diff --git a/examples/render_groups/main.cpp b/examples/render_groups/main.cpp
index d6e5e19..a3664bd 100644
--- a/examples/render_groups/main.cpp
+++ b/examples/render_groups/main.cpp
@@ -54,8 +54,6 @@ createModelEntities(render_group* rg,
 	glm::vec3 scaling)
 {
 #if 0
-	assert(rg != nullptr);
-
 	for (uint i = 0; i < item_count; i++) {
 		entity& e = rg->entities[i];
 
@@ -196,20 +194,6 @@ main()
 
 	renDoRenderLoop(rs, 60, doFrameCallbackPre);
 #endif
-#if 0
-	model* ret = assetLoadFromFile(rs->assets,
-		rs->arena,
-		"../data/blender/spaceship.gltf");
-	assert(ret != nullptr);
-#endif
-
-	cameraInitPerspective(
-		rs->cam,
-		glm::vec3(0, 0, -50),
-		glm::vec3(0, 0, 0),
-		glm::vec3(0,1,0)
-	);
-
 	// NOTE: testing entity system with new asset structures
 	// FIXME: remove mesh.h, mesh.cpp
 	// FIXME: remove platform_wait_for_vblank
@@ -218,26 +202,37 @@ main()
 	// FIXME: make a test case for overflowing default array sizes, rg->assets
 	// 	rg_info->groups, render_group->enitities
 	// FIXME: look for glm::mat4 in structs, and replace with pointers
-	// FIXME: better shader abstraction, see below
+	// FIXME: better shader abstraction so we can store a list of shaders on
+	// 	render_state
+
+	cameraInitPerspective(
+		rs->cam,
+		glm::vec3(0, 50, -100),
+		glm::vec3(0, 0, 0),
+		glm::vec3(0,1,0)
+	);
+
 	shader_wrapper sw = { DEFAULT_SHADER, rs->default_shader, nullptr };
 	render_group* rg = rgAlloc(rs->render_groups, 64, sw);
 
-#if 0
+#if 1
 	entity* e =
 		rgAppend(rg, rs->assets, rs->arena, "../data/blender/spaceship.gltf");
-	assert(e != nullptr);
 	uint scale = 4;
 	//entRotate(e, -1 * M_PI_2, glm::vec3(1, 0, 0));
 #else
 	entity* e =
 		rgAppend(rg, rs->assets, rs->arena, "../data/blender/icosphere.gltf");
-	assert(e != nullptr);
 	uint scale = 20;
 #endif
-	entScale(*e, glm::vec3(scale, scale, scale));
+	if (e != nullptr) {
+		entScale(*e, glm::vec3(scale, scale, scale));
 
-	//renDoRenderLoop(rs, 60);
-	renDoRenderLoop(rs, 60, doFrameCallbackPre);
+		//renDoRenderLoop(rs, 60);
+		renDoRenderLoop(rs, 60, doFrameCallbackPre);
+	} else {
+		LOG(Error) << "failed to load entity\n";
+	}
 
 	renShutdown(rs);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/src/asset.cpp b/src/asset.cpp
index f838418..ce9d5c4 100644
--- a/src/asset.cpp
+++ b/src/asset.cpp
@@ -62,10 +62,8 @@ assetInitBlock(memory_arena* arena, uint asset_count)
 {
 	model_assets* assets =
 		(model_assets*) arenaAllocateBlock(arena, sizeof(model_assets));
-	assert(assets != nullptr);
 	assets->models =
 		(model*) arenaAllocateBlock(arena, asset_count * sizeof(model));
-	assert(assets->models != nullptr);
 	assets->max = asset_count;
 
 	return assets;
diff --git a/src/input.cpp b/src/input.cpp
index 1f2ded3..627360d 100644
--- a/src/input.cpp
+++ b/src/input.cpp
@@ -1,14 +1,10 @@
 
-#include <cassert>
-
 #include "input.h"
 
 
 void
 inputProcessEvent(input_state* is, SDL_Event& e)
 {
-	assert(is != nullptr);
-
 	switch (e.type) {
 		case SDL_QUIT:
 			is->window_closed = true;
diff --git a/src/renderer.cpp b/src/renderer.cpp
index c8f383e..8695e33 100644
--- a/src/renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/renderer.cpp
@@ -40,8 +40,6 @@ void setDefaults(render_state* rs, glm::vec2 viewport_dims);
 render_group*
 rgAlloc(rg_info* rgi, uint num_entites, shader_wrapper shader)
 {
-	assert(rgi != nullptr);
-
 	if (rgi->count < rgi->max_size) {
 		render_group* rg = &rgi->groups[rgi->count];
 		rgi->count++;
@@ -107,7 +105,8 @@ renInit(const char* title,
 	rs->lights = lightsInit();
 	setDefaults(rs, viewport_dims);
 
-	if (initSDL(rs->handles, SDL_init_flags) &&
+	if (rs->assets != nullptr &&
+		initSDL(rs->handles, SDL_init_flags) &&
 		createWindow(title, rs->handles, rs->viewport_dims) &&
 		initContext(rs->handles) &&
 		initGlOptions() &&
diff --git a/src/util.cpp b/src/util.cpp
index f51228a..4ab78f8 100644
--- a/src/util.cpp
+++ b/src/util.cpp
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ arenaGetFreeSize(memory_arena* arena)
 void*
 arenaAllocateBlock(memory_arena* arena, size_t block_size)
 {
+	// TODO: resizable memory arena
 	assert(arenaGetFreeSize(arena) >= block_size);
 	void* ret = arena->next_free;
 	arena->next_free = (uint8_t*) arena->next_free + block_size;