Blast Off! Building Your First D-Launcher Island

Do you want to launch players across the sky? Do you want to make a rocket jump? You can do it with the D-Launcher device. It is like a giant slingshot for players. We will build a simple launch pad today. You will see players fly through the air. It is super fun to play.

What You'll Learn

• What a D-Launcher device does.
• How to aim the launcher direction.
• How to add a "low gravity" effect.
• How to connect devices using Verse.

How It Works

Think of the D-Launcher like a cannon. You point the cannon. You pull the trigger. The player flies out.

The D-Launcher has three styles. They look different. They work the same way. You can use them for good or for bad.

You can use them to help players. Maybe you want them to jump over a wall. This is called traversal. Traversal means moving from one place to another.

You can also use them to hurt players. Maybe you launch them into spikes. This is a hazard. A hazard is a danger.

There is a special setting. It is called "Low Gravity." This makes the player float. They move slower in the air. This is cool for combat. Players can shoot while flying.

Let's Build It

We will build a simple launch pad. It will launch players upward. We will use Verse to make it work.

First, place a D-Launcher in your island. Place a Player Spawner nearby. This is where players start.

We need to tell the launcher to wake up. We use an event. An event is a signal. It says "Do something now."

Here is the code. Copy it into a new Verse script.

# This is our main script.
# It connects the launcher to the game.
using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }

# This is the launcher device.
# We give it a name: LaunchPad.
LaunchPad: D_LauncherDevice = D_LauncherDevice{}

# This is the event that fires.
# It fires when a player is launched.
OnLaunch := func(event: LaunchPad.LaunchedEvent):
    # This runs when a player flies!
    # We can add more code here later.
    print("Player launched!")

# This sets up the connection.
# When LaunchPad launches someone,
# run the OnLaunch function.
LaunchPad.LaunchedEvent += OnLaunch

Let’s look at the code.

The first line uses Fortnite devices. This lets us use the launcher.

The second line creates a variable. A variable is a box for data. We call it LaunchPad. It holds the D-Launcher device.

The third part is a function. A function is a set of instructions. We call it OnLaunch. It runs when the event happens.

The last line connects them. It says "When the launcher fires, run this function."

Now, go to the device settings. Turn on "Low Gravity." This makes the launch slow and floaty. It feels magical.

Place the launcher on the ground. Aim it up. Test your island. Press play. Watch the player fly!

Try It Yourself

You did it! You made a launcher. Now, let’s make it harder.

Challenge: Make the launcher shoot players forward. Not up. Forward.

Hint: Look at the rotation settings. Rotation is the angle of the device. Change the angle to point forward.

Recap

The D-Launcher shoots players. It is like a cannon. You can aim it anywhere. You can add low gravity. This makes floating fun. Verse helps you connect the devices. You are a game maker now!

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/using-dlauncher-devices-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/using-d-launcher-devices-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/dlauncher-device-design-examples-in-fortnite-creative
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite-creative/d-launcher-device-design-examples-in-fortnite-creative
• https://github.com/vz-creates/uefn