HUD Message Device Design Example

Remember the kids' game Hot and Cold? Want to see how you can make a digital version?

In this design example, learn how to build an a-mazing one-player mini-game using HUD Message devices along with some of the other resources available in Fortnite Creative.

The objective is for the player to enter on either side of the maze, then find the right end point by following the HUD message clues. You will also set the winning end point to change each time, making the game fun to play over and over!

You will learn how to:

• Use the HUD Message device.
• Set Color Changing Tiles to trigger messages based on game events and player locations.
• Use the Random Number Generator device to implement randomized gameplay objectives.
• See how to bind devices with other devices to trigger specific actions.

Devices Used

• 1 x Player Spawner device
• 1 x Random Number Generator device
• 2 x Trigger devices
• 5 x HUD Message devices
• 5 x Billboard devices (optional)
• 2 x Capture Area devices
• Multiple Color Changing Tile devices
• 4 x Volume devices
• 1 x End Game device

Build Your Maze

Start by building a maze that the player will have to maneuver through. You can find block shapes like the ones below in the Primitive Shapes Gallery, but any shapes will do as long as you can build a maze with enough space between the walls for a player to maneuver.

The maze above has two entrances/exits, and multiple possible dead-end points inside of the maze.

If you follow this basic design, you'll be able to build in some randomized gameplay later where the end points change each round or game to encourage players to come back for a varied experience each time!

Add a Player Spawner

Place a Player Spawner device on a side that does not have an entrance to the maze. This way, the player can select either entrance.

Set Up the Random Number Generator Device

The Random Number Generator device is a powerful device that you can use to trigger other devices based on random input.

The device can be configured to generate a random number that falls inside a range you set. You can also customize it to generate a volume that extends off the device base. Any devices you place inside a segment of this volume will trigger when the number of that segment is rolled by the number generator.

Place the Random Number Generator device on your island, then customize it with the following settings.

Set Up Trigger Devices

You will add two Trigger devices, placing each one inside of a Random Number Generator device zone. The triggers will activate the color changing tile clues and the capture zones inside the maze.

Place the Trigger device fully inside the zone to ensure correct activation!

1. Place the first Trigger device.

2. Name the first one Trigger_A, then customize it as follows:

   

   Option	Value	Description		---	---	---
   Visible in Game	Off	Keeps the device hidden during the game.
   Triggered by Player	Off	The player cannot activate this trigger. This is because it will only be activated by the Random Number Generator device.
   Triggered by Vehicles	Off	Same as Triggered by Player.
   Triggered by Water	Off	Same as Triggered by Player.
   Trigger VFX	Off	No need for visual effects.
   Trigger SFX	Off	No need for sound effects.

You will circle back in a later step to find out how to connect the Random Number Generator and Trigger devices with other devices used in the game.

You will set up one side of the maze fully, then copy and place the elements from one side to the other in a later step.

Set Up the HUD Message Devices

You will use one HUD message to set the objective for the player at the start of the game, and four more to direct the player through the maze.

Setting up all of the messages ahead of time makes adding them to the maze much easier later.

You can also use Billboard devices to identify which HUD messages are tied to which devices. This step isn't necessary for gameplay, but it can help you to remember what the various devices are used for.

1. Place a HUD Message device for the welcome message, then customize it with the following settings.

   

   Option	Value	Description
   Message	enter text	For this first HUD message, the text should read Find me if you can! to start the player on the hunt.
   Show on Round Start	On	This will show this text at the beginning of each new round.
   Time from Round Start	Instant	Displays the text simultaneously with the start of the round.
   Display Time	3 Seconds	This is how long the text will display.
   Placement	Top Center	The location of the text on the screen.
   Priority	2	Sets the priority for the message when there's more than one message in the same queue.

   In this example, the text on the starting HUD message is formatted differently from the text in the clues. When you edit the text, experiment with the formatting settings in the Edit Text popup that appears on the right to get the look you want.

