Cross compiling and cook to Linux doesn't always cook shaders (and UnrealFrontend in general is buggy inconsistent)

Setup: UE 5.4 (source build, though issue consistent with binary build). Using UnrealFrontend to package game to shipping build (launched without UnrealEditor open). No errors show when building.

Settings:

  • release version of game checked, name set, no base version set
  • iterative cooking, stage base release, add new patch tier, encrypt ini files unchecked; other settings under advanced checked
  • cooking and building configuration set to shipping; build UAT checked
  • select maps needed for game are checked for cooking by the book; Linux and Windows checked for cooked platforms
  • game is packaged and archived

Checking stage base release in advanced settings does seem to fix this issue, though… but not always…

Regarding UnrealFrontend, there’s inconsistencies with the settings required for patches. I would tweak one setting, and go back and suddenly I cannot run anymore because usually of the error “generating multilevel patch requires generating patch”. Literally would go back, uncheck change one thing, it works now, change it back and it still works, where 10 seconds ago same config would prevent running.

I suggest a slight refactoring of the UnrealFrontend interface. It is confusing which settings apply to packaging in general and which are specific for generating a patch. It would make sense to move settings specific for patches- I believe iterative cooking, stage base release, add new patch tier, save packages without revisions, generate patch, and build DLC, should be put under a single submenu instead of between release/DLC/patching and advanced. Furthermore, I believe the interface should not prevent running a project config for the multilevel patch issue, if the generate patch checkbox is unchecked, and any settings regarding patches should be ignored rather than triggering an error.

Edit: I opened the engine and created a new launch profile. Getting UI error “staging base release pak files requires a base version to be specified”, despite stage base release pak files being unchecked or checked.

New error!

Created a new profile, set up cook settings and disabled deploy, changed build and cook to shipping; nothing else is changed.

Cant build because “build target and cook variant mismatch” it’s like the project launcher is just ignoring the settings I set.

Ok unchecking/checking “dont include editor content in build” might force UnrealFrontend to update…

Additionally, I unchecked all cultures except “en”.

If I go and uncheck all settings, it clears the error; reenable the settings including stage base release, and the error pops up, but I uncheck stage base release and uncheck/recheck include editor content, and now it works…

As for figuring out what’s going on with linux building, I cooked content in editor for linux shipping on my windows computer and rebuilt, made no difference. I have a laptop I dualboot linux on now so I guess I’ll just make linux builds from there if cross compile can’t be bothered to compile all shaders for all platforms and RHIs.