging stuff like what @conz3d mentioned then sure. If, on the other hand, it’s gameplay related, chances are you may end up making the same game all over again.
Imo, prototype code should always be quick and dirty. Architectural tidying up, including componentization etc… can really only happen after you fully prototype the thing.
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Alright, well here is a short video… rough but maybe this explains it better than text does. 
Let me know if anyone actually uses this lol
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I am very impressed with this. You have done a beautiful job making this. I am genuinely impressed and as a web dev of many years (not any more - previous life) you have rolled out a genuinely light weight and useful tool. I don’t know how long you spent on this but it is genuinely very, very good.
Just wanted to say how impressed I was. Great job.
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If I could heart your comment I would!!! Thank you, it means a lot!
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I am at the beginning of my journey using Godot to create games, my preferred genre is rpg. I also have started multiple games from scratch, some I have finished, some I have not finished. I also thought about how I can be better at this process, then I watched a video, which I can’t recall the name now, this video changed how I go about the process.
This is what I am now doing to make things easier. I build systems, simple compact and standalone systems that can be slotted into any project I am working on. So I created a player controller, one for rpg style games and one for platformer style games.
I have now created 2 dialogue systems, one JSON based, and one resource based, they have the ability to call up a shop system or quest system, but if the system is not there it does not cause a crash or bug. I am trying to always have options.
I now need the start on the shop system and quest system, so when I am finished all of these system, I will be able to put them all together as a base for my games. By doing things this way I can get satisfaction from completing a small working project, and it keeps my enthusiasm for the process high.
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That’s awesome!! Keep going, that is a very smart and productive way to work and stay efficient IMO. If you ever get a change to use Go.HelpYourself as a central hub for your components and scripts and systems let me know, I’d love your feedback. I didn’t show this in the video but you can actually save Scene structures so you could create a rpg style player controller and then create a Player Scene and add all of the Nodes you typically use. Save that Scene and it’s always there for you to export quickly into a new game. Without having to re-build the scene.
I found myself having another project so I can test any new mechanics before implementing them into actual game project. I created all the basics for my game like menus, player, enemies, bosses, ui,…etc. I test run their connections with each other to see if any errors and fix it before applying to the game. The test project currently could run as a game itself if I were to restructure it.