UAT

It is basically everything related to the “Pipeline.”

While 90% of people only use it for Packaging, as a Tech Lead, you will use it for much more.

Think of UAT as a Swiss Army Knife. “Packaging” is just the big knife blade. But it has other tools hidden inside that you need to know about.

Here is the list of things UAT does besides just “Packaging”:

1. It Deploys to Hardware (-deploy)

Packaging just creates a file on your hard drive. Deploying puts it on the device.

• If you click “Launch on Android” or “Launch on PS5” in the Editor, UAT is running.
• It talks to the Android SDK (ADB) or the Sony Dev Kit to copy the files over the USB cable and force the device to start the app.

2. It Gathers Text for Translation (-GatherText)

How do you translate your game into Japanese?

• You don’t copy-paste text manually.
• You run UAT with the Localization command.
• UAT scans every Blueprint and C++ file in your project, finds every piece of text, and puts it into a .po or .csv file for your translators.

3. It Runs Automated Tests (Gauntlet)

• UAT can launch your game, watch it run, and report back if it crashed.
• It acts as your automated QA tester.

4. It Updates Version Numbers

• UAT can automatically update your ProjectVersion in the config files so that every build has a unique number (v1.0.1, v1.0.2, etc.).

5. It Distributes to Stores (Advanced)

• You can write custom UAT scripts that take the packaged build and upload it directly to SteamPipe (Steam’s backend).

Summary: The Distinction

• The Editor: Used for Creating the game (placing actors, writing code).
• UAT: Used for Processing the game (Compiling, Cooking, Packaging, Testing, Deploying, Localizing).