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Building Rephrased

One-click build-and-launch for everyone — one script, no guesswork.

Team default: everyone works from the Perforce depot (client GL_Main_PC) and installs UE 5.8 plus Visual Studio 2026 once — see Developer setup and Current repo workflow. You do not need to open Visual Studio day to day; the script uses its C++ toolchain when Unreal needs a rebuild.

Programming engineers can also build through Building an Unreal project (Rephrased.sln). Rephrased_Binaries.zip is optional fallback/archive only, not the primary team workflow.

The script

  1. Double-click [OpenAfterPull]Build_Project.bat at the repository root (next to Rephrased.uproject). Running it as administrator also works — the launcher warns and continues — but a plain double-click is preferred.
  2. It finds UE 5.8, then:
  3. Compiler and Windows SDK already usable → incremental Unreal build, then opens the editor. The build runs with UBA disabled and two parallel actions, so small machines neither hang in the build-accelerator queue nor run out of memory mid-compile.
  4. C++ tools or SDK missing → Windows will ask for administrator permission and install the missing pieces (VS 2022 gets 14.44 components if that install is already there; otherwise Visual Studio 2026 Build Tools). Then it builds and opens the editor.
  5. Engine not where Windows expects it → the script looks through the usual install folders on every drive. If it finds UE 5.8 there, it uses it and remembers it. Otherwise a folder picker opens: choose the engine folder, the one that contains Engine, such as E:\UE_5.8. You are asked once.
  6. No UE 5.8 on the machine at all → stop. Install Unreal Engine 5.8 from the Epic Games Launcher, then rerun the bat.
  7. The editor opens only after the build succeeds. Existing Binaries DLLs are not treated as up to date.

First build often takes 30–60 minutes. Incremental runs are usually 1–3 minutes. The installer step can be several GB the first time.

Diagnostics

Run [OpenAfterPull]Build_Project.bat /check or -check to print detection without installing or building. Exit 0 means this machine has a matching engine plus a complete compatible compiler and SDK. It does not mean the project compiled.

Verify it worked

  • The script finishes without errors and the editor opens.
  • Open LV_2ndPlayable under Content/2ndPlayable/ and press Play (see Unreal Editor 101).
  • If the script fails, check Saved/Logs/Launcher-Build-*.log (build) or %TEMP%\dd_setup* (installer) and ask your lead before editing the script.

Troubleshooting

A folder picker asks for the engine

The engine is installed somewhere Windows has no record of, which is normal when you install to a second drive or move the folder afterwards. Pick the engine root, the folder that contains Engine (for example E:\UE_5.8), and the script remembers it for next time. REPHRASED_ENGINE_ROOT does the same thing without the dialog, and a custom team build has to point at the exact build engineering distributes.

"Engine not registered or incomplete"

This means no UE 5.8 was found and the picker could not run, usually because the bat was started from a shell rather than double-clicked. Install Unreal Engine 5.8 from the Epic Games Launcher, or double-click the bat so the picker can open.

Installer asked for admin, then stopped

Canceling the Windows prompt installs nothing. If it asked for a reboot, restart Windows and run the bat again. If it failed, close Visual Studio / other installers and retry. Multiple Visual Studio copies that the script cannot choose between must be fixed in Visual Studio Installer.

"Unable to unlink old file"

Close Unreal Editor completely, wait a few seconds, and retry.

Change history

  • 2026-09-20 — Gabriel Li — Builds now run with UBA disabled (-NoUBA) and two parallel actions (-MaxParallelActions=2): UBA hung on a low-RAM machine (actions stuck queued, cl.exe idle, logs frozen), and capping parallelism keeps small machines from running out of memory mid-build.

  • 2026-09-20 — Gabriel Li — The launcher no longer refuses an elevated run: it warns and continues. Engine discovery (disk probe + folder picker) does not depend on the registry, so Run as administrator works; a plain double-click is still preferred.

  • 2026-09-08 — Gabriel Li — Bat now installs missing VS 2022 / 2026 Build Tools compile pieces via .vsconfig (UAC only; no YES prompt); always incremental UBT before editor; /check and -check are read-only.

  • 2026-09-05 — Gabriel Li — Team default works from the Perforce depot (GL_Main_PC), not the GitHub repo; git is legacy.

  • 2026-09-05 — Gabriel Li — Updated to the shipped hybrid Content structure (PR #19): PreProShowcase sandbox under Content/Rephrased/Levels/Prepro/, Art/Gameplay/Levels layout, Imports isolation, Content/Developers/<Discipline>/<Name>/ scratch space.

  • 2026-08-27 - Gabriel Li - Updated first-day sandbox wording to PreProRuneShowcase and added the personal playground expectation where relevant.

  • 2026-08-26 — Gabriel Li — One bat for everyone: standard team setup installs VS C++ tools once; bat opens or rebuilds as needed; added -check.

  • 2026-08-12 — Gabriel Li — Script and docs target UE 5.8.
  • 2026-05-23 — Gabriel Li — Original designer/artist batch script; later standardized for the whole team.