The Magic Button: How to Make Your Island React

Have you ever pushed a big red button and watched a secret door slide open? Or maybe you pressed a button to turn on a light? In Fortnite Creative, you can make that happen too!

We are going to build a simple "Push Button, Get Reward" system. You will place a button. When a player steps on it, a surprise will happen. It is like a magic trick, but you control the magic.

Let’s get started!

What You'll Learn

• What a Button Device is.
• How to connect two devices together.
• How to make a prop change color when you play.
• How to test your island.

How It Works

Imagine you have two toy boxes. Box A is a button. Box B is a magic lamp.

Right now, they are separate. If you push Button Box A, nothing happens to Lamp Box B. They do not know about each other.

To make them work together, we need a Channel. Think of a channel like a walkie-talkie channel. If you set your walkie-talkie to Channel 1, you can talk to your friend. If you set it to Channel 2, you talk to someone else.

In Fortnite, the Button Device sends a signal on a specific channel. The other device listens on that same channel. When the button is pushed, it shouts on the channel. The listening device hears the shout and reacts!

This is the heart of Device Networking. It is how all devices in your island talk to each other.

Let's Build It

We will build a "Color Change Button." When you step on the button, a big block will change from gray to bright green.

Step 1: Place Your Devices

1. Open your Creative inventory.
2. Find the Button device. Place it on the ground.
3. Find a Prop (like a simple cube or crate). Place it nearby.
4. Find the Prop Mover device. Place it on the same spot as the Prop.

Wait, why Prop Mover? We will use it to change the color. It is a simple trick!

Step 2: Connect Them

This is the fun part. We need to make them friends.

1. Click on your Button device to select it.
2. Look at the Device Options panel on the right.
3. Find the option called When Interacted With Transmit On.
4. Set it to Channel 1. (You can use any number, but let’s use 1).

Now the button is ready to shout on Channel 1.

5. Click on your Prop Mover device.
6. Find the option On Receive From Channel.
7. Set it to Channel 1.

Now the Prop Mover is listening for Channel 1.

Step 3: Make It Look Cool

1. Click on the Prop Mover again.
2. Find Target Prop. Select the cube prop you placed.
3. Find Color. Change it to a bright green.
4. Make sure Play Once is checked. This means it will only change color once, not loop forever.

Step 4: Test It!

1. Hit Play.
2. Walk up to the Button device.
3. Press the interact button (usually E on keyboard or X on controller).
4. Watch the prop! It should turn green.

You did it! You just made two devices talk to each other.

Try It Yourself

Now that you know the basics, try these challenges:

Challenge 1: The Secret Door Can you use a Button to open a door?

• Hint: Use a Door device. Set the Button to transmit on Channel 2. Set the Door to listen on Channel 2.

Challenge 2: The Sound Effect Can you make a sound play when you push the button?

• Hint: Use a Sound device. Set it to listen on Channel 3.

Remember, you can use different channels for different buttons. This keeps your island organized!

Recap

• Button Devices send signals when you interact with them.
• Channels are like walkie-talkie numbers. Devices must share the same number to talk.
• Device Options let you connect buttons to other devices like doors, lights, and props.
• Always test your island to see if the magic works!

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/using-button-devices-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/using-button-devices-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/using-button-device-design-examples-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/5-rounds-of-econ-lessons-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/5-rounds-of-econ-lessons-gameplay-example-in-fortnite-creative