diff --git a/assets/stacked_sprites/animated/sprite_properties.json b/assets/stacked_sprites/animated/sprite_properties.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6bbb75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/stacked_sprites/animated/sprite_properties.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+    "Bla": {
+        "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/animated/bla/",
+        "layers": 3,
+        "scale": 16
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/assets/stacked_sprites/sprite_properties.json b/assets/stacked_sprites/sprite_properties.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f573ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/stacked_sprites/sprite_properties.json
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+{
+    "Robot": {
+        "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/Robot.png",
+        "layers": 16,
+        "scale": 8
+    },
+    "Building": {
+        "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/Building.png",
+        "layers": 80,
+        "scale": 4
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/sprite_stacking_engine/settings.py b/sprite_stacking_engine/settings.py
index a67b895..fed4ed1 100644
--- a/sprite_stacking_engine/settings.py
+++ b/sprite_stacking_engine/settings.py
@@ -1,12 +1,23 @@
 #!/usr/bin/python3
 
 import pygame
+import json
+
+
+def load_json(path):
+    file = open(path, "r")
+    data = json.load(file)
+    file.close()
+
+    return data
+
 
 vec2 = pygame.math.Vector2
 
 RES = WIDTH, HEIGHT = vec2(1400, 800)
 CENTER = H_WIDTH, H_HEIGHT = RES // 2
 TILE_SIZE = 250
+DEFAULT_SCALE = 4
 
 PLAYER_SPEED = 0.4
 PLAYER_ROT_SPEED = 0.0015
@@ -16,23 +27,26 @@ NUM_ANGLES = 180  # multiple of 360
 TRANSP_COLOR = (45, 54, 76)
 OUTLINE = True
 
-SPRITE_ATTRS = {
-    "Robot": {
-        "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/Robot.png",
-        "layers": 16,
-        "scale": 8
-    },
-    "Building": {
-        "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/Building.png",
-        "layers": 80,
-        "scale": 4
-    }
-}
+SPRITE_ATTRS = load_json("../assets/stacked_sprites/sprite_properties.json")
+ANIMATED_SPRITE_ATTRS = load_json("../assets/stacked_sprites/animated/sprite_properties.json")
 
-ANIMATED_SPRITE_ATTRS = {
-    "Bla": {
-        "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/animated/bla/",
-        "layers": 3,
-        "scale": 16
-    }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+# SPRITE_ATTRS = {
+#     "Robot": {
+#         "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/Robot.png",
+#         "layers": 16,
+#         "scale": 8
+#     },
+#     "Building": {
+#         "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/Building.png",
+#         "layers": 80,
+#         "scale": 4
+#     }
+# }
+
+# ANIMATED_SPRITE_ATTRS = {
+#     "Bla": {
+#         "path": "../assets/stacked_sprites/animated/bla/",
+#         "layers": 3,
+#         "scale": 16
+#     }
+# }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/sprite_stacking_engine/stacked_sprite.py b/sprite_stacking_engine/stacked_sprite.py
index 5d74b74..3e2e905 100644
--- a/sprite_stacking_engine/stacked_sprite.py
+++ b/sprite_stacking_engine/stacked_sprite.py
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ class StackedSprite(pygame.sprite.Sprite):
         super().__init__(self.group)
 
         self.attrs = SPRITE_ATTRS[name]  # get attributes
+
+        if not "scale" in self.attrs:
+            self.attrs["scale"] = DEFAULT_SCALE
+
         self.y_offset = vec2(0, -self.attrs["layers"] / 2 * self.attrs["scale"])  # calculate the y offset because the -
         # images position in pygame is the position of the top left corner of the image and we use the bottom position
         self.cache = self.app.cache.stacked_sprite_cache
@@ -57,6 +61,10 @@ class AnimatedStackedSprite(pygame.sprite.Sprite):  # stacked sprite class for a
         super().__init__(self.group)
 
         self.attrs = ANIMATED_SPRITE_ATTRS[name]
+
+        if not "scale" in self.attrs:
+            self.attrs["scale"] = DEFAULT_SCALE
+
         self.attrs["animated"] = True  # set the animated attribute to true so that the cache knows that this sprite -
         self.y_offset = vec2(0, -self.attrs["layers"] / 2 * self.attrs["scale"])  # is animated
         self.cache = self.app.cache.stacked_sprite_cache