There is a moment in every run when the pile stops being something you take from and becomes something you operate on. The crane is that moment. It is not a bigger bucket; it is a change of scale.
What the crane actually changes
- The recount starts. Buying the crane starts a pile recount every 6 minutes (1.0.2). The loudspeaker announces it.
- The pile restacks. With autopilot, the pile is restacked every 3 minutes while you are not looking (1.0.1). This exists to stop arches forming that refuse to collapse.
- The quota becomes bulk. You stop counting potatoes individually and start counting loads.
Autopilot: what it does and does not do
Autopilot runs the crane. The documented effects are specific: recounts every 2.5 minutes instead of 6, and restacks every 3 minutes while you are not looking. That is automation of bulk movement, not of peeling.
| With autopilot | Without autopilot |
|---|---|
| Recount every 2.5 minutes | Recount every 6 minutes |
| Pile restacked every 3 minutes | Pile collapses only when you take from it |
| Loudspeaker announces every other recount | Same announcement rhythm, fewer recounts |
From the 1.0.1 and 1.0.2 patch notes.
The vacuum tank
The vacuum tank is storage with a physics trick: it holds potatoes without a visible bucket. Before 1.0.2 it did not persist in saves; 1.0.2 made it keep its contents. That change alone makes it worth re-testing if you dismissed it earlier.
Where to put the crane
The crane is only as good as its reach. Put it where the pile will be, not where it is now. The pile moves toward the outlet as you work; a crane parked over the original spot spends the late run reaching.
- Place the crane so its arc covers the pile, the hopper and the channel inlet.
- Keep the supply drop landing zone clear; 1.0.2 fixed drops getting caught on the crane.
- Leave a walking lane between the crane and the board. You will still hand-finish.
- Start autopilot before you leave for a manual task, not after.
Once bulk handling works, the remaining job is designing the line around it. That is the automation page.