The Asset Store does not belong inside the Unity Editor.

This is an opinion I have held for a while, and it has been made more urgent by the recent security announcement and patch.

The Asset Store is effective as a web page, and web pages are effectively handled by existing browsers. Why is there a web browser in my game editor environment? Isn't that a whole new can of worms and potential security issues?

Evidently, yes.

Ultimately, buying something from the Asset Store results in a .unitypackage download. I can do that in Firefox, Chrome, or what have you. Let the Unity Editor deal with unpacking the file I've gotten through normal means. The in-editor browser is a messy beast, extra bloat, an annoyance when opened inadvertently, and an obvious and now confirmed security risk.

 

Your opinion is shared by many. I think that the list of assets we've bought should be available via a separate API which the editor caches instead, and an alternative download for each package like you suggested. The slow as molasses way of browsing now is unbearable. I dread updating my assets because I have to put up with that crap.

I write server code, so I may be biased against bingly-bing frontends for n00bs

 

And drive C is not the place to store all asset-store downloads. I believe these things should be at the top of the to-do list down at Unity HQ.

 

Or we could discuss the real issue at hand. Why is the dark skin not used for the background of the asset store in the editor?

On a more serious note, I completely agree with OP. I just think that a big chunk of their market are people who have never developed a game before and they need to make it as easy as possible for them to fill in the gaps with the asset store.

 

Not only Asset Store in editor it opens up lots of potential security flaws but it's slow as hell with it's outdated UI.

Searching for an asset that you own in-editor is the pain in the neck.

And also, my C drive can't handle all those heavy assets by itself

 

That is a good point, AntoineDesbiens. The argument about noobs needing it to be easy is the likely the crux of the thing. That is understandable, and Unity has always had user-friendlieness at its forefront.

But I don't think there is anything particularly unfriendly or difficult to understand about opening the Asset Store in the system's web browser, when the user clicks the tool. In fact, any noob is more familiar with how to browse and download on the web. And anyway, the .unitypackage file will open in the Editor when double clicked. So I really hope this isn't considered a justification for keeping it.

 

The decision for asset store in editor is purely a financial one, I think that's pretty obvious. It has absolutely zero to do with "noobs".

Simply better business to bring the shop to the customers, so to speak. I don't personally mind it nor care. I guess it would be a bonus to have a handy link to open the local files so you can delete older assets or manage them.

 

I'm not zealously against or in favor of the in-editor store, but having the option to store assets on an archive drive instead of strictly on the boot drive should be a standard option.

O Unity ... hear my plea!

PS - Also, having the ability to switch to a local mode where I can immediately browse through my downloaded assets instead of waiting on the store interface ... that would be great.

 

The store interface is absolute garbage in the Unity editor. I have to wait up to 10 seconds for the list to even populate, and that's with it's default #packages nonsense that I do not want. I can't even interrupt it.

So yeah, it could be better. Maybe they should try it on normal internet connections around the world (I have an extremely fast connection btw) with lots of assets in the account. It's not very good

 

This issue can solved by simlinking.

Asset store page is incredibly awkward to use inside editor though, also unity EULA forbids downloading stuff from there using any other means:

 

There should be a public repository that contains a list of things we want to have in Unity

 

We've tried. They always devolve into "See, this is why Unreal is better!" responses and get locked.

 

I thought that's the Unity Feedback site?!

 

Wait a second. Does not allowed to access mean I can't browse through with my browser to find what I want then click the download link which opens the page in the unity editor? The only time I ever use the store in editor is when downloading and importing. All of my browsing, searching and such are done in a regular web browser.

 

It's not that I don't like a built in way to access the asset store in unity editor...

It's just crap and slow.. no opening multiple asset pages into seperate tabs, constantly having to go back and forth instead just closing tabs for assets I was taking a look at. Can't copy an asset stores url into or out of the editor..I basically just look at the asset store in my web browser.. where the convenience of browser it is.. still got to go back to unity to download it... really just outdated and I imagine if they update it will only get worse and more dumbed down. Basically having to use a broken and crippled html rendering engine to use the unity asset store in editor blows bit like using Steam own built in ouddated chromium crap browser.

The Unity offline documentation files are web pages.. yet those don't get a built in help tab to load up in.

I agree

 

Still waiting for this.

 

By interface I'm fairly certain they're referring to the Asset Store website itself.

 

Lucky you! It takes more than that here, probably close to a minute at times, and there's not a hint of caching. If I close the store tab in the editor it of course forgets everything because the editor design is retarded.

When they say "technical reason" they mean "nobody wants to write a new webpage". They already have a system in place to show content we need a login for, so I don't see why it should be so hard to add a direct download section. Or making categories of owned assets their own pages to speed up browsing, for that matter.

 

The direct download option was there before, they just took it out a few years back.

 

I thought that when the store was first created it was actually an editor only thing, and the web interface only came later on?

In any case, they could "bring the shop to the customers" at least as effectively by having the "Asset Store" button open a link in your default browser and then give it window focus.

And, financially, it's got better but there's a huge number of occasions where the poorly implemented in-Editor interface for the store just outright made my experience worse. For instance, the combination of only showing a single page, along with issues with the back button either not working or skipping pages, made it incredibly difficult to effectively search for relevant assets for ages.

It honestly strikes me as something they did the easy way to start with, which is fine, but then those early decisions haven't been revisited since. Just because they were easy back then doesn't mean they're the best way moving forward now.

