Build Your First Fortnite Island: The Setup

Welcome, young creator! Are you ready to make your own game? Today, we are going to build the foundation of a fun Fortnite island. We will set up a place for players to start, give them a cool weapon, and add a monster to fight. It is like building a stage before a play begins. You do not need any coding experience to start. Let’s make something awesome!

What You'll Learn

• How to build a safe area for players to start.
• How to give players a weapon automatically.
• How to add a monster enemy to your map.
• How to organize your game pieces (the Scene Graph).

How It Works

Think of your island like a toy set. You need a floor, some walls, and your toys. In Fortnite Creative, we call these pieces Devices. Devices are special tools that do things.

First, we need a Play Area. This is where the action happens. We will use pre-made pieces from the Gallery. It is like using a box of Lego bricks to build a house quickly.

Next, we need a Player Spawner. This is where players appear when the game starts. Imagine a teleporter pad that says, "Hello! You are here now."

Then, we need an Item Granter. This device gives players items. We will give them a strong rifle. It is like a vending machine that drops a snack when you walk by.

Finally, we need a Creature Spawner. This puts monsters in the world. We will use a "Fiend." It is a friendly-looking monster that waits for players to come close.

All these pieces sit inside your game world. This structure is called the Scene Graph. Think of it like a family tree or a filing cabinet. Your island is the cabinet. The Play Area, the Spawner, and the Monster are all folders inside that cabinet. You can open them to change their settings.

Let's Build It

We will use Verse to make our island smart. Verse is the language we use to tell devices what to do. Don't worry, the code is simple!

Here is the script to set up your game. Copy this into your Verse file.

# This is our main script. It runs when the game starts.
# Think of it as the "Start Button" for your code.
Begin Play(): void =
    # Step 1: Give players a weapon.
    # We tell the Item Granter to work right away.
    ItemGranter.GrantOnGameStart = true
    
    # Step 2: Make sure the weapon has lots of ammo.
    # 999 is a big number. It means "never run out!"
    ItemGranter.SpareWeaponAmmo = 999
    
    # Step 3: Set up the monster.
    # We tell the Creature Spawner to wait near the player.
    CreatureSpawner.ActivationRange = 3.0
    
    # Step 4: Print a message to the screen.
    # This helps us know the code is working.
    print("Game is ready! Fight the Fiend!")

Walkthrough of the Code

1. Begin Play(): This is a Function. A function is a list of instructions. The computer runs these instructions when the game begins. It is like a recipe for breakfast.
2. ItemGranter.GrantOnGameStart = true: This changes a setting. Variable means a value that can change. Here, we change the setting from "No" to "Yes." Now, players get the gun immediately.
3. ItemGranter.SpareWeaponAmmo = 999: We are setting the ammo count. 999 is a Constant value we chose. It ensures players have enough bullets to win.
4. CreatureSpawner.ActivationRange = 3.0: This sets the distance. The monster will only appear when a player is within 3 tiles. This keeps the monster hidden until it is time to play.
5. print(...): This writes text to the debug screen. It is like leaving a sticky note for yourself to check your work.

Try It Yourself

You have the basic setup! Now, let’s add a twist.

Challenge: Change the monster type. Instead of a "Fiend," can you find a different monster in the Creature Spawner settings? Try picking a "Gnome" or a "Ranger."

Hint: Look at the properties panel in UEFN. Find the box that says "Creature Type." Click it and choose a new friend (or foe!) from the list.

Recap

You just built the start of a game! You learned how to use Devices like Spawners and Granter. You used Verse to turn them on. You also learned about the Scene Graph, which is how your game pieces are organized. Great job! Your island is ready for players.

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/switch-device-design-examples
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/switch-device-design-examples
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/verse-prop-hunt-template-5-game-loop-and-round-management-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/speedway-race-with-verse-persistence-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/speedway-race-with-verse-persistence-template