The main editor interface has quality of life improvements for more efficient developer iteration.
Sessions
Session changes include the terminology used to describe sessions and editing as well as new editing tools for an effortless iteration experience.
Session: A session is a dedicated server and a client that in combination enable Edit Mode and Game Mode.
Live Edit: The edit transactions processes that occur during a session without the use of Push Changes.
Launch Session States
Launch Session has been updated to include:
Functionality | Description | Images |
Launch Session | Attempts to create a connection with a Fortnite Creative client. | |
Push Changes | The required cooking operation where changes are packaged, uploaded, cooked and downloaded to update the Session. Push Verse Changes functionality is included in Push Changes. | |
Push Verse Changes | Indicates pending code changes. | |
Refresh Session | Refreshes the session during Live Edit or Live Collaboration. | |
Edit mode | The first phase of a Session. It supports Live Edit and Live Collaboration. | |
Game Mode | The second phase of the Session. It supports Live Edit and runs through the game in solo or multiplayer.Game Mode has two buttons to control the session.
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Session Menu Options
The Session dropdown menu next to the Launch Session button has the following new sections:
Operations
The Operations section includes:
Push Verse Only: One time operation to push Verse only.
Validate Project: One time operation to validate your project
Refresh Session: One time operation to refresh the session when there are discrepancies between the Editor and Session.
Full Recook: Full Recook is a slow operation for rare cases where incremental cooking is not operating correctly and a full recook and refresh is required.
Session Options
Session Options includes the following options:
Open Edit List on Launch: Opens the Edit List when a session is launched. From here you can monitor all edit statuses in the session.
Auto Push Verse Changes: Verse changes are pushed automatically when the project successfully compiles.
Spawn at Viewport Camera: Provides a way for the player to spawn at the last location where the viewport camera was placed.
Auto Start Game: Auto starts a game session when changes are pushed.
Performance
This section is new and includes Monitor Performance for the purposes of profiling.
Edit List
The Edit List provides a way for you to monitor live changes while running the session. The table below explains the states of the Edit List and what they mean.
| Edit List States | Description | Image |
|---|---|---|
Live Change | Changes that happen Live appear with a green check in the Edit List. | |
Edit Change | Changes that require push appear with a yellow cloud in the Edit List. | |
Verse Change | Verse only changes appear with a yellow Verse cloud in the Edit List. |
Timestamps are applied to all pushed changes. When a session is up-to-date, all yellow clouds turn to green checks.
There are two ways to view the Edit List:
Time: Organizes the Edit List by time to sort the list chronologically.
Status: Organizes your changes into two lists; Pending Changes and Live Edit.
Select the Settings icon in the Edit List tab to select a view.
Ouliner
The outliner now displays which assets require updating in the new column named Live Edit Status.
Session Camera Controls
Session camera Controls are now part of the viewport toolbar. There are two types of camera tools:
Teleport viewport camera to player: Teleports the player to the viewport camera while the session is running.
Teleport player to…: Supports camera bookmarks from the Editor and provides a way for players to teleport to bookmarked cameras while the session is running.
Iteration Tips
Prior to launching the session check the following options in the Launch Session menu for frictionless editing:
Open Edit List on Launch: Opens the Edit List and tabs it beside the Content Browser.
Auto Push Verse Changes: Auto pushes Verse on a successful compile and removes the need for pushing changes for Verse manually.
Start by launching the session on a new project. This launches a dedicated server and a client that in combination are referred to as a session.
Start building out your project by adding content and code.
You can periodically scan the Edit List to monitor changes that require push.
Periodically push changes to ensure your session is up to date.
You might encounter circumstances where you notice differences between the Session and the Editor with no required Push Changes. Refresh Session is helpful in these cases and helps reconcile the discrepancies.
Auto Push Verse Changes automatically updates the session when your project successfully compiles. If you have this option turned off, a Verse icon badge appears on Push Changes when you only have Verse to push, and you see Push Changes when assets require updating.
If you need to push a Verse change, you can either push or go ahead with the rest of your project and push when ready.
At any point during iteration you can use Push Verse Only or Refresh the Session. These one time operations are accessible through the Session menu and work the same as when the button on the toolbar is selected.
As a last resort the Full Cook option recooks your entire project from scratch. It takes longer than pushing changes as you work and it should only be used in very rare cases.
Iterating with Game Mode Only
Select Auto Game Start to start playtesting after every Push Changes or Refresh operation. This helps you to focus on iterating your project, especially if you don’t have collaborators joining in the session.
You can always stop the game and return to Edit Mode for collaborative editing sessions. You can pause the game and fly around without the Player character. This mode helps you to debug your game and view states of various objects in game.