# Different .PAK files for same packages?

**URL:** <https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/different-pak-files-for-same-packages/1278732>\
**Category:** Multiplayer & Networking\
**Tags:** pak, unreal-engine, Multiplayer, question\
**Created:** [August 31, 2023, 12:56pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/different-pak-files-for-same-packages/1278732 "2023-08-31T12:56:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 7

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**Author:** ![B\_REX](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/b_rex/32/982590_2.png) [@B\_REX](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/B_REX)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 12:02pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/different-pak-files-for-same-packages/1278732/7 "2023-12-14T12:02:18Z")

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Hi there.  
I had the same issue and just found a solution. There is no documentation to find anywhere about how the ordering works, but looking into the source code I was able find it out.  
So, if you don’t have a `GameOpenOrder.log` it will automatically fall back to `CookerOpenOrder.log` and `EditorOpenOrder.log`. These 2 files are changed permanently and therefore cause assets being differently ordered in paks.

Even if you had a `GameOpenOrder.log` in place, it would fall back to the other ones for assets not included in the `GameOpenOrder.log`. This means if you add new stuff to your game, you will have paks again that are not deterministically.

There is a way tough to specify a specific OpenOrder.log to be used and if you do this, it will ONLY use that file. In your `DefaultGame.ini` add PakOrderFileSpecs in the ProjectPackagingSettings section:

```auto
[/Script/UnrealEd.ProjectPackagingSettings]
PakOrderFileSpecs=(Pattern="CustomOpenOrder.log")

```

Now place a file called `CustomOpenOrder.log` in the FileOpenOrder folder next to `EditorOpenOrder.log`.

The file has to exist, otherwhise the build will fail.  
I actually used an empty file, which basically deactivates load time optimization done by intelligent ordering inside the pak file. Honestly, I couldn’t notice a difference, but I didn’t measure the time.

Now my paks are deterministic.

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