The Director’s Chair: Setting Up Your Title Sequence Devices

You’ve written the Verse script. It’s got the logic, the timing, and the brains. But right now, it’s like a movie director who has a perfect script but no actors, no camera, and no stage. The code is screaming into the void, and the void is just... empty space in UEFN.

In this tutorial, we’re going to build the "stage." We’re setting up the actual in-game devices—cameras, text boxes, and triggers—that your Verse code will puppeteer. If Verse is the brain, these devices are the muscles and eyes. By the end, you’ll have a working title sequence that actually shows something when you hit Play.

What You'll Learn

• The Scene Graph Basics: How devices live in the world and how they talk to each other.
• Fixed Point Cameras: Setting up the "eyes" that your code will move around.
• HUD Elements: Placing the text and dialogs that players see.
• Triggers: Creating the invisible "start button" for your sequence.
• Connecting the Dots: How Verse references these specific devices by name.

How It Works

Before we drop any code, let’s talk about the Scene Graph. Think of your Fortnite island as a giant, messy backpack. Inside that backpack, you have all your props, devices, and players. The Scene Graph is just the organized list of what’s inside that backpack, showing which item is inside which other item.

When you place a device in UEFN, you’re putting an object into this backpack. Your Verse code doesn’t just "see" a camera; it sees a specific instance of a camera with a specific name and location. This is why naming things correctly is the difference between a smooth cinematic and a glitchy mess.

Here is the cast of characters (devices) we need for a basic title sequence:

1. Fixed Point Cameras (2x): These are your movie cameras. They don’t move on their own. Your Verse code will tell them when to show their view and what to show. Think of these as the lenses your code looks through.
2. HUD Message Devices (3x): These are the text boxes that float on the screen. One for the studio logo, one for the game title, one for the "Press Start" prompt.
3. Pop-Up Dialog Device (1x): This is a fancy text box that can show multiple lines or images. We’ll use this for the final "Welcome" message.
4. HUD Controller Devices (2x): These are the remote controls for the HUD Messages. You don’t type text directly into the message device; you tell the Controller to change the text, which then updates the Message device. It’s like changing the channel on your TV.
5. Trigger Device (1x): This is an invisible box. When a player steps into it (or just when the game starts, depending on setup), it sends a signal. For a title sequence, we often use this to detect when the player is ready to leave the title screen and enter the actual game.

The "Constant" vs. "Variable" Trap

In programming, a Constant is a value that never changes once set (like the name of your island). A Variable is a value that can change (like the player’s health).

In UEFN, when you link a device in Verse, you usually define it as a Constant if it’s a specific device you placed in the level. Why? Because you aren’t going to swap out the "Main Camera" halfway through the script. You want Verse to always look at that specific camera you placed. If you define it as a variable, you might accidentally tell Verse to look at a camera that doesn’t exist or hasn’t been placed yet.

Let's Build It

We aren’t writing new logic today; we are setting up the hardware. However, to make sure your Verse code works, you need to create these devices and name them exactly as your code expects.

Note: The Verse code referenced in the broader tutorial series expects specific names. We will use the standard names from the Epic documentation.

Step 1: The Cameras (The Eyes)

1. Open the Devices panel in UEFN.
2. Search for Fixed Point Camera.
3. Place two of them in your level. It doesn’t matter where exactly for now, as long as they are in the level.
4. Select the first one. In the Properties panel on the right, find the Name field (or the "Device Name" if your version uses that). Rename it to: SplashScreenGameCamera
5. Select the second one. Rename it to: TitleGameCamera

Why these names? Your Verse script will likely have lines like let splash_cam = SplashScreenGameCamera. If the device name doesn’t match the variable name in Verse, the code will crash because it can’t find the device.

Step 2: The Text (The Voice)

1. Search for HUD Message Device.
2. Place three of them. You can place them anywhere; they don’t have a physical presence in the game world, only on the screen.
3. Rename them:
   • LogoMessage
   • TitleMessage
   • StartMessage
4. Search for HUD Controller Device.
5. Place two of them.
6. Select the first HUD Controller. In its properties, find the Target or Linked Device slot. Drag and drop LogoMessage into it.
7. Select the second HUD Controller. Link it to TitleMessage.

Wait, why only two controllers for three messages? Often, the "Start" message is handled by a different mechanism (like a Pop-Up Dialog) or is static. But for our setup, let’s link the second controller to StartMessage as well, or just ensure your Verse code knows which controller talks to which message. For simplicity, let’s link:

• Controller 1 -> LogoMessage
• Controller 2 -> TitleMessage
• (We will handle StartMessage via the Pop-Up Dialog in the next step, or link a third controller if you have one).

Correction based on standard setup: Let’s stick to the docs. We need 2 HUD Controllers. Let’s link:

• Controller 1 -> LogoMessage
• Controller 2 -> TitleMessage
• We will use the Pop-Up Dialog for the final text.

Step 3: The Pop-Up (The Finale)

1. Search for Pop-Up Dialog Device.
2. Place one in the level.
3. Rename it: WelcomeDialog
4. In the properties, you can pre-set some text here, like "Welcome to the Island!" This will be the final screen.

Step 4: The Trigger (The Door)

1. Search for Trigger Device.
2. Place one in the level.
3. Make it big enough to cover your spawn area or the area where the player stands during the intro.
4. Rename it: StartTrigger
5. In the properties, ensure Trigger Mode is set to On Begin Play if you want it to fire automatically, or On Enter if you want the player to walk into it to skip the intro. For a true title sequence, On Begin Play is often better so the sequence starts immediately.

Step 5: The Verse Device (The Brain)

1. Create a new Verse Device in your level.
2. Name it: title_sequence
3. This is where you paste the code from Part 1 of the tutorial.
4. Crucial Step: In the properties of this Verse device, you will see slots for the cameras.
   • Drag SplashScreenGameCamera into the slot for SplashScreenGameCamera.
   • Drag TitleGameCamera into the slot for TitleGameCamera.

This is the "Handshake." You are telling the Verse code: "Hey, when you ask for SplashScreenGameCamera, use the camera I just placed over there."

Try It Yourself

Challenge: Add a third Fixed Point Camera named GameplayCamera. Update your Verse code (if you have access to the full script) to switch to this camera after the title sequence finishes.

Hint: You don’t need to write new logic. Just place the camera, name it correctly, and ensure your Verse script has a variable for it. If the script doesn’t have a variable for it, you’ll need to add a line like let gameplay_cam = GameplayCamera in the Verse device’s fields.

Recap

• Devices are Actors: They don’t do anything until your Verse code tells them to.
• Names Matter: The name of the device in UEFN must match the variable name in your Verse code.
• Linking is Key: Use the properties panel to link Controllers to Messages and Verse to Cameras.
• Test Often: Hit Play. If nothing happens, check your device names. If text is wrong, check your Controller links.

Now you have the stage set. The cameras are ready, the text is loaded, and the trigger is armed. All that’s left is to let the Verse code take the director’s chair.

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/title-sequence-5-setting-up-the-devices-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/title-sequence-4-creating-the-game-menu-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/title-sequence-4-creating-the-game-menu-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/title-sequence-5-setting-up-the-devices-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/title-sequence-1-coding-the-verse-device-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite