Cranes will pick up 'active' objects (including the player) and carry them to a specified location. Although they are simple in construction, they are very entertaining in the game.
Create a track sector for the crane to travel through, then create a small source sector. If an object is in the source sector (not necessarily touching the floor, although that's pretty much always the case), the crane will travel there and pick up the object.
Place a CRANEPOLE (#1221) tagged [Channel,0] in the source sector. Place a CRANE (#1222) tagged [Channel,0] at the destination point (where the crane will release its cargo and wait for more).
Notes:
- The crane can travel in any direction, whether straight or diagonal.
- The crane can pass through multiple sectors on its route between the source and destination.
- In most cases the crane will attempt to find the source sector, but if you give it too difficult a route to navigate, it will run into a wall and stop functioning.
- The crane will stop as soon as it reaches the source sector and attempt to pick up the object that triggered it, regardless of the object's current status or location.
- The crane occasionally has difficulty picking up an object with blocking enabled, especially if it's too tall or if it rests on the ceiling. You can workaround this by making the source sector slightly larger. The downside is that the crane won't touch the object when it grabs it, which looks unrealistic.
- The crane is compatible with most enemies, but there is no guarantee that it won't malfunction before it can drop them. Also, it will only pick up corpses/eggshells if they were spawned from a 'live' enemy sprite.
- Check the "References - Compatibility Listings" section for the complete list of compatible objects.