Create Your First Verse Device Script

🎮 What Is a Verse Device?

Imagine a remote control car. The car itself sits on the floor of your room — that's like your Fortnite island. The circuit board inside the car is the device. The instructions you program into it tell the car what to do: go forward, turn left, honk!

A Verse device works the same way. It's a little invisible gadget you place on your island. Your Verse code is the instructions inside it. When the game starts, the device follows your instructions and makes things happen!

🛠️ Step 1 — Create a New Verse Device File

First, you need to make the file where you'll write your code. Think of this like getting a blank piece of paper before you draw.

Here's how:

1. Open your project in UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite).
2. In the top menu bar, click Verse, then click Verse Explorer. This is like a file cabinet for all your Verse scripts.
3. In Verse Explorer, right-click your project name. Choose Add new Verse file to project.
4. A window pops up. Click Verse Device as your template. A template is a starter design — like a cookie cutter that already has the basic shape.
5. In the Device Name box, type score_tracker_device. Then click Create.
6. Double-click your new file in Verse Explorer. It opens in Visual Studio Code — that's your coding notebook!

🧱 Step 2 — Understand the Starter Code

When UEFN creates your device file, it gives you some starter code. Here's what the important parts mean:

• using { /Script/FortniteGame } — This line is like saying "borrow tools from Fortnite's toolbox."
• creative_device — This is the special Verse type that makes your script become a real device on your island.
• OnBegin — This is a built-in function. It runs your code the moment the game starts. Think of it like the starting pistol at a race — bang, your code goes!

🔢 Step 3 — Variables: Boxes That Hold Information

A variable is like a labeled box. You put something inside, and you can change what's in it later.

For example:

• A box labeled PlayerScore might hold the number 0 at the start.
• When a player does something cool, you change it to 1, then 2, and so on!

In Verse, you create a variable like this:

var Score : int = 0

• var means "this box can change later."
• Score is the label on the box.
• int means the box holds a whole number (like 0, 1, 5 — no fractions).
• = 0 is the starting value — the number already inside the box.

⚙️ Step 4 — Functions: Named Sets of Instructions

A function is like a recipe. You write it once, give it a name, and you can use it over and over.

Imagine a recipe called "Make Lemonade." Every time you follow it, you get lemonade! A function called AddPoint could say: every time you run it, add 1 to the score.

🔀 Step 5 — Control Flow: Making Decisions

Control flow means your code can make choices. Think of it like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book.

If something is true, do this. Else (otherwise), do that.

if (Score >= 3):
    Print("You win! 🎉")
else:
    Print("Keep going!")

• if asks a question: Is Score 3 or more?
• If YES, it prints "You win!"
• If NO, it prints "Keep going!"

📦 Step 6 — Compile and Place Your Device

Compiling means turning your human-readable code into something UEFN can actually run. It's like a translator turning English into Robot Language.

1. In the top menu, click Verse > Build Verse Code.
2. Wait a moment. Your device now appears in the Content Browser under CreativeDevices.
3. Drag and drop your device onto your island — just like placing any other object!
4. Click Launch Session in the toolbar to playtest. Hit Start Game and watch your code run! 🚀