Stop the Storm (And Other Island Rules)

Ever join an island where the storm kills you instantly, or you spawn with a full loadout of rocket launchers when you just wanted to play a chill farming sim? That’s because the island’s default settings are fighting your design. In this tutorial, we’re going to stop fighting the defaults and start controlling them. We aren’t writing code to spawn a chicken; we’re going to tweak the fundamental laws of physics and gameplay for your entire island. Think of this as editing the game’s rulebook before the match even starts.

What You'll Learn

• What Island Settings are and why they matter more than any device you place.
• How to disable Environment Damage (so lava doesn’t melt your creations).
• How to manage Build Mode (turning off building for a shooter, or keeping it for a parkour map).
• How to control Item Drops on elimination (so players don’t lose their loot).

How It Works

In Fortnite, when you hop into a standard Battle Royale match, the game has a "default personality." It assumes you want to build, you want to take damage from the storm, and if you die, you lose your gear.

Island Settings are the master control panel. They are not devices you place in the world; they are global configurations that apply to everyone on the island, every time they join.

Think of it like this:

• Devices (like Triggers or Item Granters) are like individual players making choices during the game.
• Island Settings are the referee. The referee decides what the rules are before the whistle blows.

If you want to make a "No Build" arena, you don’t put a wall around every room. You go into the settings and tell the referee: "No building allowed." If you want a farming simulator where plants grow and you don’t die from standing in fire, you tell the referee: "Turn off environmental damage."

These settings live in the Editor (the Creative mode you use to build your island), not in Verse code. Why? because these rules apply to the entire experience globally. While Verse is great for complex logic (like "if player A kills player B, give player C a sword"), Island Settings are for the foundational state of the world.

Key Concepts to Master

1. Environment Damage: This is the damage you take from things like the Storm, Lava, or Void. By default, this is ON. For many custom islands (like target practice or farming sims), you want this OFF so players can focus on the challenge, not survival.
2. Build Mode: This controls whether players can place walls, ramps, and floors. Options usually range from "Full Build" (default BR) to "No Build" (competitive arena style).
3. Eliminated Player’s Items: In standard BR, when you die, your loot drops on the ground for others to pick up. In a target practice or puzzle island, you probably want players to keep their items so they don’t lose progress if they fail a jump.

Let's Build It

We aren’t writing Verse code here because these settings are handled through the Island Settings menu in the UEFN editor. However, understanding how to configure them is the key to unlocking your design.

Here is the step-by-step "code" for your brain to follow:

Step 1: Access the Settings

1. Open your island in UEFN.
2. Look at the top toolbar. Find the button that says Island Settings (it usually looks like a gear icon or a clipboard).
3. Click it. A sidebar will open on the right.

Step 2: Tweak the Player Experience (The "Survival" Settings)

Let’s say you are building a Target Practice map. You don’t want players dying from lava while aiming, and you don’t want them losing their guns if they miss a shot.

1. In the sidebar, click on Player.
2. Scroll down to Equipment.
3. Find Environment Damage. Change it from "On" to Off.
   • Why? Now, if a player stands in lava, they won’t take damage. They can aim freely without panicking about their health bar.
4. Find Start With Pickaxe. Change it to No.
   • Why? In a pure shooter/target map, you don’t need a pickaxe. Removing it cleans up the UI and reminds players this isn’t a standard BR match.

Step 3: Tweak the Game Mode (The "Loot" Settings)

Now, let’s handle what happens when a player gets eliminated (or fails a challenge).

1. In the sidebar, click on Mode.
2. Scroll down to Eliminations.
3. Find Eliminated Player’s Items. Change it from "Drop" to Keep.
   • Why? If a player misses a jump and dies, they shouldn’t lose their rocket launcher. With "Keep," their items stay in their inventory (or respawn with them, depending on other settings), so they can immediately try again.

Step 4: Tweak the Build Rules (The "Arena" Settings)

If you are building a Competitive Shooter map, you don’t want players building cover.

1. In the sidebar, click on Player again.
2. Scroll down to Build Mode.
3. Change Allow Building to None.
   • Why? Players can now only shoot and move. No walls, no ramps. Pure skill.

Why This Matters for Verse Developers

You might be thinking, "I’m here to learn Verse, not click buttons." But here’s the secret: Verse works best when the environment is predictable.

If you write a Verse script that says, "When the player touches this trigger, grant them a shield," but the player is simultaneously taking damage from the Storm (Environment Damage = On), your script is fighting a losing battle. The player’s health is fluctuating due to global settings, not your logic.

By setting Environment Damage = Off and Build Mode = None in the Island Settings, you create a clean slate. Your Verse scripts can then control the game state without interference from default Fortnite mechanics. You are essentially turning off the "autopilot" of standard Fortnite so you can take the wheel.

Try It Yourself

Challenge: Build a "Spooky Farming Sim" where plants grow and you don’t die from standing in the dark or touching the void.

Hint:

1. Go to Island Settings > Player.
2. Turn Environment Damage to Off.
3. Turn Infinite Building Materials to Off (so you can’t spam walls).
4. Go to Island Settings > World.
5. Change Time of Day to 11:00 PM (or later) for that spooky vibe.

Now, place a Seed Planter device and a Harvester device. Can you make it so that when you harvest a plant, it doesn’t drop an item, but instead adds to a Stat Creator score? (You’ll need to link the Harvester’s "On Harvest" event to the Stat Creator’s "Add Score" action).

Recap

• Island Settings are the global rules of your island. They override default Fortnite behavior.
• Environment Damage controls hazards like lava and storm. Turn it off for focused gameplay.
• Build Mode controls whether players can build. Turn it off for competitive arenas.
• Eliminated Player’s Items controls loot drops. Set to "Keep" for puzzle/arcade maps.
• These settings create a stable foundation for your Verse scripts to work on, ensuring your code controls the game, not the other way around.

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/barrier-device-design-examples-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/stat-creator-design-examples
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/stat-creator-design-examples
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/tracker-device-design-examples
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/post-process-device-design-examples-in-fortnite