Is the official way to build a Ubuntu desktop standard image install really to take the Ubuntu server (subiquity) iso and install ubuntu-desktop package??

I spent a few dozen hours over the last month, I've lost count of how many different 'guides' and even github pages of 'working' 'user-data' files and the only thing I can get to work is if I leave the default flat disk partitioning. I cannot even get the simple lvm that the tui installer walks you through to work. I took the installer generated user-data file, put it on the installer and reinstalled and it fails on either finding the disk or partitioning the disk EVERY single time.

Coming from my previous job I'm really missing Rocky/RHEL. It took me again several dozen hours but I made progress and I'm really missing kickstart configurability. I had read prompts, optional statement based on responses or hardware information I looked up, it was lovely.

Please tell me I'm missing something with Ubuntu, the 'Autoinstall configuration reference manual' is seriously lacking, geez. I think the Anaconda installer manual is like 100 pages give or take, that is a reference manual.

EDIT: to add, I also spent time on the curtin doc to no resolution.