To ensure the gameplay feels right first, I proceed with several barebone CharacterBody3Ds with several composites such as a Node for character’s status, and a simple MeshInstance3D which just uses the existing prebuilt Cube, Sphere, etc. Then, proceed with the code first.
The code will have various signals’ emission. For example, the take damage function could emit a signal for a character taking damage, or when a character does whatever action, it will emit those signals related to the related actions. At this moment, these signals are not connected to any animating 3D-related functions yet.
So with the gameplay feeling right, I think, then I will proceed to create the 3D models in afterward, then put in relevant 3D nodes into the CharacterBody3D. This is also where I will connect all the signals mentioned in the previous paragraph to the relevant 3D nodes’ functions for animation. So now, whenever a character takes damage, the animation for the corresponding take damage will be played.
This is what I have in mind right now, so what I wanted to ask here is: normally do you guys prototype your game like this?
Yes this is generally called grey boxing for levels, because you will make the level out of default grey blocks to get a feel for it before the art pass. For characters it will usually be about the same.
In Magic two schools are referred to as bottom-up and top-down design, if you start with the character design and then figure out mechanics that go with visuals that’s considered top-down, because the card art is at the top, and the effects at the bottom. If you start with a character’s abilities first that would be bottom-up design. Both are quite useful.
Well that probably entirely depends on your own priorities and nothing else. I find myself often making art first because I find it easier, and sometimes I tie certain mechanics, like attacking, directly to character animations, so in some cases I have animations ready before finishing the script, though other times I will have a fully scripted object with zero artwork done, just a cube or other placeholder model, but this depends fully on how you do things and on your needs. Generally speaking you usually want to have more game than art while prototyping, but again, this is a case to case basis, perhaps sometimes to establish the vision of a character, object, location, you will do all the artwork first before creating any gameplay around it, other times you have a cool idea for something gameplay related not knowing what kind of artwork will suit it best.