Request for game control convenience and multiplayer functionality
Verse API & UI System Enhancements for Advanced Multiplayer Modes in UEFN
To: Epic Games UEFN Developer Relations & Verse Engineering Team
Subject: Proposal for Verse API & HUD Enhancements to Support Asymmetric & Custom Competitive Multiplayer Modes (Infection, Search & Destroy, etc.)
1. Summary
The current multiplayer ecosystem in UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite) heavily favors Battle Royale, And simple team match…
When creators attempt to build dynamic, asymmetric modes—such as classic Counter-Strike Zombie Infection, Cops & Robbers, or Hide & Seek—they run into severe engine-level input, inventory, and player lifecycle bottlenecks that hamper user experience (UX).
To foster gameplay diversity and enable high-end competitive game design in Fortnite Creative, we request three key API and system enhancements outlined below.
2. Key Feature Requests
[Feature 1] Active Quickbar Slot Query & Instant Item Drop API
- Current Limitation: Players must manually open their inventory overlay to drop an active item. In high-tempo firefights or fast-paced games, this creates unnecessary friction and interrupts core gameplay flow.
- Proposed Enhancement:
- Input Listener API: Verse support for listening to custom input actions or keybindings directly during active play.
- Inventory & Quickbar API:
GetActiveSlotItem(Agent: agent) : ?fort_item(Queries the currently equipped item)DropActiveItem(Agent: agent) : logic(Instantly drops the active item into the world)
[Feature 2] Dynamic Respawn Lifecycle API
- Current Limitation: Respawn delays are bound to static Island Settings. Creators cannot natively implement scaling penalty mechanics (e.g., 5-second base respawn + N additional seconds per death up to a 20-second cap) based on death count, elapsed match time, or team status.
- Proposed Enhancement:
- Player Lifecycle API: Verse functions exposing per-player respawn timer overrides at runtime.
- Proposed API Signature:
- Expose an entry point during the elimination event (
eliminated_result) allowing developers to pass a dynamically calculated respawn delay.
[Feature 3] Mid-Round Dynamic Team Reassignment & Adaptive HUD Support
- Current Limitation: In infection-style or asymmetric modes where player team alignment changes mid-round upon elimination (e.g., Humans converting to Zombies), Fortnite’s native HUD (scoreboards, team player counts) fails to synchronize dynamically or breaks visually.
- Proposed Enhancement:
- Dynamic Team Reassignment: A lightweight mid-round team switch system that updates team membership, visual markers, and hitboxes without triggering full character resets or forced re-spawns.
- Adaptive Team HUD Widgets: Native Fortnite UI components and Verse UI bindings that dynamically adapt to real-time team imbalances (e.g., 15 Attackers vs. 1 Survivor) with clean, intuitive visual feedback.
3. Detailed Requirement Matrix
| Feature Area | Current Limitations | Proposed Solution | Target Game Modes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory / Input | Quickbar state inaccessible in Verse; full UI open required | Active slot query/drop API & Keybind Input Listeners | Fast-paced resource trading, quick-drop tactical modes |
| Player Lifecycle | Respawn timers locked to static Island Settings | Dynamic SetRespawnDelay API per individual player |
Scaling death penalties, MOBA-style death timers |
| Team / HUD System | Mid-round team switches desync native HUD & cause glitches | Seamless mid-round team reassignment & adaptive team HUDs | Infection (Zombie), Cops & Robbers, Freeze Tag |
4. Expected Impact & Value
- Genre Diversification: Expands UEFN beyond Battle Royale and FFA into party games, tactical shooters, and asymmetric multiplayer experiences.
- Improved Player Retention: Fluid controls (instant item dropping) and dynamic pacing (scaling respawn penalties) significantly enhance player engagement and match responsiveness.
- Enhanced Creator Productivity: Eliminates fragile, complex workarounds, enabling creators to focus on core mechanics through clean, standardized Verse APIs.