Crate-O-Matic for QM

[ferriswheel1]

Gannets has made some lovely wooden crate sprites for cargo, and I'd like to see them put to more use. Currently, many of the supply crates for cargo contain items that will not go back into their boxes (Such as hydroponics trays and emergency generators). Ordering large numbers of supply crates will also often clutter up the limited space in the cargo bay with unnecessary boxes. 

The Crate-O-Matic tries to fix these problems. It gives QM's the ability to build cheap, slightly inferior and destructible, wooden crates around items. In addition, it can also store multiple crates on one tile with pallets. I'd imagine it being a hand-held device, with a sprite similar to the RCD or Cargo Transporter.

Clicking with the Crate-O-Matic on a floor tile with crate-up every unsecured item on that tile in a closed wooden box, which can be opened by clicking on it with a crowbar. Clicking again on the wooden box after opening, with either the Crate-O-Matic or a crowbar, will break the box down into wooden planks. These can be fed back into the Crate-O-Matic to create more boxes. To close a wooden box, the lid must be fastened back down with a stapler. 

Pallets can be created by using the Crate-O-Matic on any box, adding that box to a newly-built pallet. Pallets can store up to five crates on one floor tile, with additional crates being added by click-dragging. Pallets can be moved at a slow speed by pulling, or they can be lifted by a MULE, forklift or cargo train.

[Crazyabe]

I can see the Clown boxing himself in, and mailing himself to sec with this.

[Berrik]

I'm okay with this provided we can throw and suplex people through them.

[Tarmunora]

After playing QM a bit, and especially after working on a singularity engine, some way of putting big things back into crates/boxes would be amazing.

[atamusvaleo]

This is a very good idea.

[awfulworldkid]

Would this also let people put cardlocked crates on forklifts/pallets? Right now I think they're coded as lockers, and thus can't be put on forklifts.

[atamusvaleo]

I should finish the sprites for this pallet jack so we can ride them around the station:

[elan_oots]

I should finish the sprites for this pallet jack so we can ride them around the station:

Do it

[ferriswheel1]

I should finish the sprites for this pallet jack so we can ride them around the station:

Do it

You might want some wooden pallet sprites to go with those. I've used pallet jacks in the past, and you don't just shove boxes on top of em, you shove those fork bits under the pallet and stack the boxes on the pallet.

[atamusvaleo]

Yeah, the gif was something I threw together quickly as part of a question I had for the coders.

People need to be able to ride the pallet jacks around though. I don't think I've ever been in a place with pallet jacks that everyone wasn't gliding around on them continually.