Getting Started: Deployment

Overview

Preparing and creating a finished version of game for distribution is the final step in the process of creating a game with Unreal Engine 3 or Unreal Development Kit. In cases where storage space is a concern, it is important to make sure that you are only including that content which is actually used by the game. You also want to make sure that you follow any license agreements that exist with any software to be included with your game or dependencies on third-party software your game may have.

UnrealFrontend

The UnrealFrontend application provides an interface for compiling scripts and cooking packages and maps. In addition, it provides the ability to package up applications created with Unreal Development Kit. This application can be found in the Binaries folder of your Unreal Engine 3 or Unreal Development Kit directory.

Cooking Maps and Packages

Cooking content is how content is converted and massaged into the format that supports consoles (currently Xbox 360 and PS3). PCs, as well, can now use cooked data, which will result in much faster loading speed. For the most part it is pretty straightforward, but there are a few things at least one person on your team will need to know.

The cooker itself is an Unreal commandlet. Generally, you will use the Unreal Frontend tool which will call out to the commandlet, passing in any configured options. However, you can also cook your content by directly using the commandlet, itself.

For more information on this, see the Content Cooking page.

Packaging Games

Whether using a full license of Unreal Engine 3 or Unreal Development Kit, your completed game will need to be packaged and distributed to end users.

UDK Game Packaging

Packaging your game created with Unreal Development Kit is a fairly straightforward process. In the UnrealFrontend application, the Package button on the toolbar starts the packaging process. It allows you to name the file and shortcut of your game then packages Epic's binaries and your cooked content into a standalone installer for distribution.