Back

Create Powerful New Weapons

About 15 Mins

You are going to make a more powerful version of a tutorial weapon modeled on the Shock Rifle in Unreal Tournament.  

In this tutorial you will:

  • Modify the weapon's rate of fire
  • Modify the weapon's ammo capacity
  • Save your modified weapon

Getting Started

Launch the UT Editor (you can do this from the Launcher under Unreal Tournament → Create → Launch)

  1. In the UT Editor go to File → Open Level
  2. Select Restricted Assets
  3. Type tutorial to find all tutorial maps
  4. Open the WeaponTutorialMap

Note: Selecting Content sometimes shows no items. Select Restricted Assets instead.

Look at the sample weapon

You can test your weapon right from the editor. On the weapon base we’ve provided you with a sample weapon that is based on UT’s famous Shock Rifle. Hit the Play button, pick it up, and see how the Tutorial Rifle works. Once you’re in game, left-click for a beam attack, or right-click for a projectile shot.

Video 2 : Play In Editor to test the functionality of your sample Tutorial Weapon.
  • Press the Play button test the game
  • Press the ESC key to go back to editing

Find the Blueprint for the Tutorial Weapon

We want to change the sample weapon called TutorialWeapon01. To do this, we must find the Blueprint from which the Tutorial Weapon is created. Here is how to do that: We are using the Content Browser to locate and manage assets. More...

Video 3 : The Tutorial Weapon’s beam attack is slow; let's make it shoot faster!

First, we must find the Blueprint from which the Tutorial Weapon is made:

  • Select the Content folder in the Content Browser
  • Filter by Blueprint Class
  • Search for TutorialWeapon01
  • Edit the Tutorial Weapon Blueprint by double clicking on it

You should now see the Tutorial Weapon Blueprint and are ready to start modifying weapon parameters.

Modify the Rifle's Rate of Fire

Now that we have the Blueprint for the Tutorial Weapon, we can change how quickly the rifle fires and how much ammo it can hold. We just have to change some numbers: Blueprints: UE4's visual scripting language. More...

Video 4 : Editing the weapon’s blueprint parameters:

  • First, select Class Defaults to open the Blueprint’s default properties.
  • Find the Ammo and Max Ammo fields and change the values from 40 to 800, increasing the weapon’s ammo capacity.
  • Then, find the Fire Interval group (click the arrow to expand it if necessary). The two fields under Fire Interval are 0 (primary fire, beam attack) and 1 (alternate fire, projectile shot). Change the value associated with 0 from 0.7 to 0.1. This reduces the time between shots to increase the rate of fire.

Press Play to See Your Changes in Game

Now that we have made your changes to the Tutorial Weapon, test it out right in the editor window.

Video 5 : If necessary, you can minimize or even close the Blueprint window; your changes will remain until you shut down the UT Editor. After clicking on play, you can hit escape to go back to editing mode.

Your rifle should now fire rapidly. Test it out by playing the level and mowing down the targets!

Saving Your Weapon

  • Save any modified assets by pressing the Save All button in the Content Browser.
  • You may see a prompt asking which items to save. Check any items that you have modified and click Save Selected
  • To use the weapon in a game (outside the editor), you have to package it for sharing. Package and Share

Going further...

If you would like to go further, explore changing properties in the blueprint or adjust the secondary fire projectile blueprint...

  • Create instagibs by adjusting the weapon damage
  • ​Customize knockback physics through momentum values
  • ​Show your modded weapon to a friend

Next Step

You've made a powerful new weapon, now give it a unique appearance.  Customize your Weapons Appearance

Back to Modding Homepage