Decision Guide: Asset Loading Strategy

Decision Guide: Asset Loading Strategy

When to load + waitFor

Use for required startup assets.

Pattern:

1. handle = cache.load(id)
2. await cache.waitFor(handle)
3. fail fast if missing

When to Use Lazy load + get

Use for optional assets or progressive loading.

Pattern:

• request handle now
• check get() each frame
• render fallback until available

When to reload

Use for live-edit pipelines and hot-reload workflows.

Important: old handles invalidate after version bump.

When to unload

Use for scene transitions or memory pressure.

Ensure no consumers depend on stale handles.

Dependency Recommendations

1. Atlas/metadata loaders should declare texture dependencies.
2. Keep asset ids normalized and relative.
3. Use extension-specific loaders; avoid catch-all parsing.

Error Handling

• Wrap waitFor in try/catch.
• Log and surface failing asset ids.
• Provide fallback assets for non-critical paths.