Configurable Crane Block

[Circuitbomb]

Cranes could be a thing.

Expanding on the rail system a configurable crane block would add a lot of cool game play immersion. Building off some other suggestions, such as planet mining and shipyards, I feel this single block has the potential to accomplish (or be a starting point for) these tasks.

The crane block would have a UI menu that let's you set some configuration values:

• 3 possible modes of operation
  • Build Mode, will pull from an inventory, and accepts a blueprint, ignores X,Y,Z AoE since it would be going off a blueprint and rail/scaffolding.
  • Excavate Mode, grabs a single block(or # blocks set in a server.cfg setting, ultimately I think that in order to use this mode a special smelter block would be needed that would only accept ore so there is a difference with the next mode).
  • Shuttle Mode, grabs an entity or group of blocks based on a configurable AoE setting (X,Y,Z)

There should be server.cfg settings allowing administrators to set limitations on just how flexible the cranes will be, particularly for shuttle and excavation modes to prevent abuse and/or maintain balance in their universe.

Crane blocks would have a 0|1 internal value corresponding whether they're holding blocks, for logic checks during operations.

Cranes would act like dockers (incorporating magnetics when that comes around) and follow rail systems to accomplish their tasks, requiring players to scaffold the areas the crane would affect such as geometric scaffolds similar to the way BuildCraft accomplished quarries, or turret-like where logic activation it would move/rotate -> grab -> return -> drop.

What kinds of things could be done with a crane?

• Rail focused automated planet mining/excavation
• Rail focused automated Ship/Station salvage operations and scrap yards.
• Drone retrieval, when drones return to a mothership, they can be picked up and placed on another rail system that could organize them nicely.
• An alternative way to dock and store ships at port than just the standard method.
• Inventory systems. I see lots of pseudo cranes on ships and stations, a crane block would allow people to actually get them to work.
• Building ships and stations, players would scaffold the area and the crane would carry blocks from a designated inventory to their respective resting places.
• Asteroid processing (i.e. a tractor ship could bring an entire asteroid to a processing facility elsewhere)
• Loads of other possibilities I've likely not thought of...

The main focus for the crane is in the use of industrial automated systems that perform larger tasks, instead of the usual methods through player interaction (e.g. connecting to a rail via docker), and could provide a way for block movement without requiring an entirely different entity to exist.

I look forward to further thoughts and suggestions.

Edit: Just realized that a special smelter block wouldn't be needed for excavate mode if Shuttle mode doesn't drop into an inventory.