2. Next, you will set up the clue messages. Note that the text changes for each one. Name the device based on the text you use as you go to make placement and binding easier later on.

   Name the first clue HUD Message device HUD_Ice Cold and set the options as shown.

   

   Option	Value	Description
   Message	enter text	Enter the text Ice Cold!.
   Message Recipient	Triggering Player	The player who triggers the device will receive the message.
   Display Time	2 Seconds	How long the text will display.
   Background Opacity	10 percent	Controls how dark the background for the message is.
   Placement	Custom	The location of the text on the screen.
   Screen Anchor	Center Full	Where the message will display. Note that this option only displays if you set Placement to Custom.

   Smartly naming your devices will help later when you start creating the device interactions.

1.Repeat step 2 for the remaining clues, changing the device name and text message each time as follows:

• Cold
• Warmer

• Hot!

  

  In the image above, billboards have been used to quickly identify which HUD Message device is which.

  If you don't want to set up the billboards, name each device per its text, and you can see the device name by hovering your mouse over the device.

Set Up the Capture Area Devices

You will use the Capture Area devices to set up the end points — one for each side of the maze.

Only one capture area is active at a time.

1. Place the device, then name it Capture Area_A.

2. Customize it.

   

   Option	Value	Description
   Accent Color	Gold	This is an arbitrary color choice to identify the capture area. This is for your benefit when creating the game as you will turn off visibility in-game.
   Capture Radius	½ Tile	Determines the size of the capture zone.
   Item Visible in Game	Off	Turns off the device hologram in-game.
   Visible During Game	Off	Turning this off affects the device collision properties. You'll want this off because it's here as a trigger device only.
   Enable During Phase	None	The device will not be enabled regardless of which phase the game is in.
   Show Objective Pulse to Instigator Only	No	You don't want to show the pulse to any players because this device is not being used as an objective.
   Show Objective Pulse to Friendly Players	No	You don't want to show the pulse to any players because this device is not being used as an objective.
   Show Objective Pulse to Enemy Players	No	You don't want to show the pulse to any players because this device is not being used as an objective.

You will copy and place the second device in a later step.

Set Up the Color Changing Tiles

In this example, you're placing sneaky triggers into the environment using Color Changing Tile devices to activate HUD messages as the player moves through the maze.

Using the tiles instead of standard triggers gives you an opportunity to color-code your messages as you're building your experience. As you lay out the tiles, the colors you choose can remind you where you should place your clues inside the maze.

This color-coding is for your benefit as you're building your mini-game. The tiles will not show during gameplay.

You will create two sets of these tiles. The first set will connect with Capture Area_A and the second with Capture Area_B.

1. Place the first Color Changing Tile device.

2. Name it Color Tile A1_ICE COLD, and customize as follows.

   

   Option	Value	Description
   Enabled at Game Start	Disabled	his device will only be enabled when triggered.
   Starting Team	Neutral	This is not set to a specific team.
   Revert Tile	On	Determines whether the tile will revert (reset) after it is triggered.
   Time Until Reverting	2 Seconds	How long until it reverts.
   Visible During Game	No	While you want the color-coding to show while you're in Create mode, you don't want the tile showing in-game.
   Alternate Tile Shape	Flat Hexagon	This shape is easier to work with when you're creating your experience.
   Icon Visible at Game Start	Off	You don't want the tile icon to show in-game.
   Alternate Tile Shape Starting Color	#0000FF	Using the blue here is a quick and easy reference to ice cold!
   Change Color on Player Contact	Off	No need for this since the tile won't show in-game.

3. Copy and place devices for the remaining HUD messages, changing the name of the device and the color for each one:

• Set Tile A1_COLD to light blue.
• Set Tile A1_WARMER to orange.
• Set Tile A1_HOT! to red.

Bind Devices for Capture Area_A

Direct event binding is how you set devices to communicate directly with other devices. Binding lets a device send a message to another device that can trigger another action or reaction. This involves setting functions and events for the devices involved.

For more on how direct event binding works, see Getting Started with Direct Event Binding.

All of the bindings you set here will be triggered by Capture Area_A.

1. Set up the following function for the first Color Changing Tile device.

   

   Function	Select Device	Select Event
   Enable When Receiving From	Trigger_A	On Triggered

   This triggers the device when it receives a signal from the Trigger_A device.

2. Set the following event on the device.

   

   Event	Select Device	Select Function
   On Activated Send Event To	HUD_ICE COLD	Show

   When the color tile is triggered, it sends a message to the corresponding HUD Message device to show its message.

3. Repeat these bindings for the remaining color tiles.

4. The next set of bindings will go from the triggers you placed earlier in the Random Number Generator device to each of the Capture Area devices. You'll do this by binding the events for each one:

   (w:600)

   Event	Select Device	Select Function
   On Triggered Send Event To	Capture Area_A	Enable
   On Triggered Send Event To	Tile A_Warmer	Enable

5. Continue to add bindings until all of the A-related tiles have been bound.

Place the Color Changing Tiles Inside the Maze

In the example below, Color Changing Tile devices have been placed in a sequence that follows the possible paths that a player might follow while exploring the maze.

The maze is in two sections that do not connect. Each has its own entry point and end point. You will set up the first section with the gameplay devices. In a later step, you will duplicate these devices and place the duplicates on the other side of the maze.

The Cold HUD message will display at the furthest point away from Capture Zone A. As the player gets closer to the capture point, more tiles are added that are configured to display additional clues such as Warmer and eventually Hot! closest to a capture zone.

Some of the tiles in the image above are red herrings — false leads intended to lure the player into exploring in the wrong direction! Players will have to pay attention to the HUD messages to get back on track toward the prize!

Connect the First Area to the Random Number Generator

Next step is to set up the events that will activate the first Capture Zone device and its associated Color Changing Tile devices when this segment of the Random Number Generator device is selected.

1. Configure the following events.

   

   Event	Select Device	Select Function
   On Triggered Send Event To	Capture Area_A	Enable
   On Triggered Send Event To	Tile A_Warmer5	Enable
   On Triggered Send Event To	Tile A_Warmer7	Enable
   On Triggered Send Event To	Tile A_Warmer1	Enable
   On Triggered Send Event To	Tile A_Warmer2	Enable

2. Continue to bind the A devices with Trigger_A until they've all been bound. It does not matter what sequence they're bound in.

   

Set Up the B Side of the Maze

Starting with Set Up the HUD Messages section above, you will repeat the steps for the second side of the maze but name the devices with a B instead of an A.

Finishing Touches

You're almost done!

1. Add Volume devices that line up with the outside edges of the maze. You will use these to trigger the Ice Cold! message when the player enters the maze to make it clear that they are far away from their goal.

   

2. Adjust the width and depth of the volumes to fit your maze, then set the following event.

   

   Event	Select Device	Select Function
   On Enter Send Event To	HUD_ICE COLD	Show

3. Place an *End Game device outside of the maze.

   

4. Set the following functions for this device.

   

   Function	Select Device	Select Event
   Activate When Receiving From	Capture Area_A	On Player Entering Zone
   Activate When Receiving From	Capture Area_B	On Player Entering Zone

And that's it!

You have successfully built a maze with two win-condition endpoints, one of which will be selected randomly when a player spawns into the island.

Pop-up HUD messages will appear on screen to let the player know if they are getting warmer or colder as they try to find the goal!

Design Tip

To make the experience more intense, you could:

• Add a Timer device to the island. This puts pressure on the player to find the winning endpoint before time runs out.
• Set up team spawners, then add weapons in the maze. Teams would have an extra layer of gameplay as they hunt for the endpoint while eliminating other players!
• Add more endpoints to the Random Number Generator device for even more ways to win the game.