Behind the Scenes: Creating a Modular Hacking Minigame for UEFN
Like a lot of UEFN creators, I reached a point in my projects where I wanted to create fun and innovative features. In my case I needed terminals players could hack, doors that didn’t just open on a trigger, and moments inside missions where players had to stop, think, and complete a quick puzzle before moving on.
That’s what pushed me to build a reusable Hacking Minigame Module. This post walks through how it’s structured and why I designed it the way I did, in case it helps you build something similar, or if you want to drop this system straight into your map.
How this module has helped me
When I started working on Airlock Crisis (2888-6118-5758), I needed a small interaction loop that could:
- look good inside different UI themes,
- support quick player decisions,
- not break if multiple players interacted at once,
- and be easy to reuse anywhere in the map.
I also wanted a system that beginners could learn from; something modular, not hundreds of lines stacked in a single script. So I split everything into small Verse files with one clear responsibility each.
The result is a minigame system that’s simple on the surface but flexible enough for different map types.
Airlock Crisis (2888-6118-5758)
What I Updated Recently
A member of Coding Coast Discord server helped me see a potential improvement: only one player could hack a terminal at a time and some maps could benefit from having multiple players share the same challenge or even just having challenges to play for fun without a purpose.
Also, something I came up with for Airlock Crisis was setting up “hackable” areas (like a loot vault).
To fix that, I added:
- Multi-player hacking support, so locations can give every player their own challenge or have everyone share one.
- Hack Loot Locations, which let you define “areas” that need hacking before they open.
Both features came directly from problems I hit while building levels, not from theory. That’s usually how these utilities come together.
How the System Is Structured (Beginner-Friendly Overview)
Here’s a surface-level explanation of what each file does. These descriptions match how I think about the system when I’m using it inside my own maps.
1. cell.verse
This script represents a single cell in the grid. When I needed each cell to respond differently: correct, wrong, selected, etc., it made sense to isolate that logic here.
2. challenge.verse
This file defines the challenge sequence. Instead of mixing grid logic and gameplay flow, I kept them separate so it’s easier to adjust timing or rules later.
3. hacking_manager.verse
This became the “center point” for the minigame. It handles spawning, timers, passing results back, and cleanup. Early on, I had this inside other files, but breaking it out made everything easier to maintain.
4. hacking_location.verse
This is the device you place in the world. Most creators will only need to work with this file through its editables. It starts the challenge when a player interacts with the terminal.
5. hack_loot_location.verse
I built this when I needed a hackable area rather than a standalone terminal. It triggers whatever you need once the hack succeeds.
6. hacking_minigame_ui.verse
Handles UI spawning and updates. It ties the visual grid to the challenge logic without cluttering the gameplay files.
7. hacking_ui_configuration.verse
This is where you customize textures, colors, and grid layout. I kept it editable-friendly so you can adjust things directly inside UEFN without digging through Verse.
How I Configure a Hacking Terminal
I wanted this system to be mostly editable-driven so beginners wouldn’t need to write Verse. Here are the areas I tune the most:
- Grid size (rows and columns)
- Time allowed per challenge
- How many challenges a location should have
- Whether multiple players share or get individual puzzles
- Which textures each cell uses
Even when I’m prototyping, having these as editables saves a lot of iteration time.
If You Want to Use This System
I built this module primarily for my own maps, but I know a lot of creators run into the same problems I did: needing a small hacking moment without building the whole system themselves.
The module is available for anyone who wants to integrate a hacking mechanic into their Fortnite Creative project:
Get the Hacking Minigame Module
It’s meant to be something you can learn from, modify, or expand however your map needs.