Building the Brain of Your Island: Game State Devices

Imagine you are playing a video game. You see a timer counting down. You see your score going up. You know when the game starts and when it ends. Who is keeping track of all that? It is not magic. It is the Game State.

In Fortnite Creative, we use special boxes called Devices to control the rules. Think of devices like the referee in a soccer game. They watch the players and keep score. Today, you will build the brain of your own island. You will add a timer, a scorekeeper, and a way to end the game. Let’s make your island feel alive!

What You'll Learn

• What Game State means in simple terms.
• How to use the Timer Device to create urgency.
• How to use the Score Manager to track points.
• How to use the End Game Device to finish the match.

How It Works

Let’s think about a race. You start running. A clock starts ticking. If you finish fast, you get more points. When the clock hits zero, the race is over. That is the Game State. It is the collection of all the numbers and rules that tell us how the game is going.

In UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite), we don’t write code to change the score every time. We use Devices. A device is like a smart box. It has settings you can change. You can tell a timer to count down. You can tell a score manager to add points.

Some devices are easy to miss. The Timer and Score Manager don’t need to touch players. You can hide them far away. They just work in the background. This is like a referee hiding in the stands. They are watching, but you don’t see them.

We will use four key devices:

1. Timer: Counts down the seconds.
2. Score Manager: Keeps track of your points.
3. End Game: Stops the game when it is time.
4. Trigger: Sends a signal when you do something.

Let's Build It

We will build a simple "Speed Run" challenge. You must run to a flag. The faster you go, the higher your score. If you run out of time, the game ends.

First, open your island in UEFN. Go to the Devices panel. We need to place four devices.

Step 1: The Timer (The Clock)

Find the Timer device. Place it anywhere on your map. It does not matter where. It will not be seen by players.

Select the Timer device. Look at the Details panel on the right. Change these settings:

• Success on Timer End: Set this to False. We want players to run, not wait for time to run out.
• Visible During Game: Set this to Hidden. Players should not see the device.
• Score Per Second Remaining: Set this to 50. This is magic! It means if you finish with 10 seconds left, you get 500 points. It rewards speed.
• Enable Urgency Mode: Turn this On. This makes the timer flash when time is low. It adds excitement.

Step 2: The Score Manager (The Scoreboard)

Find the Score Manager device. Place it near the Timer.

Select the Score Manager. Change these settings:

• Start with Score: Set this to 0. We start with no points.
• Visible During Game: You can leave this as On if you want players to see their score on screen. Or set it to Hidden if you want a clean look.

Step 3: The End Game (The Whistle)

Find the End Game device. Place it somewhere safe.

Select the End Game device. Change these settings:

• End Game Type: Choose Score. This means the game ends when the score condition is met or time runs out.
• Winning Team: Choose Everyone. We are all playing together.

Step 4: The Trigger (The Signal)

Now we need to tell the devices when to act. We use a Trigger. A trigger is like a light switch. When you step on it, it flips on.

1. Place a Trigger device at the finish line.
2. Select the Trigger.
3. In the Details panel, find Enable When Receiving From. Click the plus sign.
4. Connect it to your Timer device. This tells the Trigger to wake up when the game starts.
5. Now, we need to connect the Trigger to the Score Manager. Find the Send To channel. Select the Score Manager device.

Wait, there is a better way! Instead of complex wiring, let’s use the Timer’s built-in power. The Timer can automatically give points for time left. But we need to stop the game.

Let’s connect the Timer to the End Game.

1. Select the Timer device.
2. Find Send To.
3. Add the End Game device.

Now, when the timer hits zero, it sends a signal to the End Game device. The game stops!

The Complete Setup (Visualized)

Here is how your devices talk to each other. Think of it like a chain of dominos.

// This is not code, but a map of your devices!

[Timer Device]
   |
   | (Sends signal when time is up)
   v
[End Game Device]
   |
   | (Stops the match)
   v
[Game Over Screen]

[Score Manager]
   |
   | (Adds 50 points per second left)
   v
[Player's Score]

You do not need to write any Verse code for this! Devices handle the logic for you. This is the power of the Scene Graph. The Scene Graph is the family tree of your island. The Timer is a parent. The End Game is a child. They are connected. When the parent acts, the child reacts.

Try It Yourself

You have built the brain! Now let’s make it fun.

Challenge: Add a Player Spawner. Place it at the start of your race. Place your Trigger at the finish line. When a player steps on the Trigger, they should get 100 bonus points.

Hint:

1. Place a Trigger at the finish line.
2. Select the Trigger.
3. Find Enable When Receiving From. Connect it to the Timer (so it starts with the game).
4. Find Send To. Connect it to the Score Manager.
5. In the Score Manager settings, look for Score On Trigger. Set it to 100.

Play your island! Run fast. See if you can get a high score. Did the timer count down? Did the score go up? You did it! You controlled the game state.

Recap

You learned how to control the Game State using devices.

• The Timer counts down and rewards speed.
• The Score Manager keeps track of points.
• The End Game device stops the match.
• Devices talk to each other like a family tree in the Scene Graph.

You are now a game state master! Keep building and have fun.

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/grind-vine-device-design-example-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/grind-vine-device-design-example-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/verse-stronghold-template-4-add-devices-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/using-side-scroller-controls-devices-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/dungeon-crawler-in-fortnite-creative