From Blank Slate to Battle Royale: Your First UEFN Project

You’ve played the game for years, but have you ever wondered what happens behind the curtain when you hit "Play"? Right now, you’re just a passenger. It’s time to take the wheel.

In this tutorial, we’re going to create your very first custom Fortnite island from scratch using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). We aren’t just dropping a template in; we’re configuring the DNA of our game. You’ll learn how to set up the rules of engagement—how many players, how they team up, and when the chaos actually starts. By the end of this, you’ll have a functional, playable project file that serves as the foundation for anything you want to build next.

What You'll Learn

• Project Creation: How to start a fresh canvas in UEFN without the clutter of pre-made assets.
• Island Settings: The "DNA" of your game (Max Players, Teams, Spawn logic).
• The Outliner: Finding the right device to control global game rules.
• Game Modes: Switching between competitive and cooperative playstyles.

How It Works

Think of a new UEFN project like an empty island map. It’s just terrain, sky, and silence. Nothing happens until you tell the engine how the game should behave.

In standard Fortnite, Epic Games has already written the code for Battle Royale. But when you’re building your own island, you are the developer. The primary way you communicate your wishes to the engine is through the IslandSettings device.

Imagine the IslandSettings device as the Game Master’s clipboard. It holds the global rules that apply to everyone on the server. Before you place a single turret or drop a single loot pool, you need to decide:

1. How many players? (1v1? 100 players?)
2. How do they group? (Solo, Duos, or a full Squad?)
3. Who are they fighting? (Each other? Or a common enemy?)

This is where we move from "playing" to "building." We’re going to configure these settings so you can test your island with a small group of friends (or bots) in a cooperative setup. This is the safest way to learn because it removes the pressure of random strangers killing you before you’ve even placed a wall.

Let's Build It

Here is the step-by-step process to set up your first project. We aren’t writing code yet; we’re configuring the engine’s core parameters.

Step 1: The Blank Canvas

Open Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN). On the startup screen, look for the Project Browser. You want to create a New Project. Select the Empty template. Do not pick a template that already has buildings or Verse scripts in it. We want a blank slate so you can see exactly what you’re doing.

Step 2: Finding the Game Master

Once the editor loads, you’ll see your empty terrain. Look at the Outliner panel. This is usually on the right side of the screen. The Outliner lists every single object (entity) currently in your level.

You need to find the IslandSettings device. It might be named IslandSettings or something similar depending on your version, but it’s the root device that controls global parameters. If you can’t find it, use the Search Bar in the Outliner and type Island.

Step 3: Configuring the Rules

With IslandSettings selected, look at the Details Panel (usually below the Outliner). Expand the section labeled User Options - Game Rules. This is where you tweak the DNA of your game.

Here is the configuration we will use for this tutorial. Think of these settings as your initial "Loadout" for the server:

Step 4: Why "Auto Start" is False

This is a crucial setting for beginners. If Auto Start is True, the game begins the second you hit Play. You might spawn in, get confused, and die before you can build a wall. By setting it to False, you buy yourself time. You can place your Player Spawners, Guard Spawners, and traps before the match actually kicks off. It’s like setting up your base before the storm timer starts.

Let's Build It: The Configuration Walkthrough

Since this is a UI-based configuration rather than a Verse script, there is no code block to copy-paste. However, here is the "logic flow" of what we just did, translated into plain English:

1. Initialize: We created an empty world.
2. Locate: We found the global rulebook (IslandSettings).
3. Override: We changed the default values.
   • Default: Usually set for 100-player BR.
   • New: Set for 4-player Co-op.
4. Lock In: These settings are now saved in your project file. Every time you hit "Play," the engine checks this device first.

Pro Tip: The Search Bar is Your Best Friend

The Details Panel can be overwhelming with hundreds of options. Always use the search bar at the top of the Details Panel. If you need to change the Max Players, just type "Max" and it will jump right to that setting. It’s like using the search function in your inventory to find your shield potion instantly.

Try It Yourself

Now that you have the basic settings, let’s test if they actually work.

The Challenge:

1. Hit Play in UEFN.
2. Observe where you spawn. Do you spawn alone or with others?
3. Check the scoreboard or team UI. Are you on the same team?
4. Bonus Challenge: Go back into IslandSettings and change Max Players to 100. Hit Play again. What happens? (Hint: You might see a lot of bots).

Hint: If you want to see what a full, working version of this looks like, search for the "Verse Stronghold" template in the Project Browser (Island Code: 2218-1545-9149). It uses similar settings but adds guards and traps. Compare its IslandSettings to yours!

Recap

• UEFN is your workspace. Start with an Empty project to keep things clean.
• IslandSettings is the device that controls global game rules (players, teams, spawns).
• Cooperative mode is great for learning because you work with others, not against them.
• Auto Start: False gives you time to build before the game begins.

You’ve now created the skeleton of your first island. It’s empty, but it’s your empty. In the next steps, we’ll start populating this skeleton with Player Spawners, Guards, and eventually, some Verse code to make things explode.

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/stronghold-01-create-a-new-project-in-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/stronghold-template-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/stronghold-02-add-devices-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/verse-stronghold-template-5-add-effects-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite