Addressable assets in software development

• US 10,814,232 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2019
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unity IPR ApS (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Unity IPR ApS (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ante, Joachim Christoph, Palmer, Stephen Joseph, Burslem, Paul Emile, Ramsour, William David, Caltabiano, Ryan, Scheinberg, Joseph Franklin
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US16/411,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20190344181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 463 43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0646 Configuration or reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/901 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures for retrieval from the web G06F16/951
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

A method for tracking game asset locations is disclosed. Content is created for an application using a first asset. The first asset includes asset data that describes at least a part of the content associated with the asset. The asset data is placed within one or more files within a location within one or more memories. A catalog associated with the application is created on the server. A catalog entry is created for the first asset. The catalog entry includes an address that uniquely identifies the first asset. A request is received from the application for asset data associated with the first asset, the request including the address. The address and the catalog are used to determine location data associated with the address. The determined location data is used to retrieve the asset data at the determined location. The retrieved asset data is returned to the application.

Claims

1. A system for tracking game asset locations, the system comprising:

a developer device communicatively coupled to a server, wherein the developer device includes one or more memories and one or more computer processors, the one or more memories including an addressable asset module, the addressable asset module configuring the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising;

creating content for an application using a first asset, the first asset including asset data that describes at least a part of the content associated with the asset;

placing the asset data within one or more files within a location within the one or more memories or an additional memory;

creating a catalog associated with the application on the server;

creating a catalog entry for the first asset, the catalog entry including at least an address and location data, the address being a unique identifier for the first asset and the location data being a description of the location of the first asset;

receiving a request from the application for asset data associated with the first asset, the request including the address;

using the address and the catalog to determine the location data associated with the address;

using the determined location data to retrieve the asset data at the determined location; and

returning the retrieved asset data to the application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more files are moved to a second location and wherein the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to modify the location data within the catalog entry with data describing the second location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first asset depends on additional data from a second asset and whereby the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:

placing the additional data within one or more files within a location within the one or more memories or an additional memory;

adding an additional unique address for the second asset to the catalog entry associated with the first asset; and

adding data describing the location of the additional data to the entry associated with the first asset.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein retrieving the asset data includes using the additional address and the catalog to determine the location of the additional data, using the determined location to retrieve the additional data, and returning the retrieved additional data to the executing application.

2. The claim of system 1, wherein the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to build an executable version of the application, the executable version including data pointing to the catalog.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the placing the asset includes creating an asset bundle for the executable version of the application, the asset bundle including a plurality of assets and associated asset data.

7. A method for tracking game asset locations, the method comprising:

creating, using one or more processors of a developer device, content for an application using a first asset, the first asset including asset data that describes at least a part of the content associated with the asset;

placing the asset data within one or more files within a location within the one or more memories;

creating a catalog associated with the application on the server;

creating a catalog entry for the first asset, the catalog entry including at least an address and location data, the address being a unique identifier for the first asset and the location data being a description of the location of the first asset;

receiving a request from the application for asset data associated with the first asset, the request including the address;

using the address and the catalog to determine the location data associated with the address;

using the determined location data to retrieve the asset data at the determined location; and

returning the retrieved asset data to the application.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to build an executable version of the application, the executable version including data pointing to the catalog.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more files are moved to a second location and wherein the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to modify the location data within the catalog entry with data describing the second location.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the first asset depends on additional data from a second asset and whereby the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:

placing the additional data within one or more files within a location within one or more memories;

adding an additional unique address for the second asset to the catalog entry associated with the first asset; and

adding data describing the location of the additional data to the entry associated with the first asset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein retrieving the asset data includes using the additional address and the catalog to determine the location of the additional data, using the determined location to retrieve the additional data, and returning the retrieved additional data to the executing application.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the placing the asset includes creating an asset bundle for the executable version of the application, the asset bundle including a plurality of assets and associated asset data.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including a set of instructions, the set of instructions configuring one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:

creating content for an application using a first asset, the first asset including asset data that describes at least a part of the content associated with the asset;

placing the asset data within one or more files within a location within one or more memories;

creating a catalog associated with the application on the server;

creating a catalog entry for the first asset, the catalog entry including at least an address and location data, the address being a unique identifier for the first asset and the location data being a description of the location of the first asset;

receiving a request from the application for asset data associated with the first asset, the request including the address;

using the address and the catalog to determine the location data associated with the address;

using the determined location data to retrieve the asset data at the determined location; and

returning the retrieved asset data to the application.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to build an executable version of the application, the executable version including data pointing to the catalog.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more files are moved to a second location and wherein the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to modify the location data within the catalog entry with data describing the second location.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first asset depends on additional data from a second asset and whereby the addressable asset module further configures the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:

placing the additional data within one or more files within a location within one or more memories;

adding an additional unique address for the second asset to the catalog entry associated with the first asset; and

adding data describing the location of the additional data to the entry associated with the first asset.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein retrieving the asset data includes using the additional address and the catalog to determine the location of the additional data, using the determined location to retrieve the additional data, and returning the retrieved additional data to the executing application.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the placing the asset includes creating an asset bundle for the executable version of the application, the asset bundle including a plurality of assets and associated asset data.