Building Your First Fortnite Island: The Project Setup

Welcome to the world of island building! Before we write code or place blocks, we need a place to start. Think of a new project like a fresh, empty canvas for a painting. It is the foundation for everything you will create.

In this tutorial, we will open Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). We will set up the basic rules for our game. You will learn how to choose a template and configure the settings. By the end, you will have a working island ready for players.

What You'll Learn

• How to open a new project in UEFN.
• What an Island Template is.
• How to set basic Game Rules.
• The difference between a Level and a Project.

How It Works

Imagine you are building a treehouse. You do not start by hammering nails. You start by choosing a spot and laying down a flat floor. In UEFN, your "spot" is the Project.

What is a Project?

A project is like a big folder on your computer. It holds all your levels, your code, and your art assets. When you create a new project, you are creating this main folder.

What is a Template?

When you start, you can pick a Template. A template is like a pre-built room. Some templates have ramps for racing. Some have flat ground for building. Some have code already written for you. Picking a template saves you time because you do not start from zero.

What are Game Rules?

Every game has rules. How many players can join? Do they work together or against each other? These settings live in a device called Island Settings. We will change these settings to make our island ready for friends to play.

Let's Build It

We will create a simple project. We will not write Verse code yet. We will just set the stage.

Step 1: Open UEFN and Create a Project

1. Open Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).
2. Click on New Project or New/Open Project.
3. You will see a list of Island Templates.
4. Choose a simple template. For this tutorial, let's pick Empty Island or a basic Creative template. This gives us a blank slate.
5. Name your project something fun, like MyFirstIsland.
6. Click Create.

UEFN will now load. It might take a minute. Be patient!

Step 2: Find the Island Settings

Once the editor is open, we need to tell the game how it should behave.

1. Look at the Outliner. The Outliner is like a list of every object in your scene.
2. Find the device named Island Settings. It usually has a globe icon.
3. Click on it.
4. Look at the Details Panel on the right side of your screen. This panel shows all the settings for the selected device.

Step 3: Set the Game Rules

We want a friendly, cooperative game. Let's change a few settings.

1. Find User Options - Game Rules.
2. Change Max Players to 4. This means up to four friends can play.
3. Change Teams to Cooperative. This means everyone works together.
4. Change Team Size to 4.
5. Change Spawn Pad Selection to Near Teammates. This keeps the team close.
6. Set Auto Start to False. This means the game waits for you to press "Start."
7. Set Game Start Countdown to 3. This gives players three seconds to get ready.

These settings are like the rulebook for your island. They decide how the game feels.

Step 4: Save Your Work

Always save your work! Think of it like saving a document in Word.

1. Press Ctrl + S (or Cmd + S on Mac).
2. Or go to File > Save All.

Your project is now saved. You have a foundation.

Verse Code Example: Configuring Settings

In Verse, we often write code to control devices. Here is how we might write a simple script to change the player count. This is a preview of what Verse looks like.

# This is a simple Verse script for Island Settings
# It runs when the game starts

using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /Verse.org/Native }

# We define a class that holds a reference to our island settings device.
# In UEFN, you bind devices by placing this class as a Verse device
# in the level and wiring the property in the Details Panel.
my_first_settings := class(creative_device):

    # This property is wired to the Island Settings device in the editor.
    @editable
    IslandSettings : island_settings_device = island_settings_device{}

    # OnBegin runs automatically when the game session starts.
    OnBegin<override>()<suspends> : void =
        # Set the max players to 4
        # note: island_settings_device exposes SetMaxPlayers() for runtime
        # control of the player cap.
        IslandSettings.SetMaxPlayers(4)

        # Set team size to 4
        # note: cooperative vs. competitive mode is configured in the
        # Island Settings device Details Panel; there is no SetTeams() API.
        IslandSettings.SetTeamSize(4)

        # Print a message to the output log
        # This helps us know the code ran
        Print("Game rules are set!")

What does this code do?

• using { ... }: This tells Verse which libraries we need. Think of it like grabbing tools from a toolbox.
• my_first_settings: This is the name of our class. It extends creative_device so UEFN treats it as a placeable device.
• @editable: This keyword lets us connect a real device from the level to this property inside the editor.
• island_settings_device: This is the device we are talking to.
• OnBegin: This is a special function that runs automatically when the game starts.
• SetMaxPlayers(4): This is a command. It sets the number of players.
• SetTeamSize(4): This sets how many players belong to each team.

You do not need to write this code right now. Just know that devices like Island Settings can be controlled by code.

Try It Yourself

Now it is your turn!

Challenge: Create a new project. Change the Game Start Countdown to 10 seconds. Change the Max Players to 2. Save your project.

Hint: Look in the Details Panel after clicking Island Settings. Use the search bar to find "Countdown" or "Players."

Recap

• A Project is your main folder for all island files.
• A Template gives you a head start with pre-built elements.
• Island Settings control the basic rules of your game.
• Always Save your work to keep your progress.

You have taken the first step. You have a project. Next, we will learn how to add devices and make things happen. Keep building!

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/starting-and-organizing-a-project-in-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/user-interface-reference-for-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/verse-stronghold-template-1-create-a-new-project-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/creating-rocket-racing-islands-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/lesson-plan-theme-park-of-the-future-in-fortnite-creative