 

Yeah, for business. At that time, everyone was doing it. 3DSMAX with turbosquid etc. Having a store in the app was the main thing. Still is wherever possible. I don't see anything bad about it. It's not killing puppies, it's just good business as one of the reasons.

So long as it doesn't start flashing with ad banners in the corner advertising noodles or crappy iphone apps, I'm OK.

 

Or "nobody dares touch it for fear they'll break it".

For some reason I keep remembering someone at Unity making a statement along the lines of "you can't open the files externally so you may as well download them through the editor".

 

I like it in the editor. What I don't like is how badly it performs. Absolutely no caching of any type, takes forever to search/load stuff. It's bad enough that I will often just go to the website because it's faster that way.

 

Not even 100% necessary. Windows 10 allows you to relocate those system folders. I've moved mine to different drives. Only problem is... that's now two potentials for system crash, so moving and symlinking just the asset storage folder is a better option.

 

They're probably moveable in Windows 7 as well (through registry edition) the thing is there are programs which treat those paths as hard-coded, without properly requested them.

 

It takes me 2.5 minutes to get from the front store page to my personal items (for import / download). It seems a lot longer. I go do other stuff while it churns.

 

I like it to have the store inside the editor too, the only problem is that it is slow. They just need to improve that.

 

Yes there is symbolic links and registry editing, but really these are not ideal. Unity should have a simple file path field in the options window for asset storage.

Very simple. 5 minute job (almost); doesn't require a round table meeting of boffins from SpaceX using business speak and advanced algebra at each other. The only time the path is accessed is when saving or importing assets.

 

I am using 5.6.1f1. I don't see a patch listed for this version. Does this mean this version is unaffected? If so does the patch have to download the whole editor and its modules again?

 

No, you need to download the version that is patched for the 5.6 cycle which is 5.6.3p1

 

Nah, I love the ability to be able to see my list of downloads and click 'Import' to import it into the project. Its a great workflow for me.

 

Yes, except that this list works way too slow. They should put some more love into it.

 

I don't really have a major problem with it other than it is slow.

However, what would be nice is - have Unity scan my account and give me a window (like the Inspector) where it lists the tools I have in a clean easy to read fashion - tick import button next to what I want.

Wouldn't be very hard at all, if I had access to the information needed, I could make an editor tool do just that in a single afternoon.

 

Does that mean I need to download 5.6.3p1 is that the editor only? Or I need to download the modules too? Confused so that means every version of 5.6 is affected?

 

There shouldn't be any confusion about this - the third part of the version is for updates and fixes. For a 5.6.x fix, get the latest 5.6.x patch. For a 5.3.x fix, get the latest 5.3.x patch. Update everything, because you won't get player fixes if you don't download the fixed player modules, and they're likely to be incompatible with the wrong editor version anyway.

 

I think you could apply that statement to a lot of things in the Unity editor

 

I agree. Unity should realize that browser-in-editor is not a good solution and attempting to do so is reinventing the wheel. I think you should remove it entirely and just have us use the asset store via normal web browsers. If you eventually want to make a custom interface for the asset store in the editor, by all means.

 

I don't really care if the asset store is inside the editor or not. But I do want full access outside the editor through a regular browser. It would be much more convenient if I could download assets through chrome/safari ect.

The current asset store is unworkably slow on my internet connection. While a browser based system would be just as slow, browsers have a better workflow for dealing with slow connections.

 

I'd like to see what's happening with packman and what, if any interesting things can arise from that, regarding asset store.

My ideal world involves looking through packages and having Unity figure out what branch I might want, and where I want that to be synched to in my project. I also want to say "nope, I don't want your crappy examples, which aren't any good anyway" and have all that just be kept gloriously up to date on my entitled whim.

And it wouldn't take 50 years for it to update #packages which I didn't even want.

 

I've long come to terms with Unity never really giving me a "perfect world" solution, but I'd settle for them just having a list of the assets I own that's populated with a native interface, rather than a web one. If you're going to build something into the editor, at least don't half-ass it, ya know?

 

Isn't that how it originally was? I loved the switch to a web based interface because I hoped it'd be followed by a web-accessible store (it was) and web-accessible downloads (it wasn't).

Or am I recalling that incorrectly?

 

Maybe? That might be before my time, or I just didn't use as many assets back then if it wasn't.

 

yeahhh... why is the asset folder not changable ??? .. or is it now??

.... i even made my exposed database folders changable in my game, in a day.... (mod support)

 

Bump. Necroing thread. The biggest issue I have with the asset store in the editor is that it doesn't seem to work in many instances.

We have important security set up here. The browser for the asset store works fine, but after scouring the internet and trying every single suggestion found through Google, the "Currently Offline" Asset Store message just can't be fixed without taking an axe to our entire security setup.

Just let me download what I already paid for through the browser. Geez.

 

Didn't Unity deprecate the in-editor Asset Store in newer versions? Either way, I usually just find the asset in a web browser, have my Unity project open, press "Import", and that's it.

 

Everything Asset Store related has been relocated into the

Package Manager

. The Asset Store browser window inside the Editor should tell you this.

 

Thank you, I actually figured out that if I open the Asset Store in Google chrome and open the Package Manager in the editor, I can click "open in unity" and it works.

Asset Store editor Window still says "offline" and thus does not show anything. But who needs it now I guess!