Build Your First Fortnite Island: A Beginner's Guide

Welcome to Fortnite Creative! You are about to become a game creator. You will learn how to build your very own island. You will place props and set up a simple game. This is the start of your coding journey.

What You'll Learn

• How to create a new island from the Hub.
• What a "prop" is and how to use it.
• How to choose a visual theme for your world.
• The basic steps to start playing your creation.

How It Works

Think of Fortnite Creative like a giant digital toy box. You have a huge space called the Hub. The Hub is like a lobby. It is where you start every time you play. In the Hub, you see a glowing golden portal. This is the Golden Rift. It is your door to your own private world.

When you step through the Rift, you enter Creative Mode. Here, you can build anything. You start with a blank slate or a pre-made map. We call these Starter Islands. A Starter Island is like a ready-made room. It has walls, floors, and some furniture already placed. It saves you time.

You can change the look of your island. This is called the Visual Theme. A theme is the style of your world. For example, you might pick a snowy theme. Or a grassy meadow theme. When you pick a theme, you get special items. These items match the style.

You place objects on your island. We call these objects Props. A prop is any item you can put in the game. It can be a tree, a house, a chair, or a monster. Props make your island look fun. They also make the game work.

Let's build a simple target shooting game. We will use a Meadow Island. It has green grass and trees. It is perfect for a beginner.

Let's Build It

We will build a simple arena. You will place targets for players to shoot. We will use Verse to make the targets reset. Verse is the code language for Fortnite.

First, you need to create your island. Go to the Hub. Find the Golden Rift. Press E on the console next to it. Click +Create New. Choose Meadow Island. Name your island "My First Game". Click Confirm. You will fly into your new world.

Now, let's add the game parts. We need a Class Designer. A Class Designer is a device. It manages the rules of the game. It tells the targets what to do.

We also need Target Dummies. These are the enemies. Players will shoot them. We need many of them. Let's say we need 120 targets.

Here is the Verse code to make the targets reset after they are hit. This code goes into a Verse Script attached to your Class Designer.

# This is a comment. It explains the code.
# We are making a script for our game.

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

# This is our main class. It holds our game logic.
MyGameScript := class(creative_device):

    # Wire up your shooting_range_target_devices in the UEFN Details panel,
    # one entry per dummy you place on the island.
    @editable
    Targets : []shooting_range_target_device = array{}

    # This function runs when the game starts.
    OnBegin<override>()<suspends> : void =
        # We tell the system to wait a little bit.
        # This helps everything load properly.
        Sleep(2.0)

        # Now we start the game loop.
        StartGameLoop()

    # This function runs over and over again.
    StartGameLoop()<suspends> : void =
        loop:
            # Wait for one second.
            Sleep(1.0)

            # Check each target.
            # shooting_range_target_device exposes Enable/Disable but not GetHealth.
            # We use the TargetDefeatedEvent to react when a dummy is hit,
            # then call Enable() to bring it back. Here we simply Enable()
            # every dummy each second so any defeated dummy is restored.
            # note: shooting_range_target_device.Enable() re-enables a defeated dummy.
            for (Target : Targets):
                Target.Enable()```

Let's look at this code. It is simple. The `OnBegin` function starts the game. It waits two seconds. Then it calls `StartGameLoop`. The `StartGameLoop` function runs forever. It waits one second. Then it checks all the targets. If a target is broken, it resets it. This means the target comes back to life. The player can shoot it again.

You do not need to write this code by hand. You can use the **Verse Editor** in Fortnite. It helps you type the code. It also checks for mistakes.

Now, place your props. Open the **Palette**. This is your inventory. Search for "Target Dummy". Place 120 of them in a circle. Make sure they are easy to see. Add a barrier around them. This keeps players inside the arena.

Play your game. Invite a friend. See if they can hit all the targets. You did it! You built a game.

## Try It Yourself

You have built a basic shooting game. Now, make it your own. Try these changes:

1.  Change the number of targets. Try 50. Try 200.
2.  Add a timer. Give players 60 seconds to hit all targets.
3.  Change the theme. Pick a different Starter Island.

**Hint:** To add a timer, look for a **Timer** device in the Palette. Connect it to your Class Designer. You can set the time in the device properties.

## Recap

You learned how to create an island. You learned what a prop is. You learned how to use Verse to reset targets. You built a playable game. Great job, creator! Keep building. Keep coding.

## References

- https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/shootem-up-knockem-down-in-fortnite-creative
- https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/how-to-design-a-game-in-fortnite-creative
- https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/discover-the-resources-waiting-for-you-as-a-fortnite-creator
- https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/discover-the-resources-waiting-for-you-as-a-fortnite-creator
- https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/shootem-up-knockem-down-in-fortnite-creative