Payload Mass Driver

The Payload Mass Driver is a transport block that instantaneously transfers payload-form items and units between two linked Mass Drivers across long distances or obstacles. It complements short-range reinforced payload conveyors by providing a means to move items or built-but-unspawned units (payload-form items) over terrain or across map regions where conveyors cannot reach. When no destination driver is set, a Payload Mass Driver ejects received payloads in the direction it is facing.

Placement and linking are explicit: while placing a driver an arrow shows its output direction; after placement, clicking a driver displays its range. Clicking another Mass Driver within that range links them: the first-clicked driver becomes the input and the clicked driver becomes the output (the output is indicated with a purple circle). Clicking the same driver again clears the destination. Drivers can accept payload input from any of their sides.

Payload behavior differs depending on type. If the payload is a unit and the output tile adjacent to the receiving driver has its center unobstructed by solid blocks (conveyors and conduits are allowed), the unit will spawn at the destination. Once spawned, the unit can only be reloaded into a payload slot if another unit places it back inside or, from Build 147 onward, if issued a command to enter the block.

Transmission by Payload Mass Drivers is instantaneous rather than travel-time based; there is no travel animation or delay other than the driver's internal cooldown. After firing or receiving a payload, a driver enters a cooldown visually shown by recoil. Recovering from recoil and rotating the driver's facing direction both consume power. Because recovery requires power, a driver disconnected from power can still receive at most one additional payload provided it was already facing the correct output direction when it receives that payload.

Practical notes and interactions:

• Use Mass Drivers to bridge chasms, bypass enemy lines, or link distant factories without building long conveyor networks.
• Chain multiple drivers to form point-to-point networks; be mindful of facing and blocked output tiles when transporting units that must spawn.
• Power drivers consistently if you expect high-throughput transfers; unpowered drivers quickly become unable to fire after their recoil if more payloads arrive.
• Payload Mass Drivers accept input from any side, so integrate them with surrounding conveyors and payload infrastructure flexibly.
• Historically, an earlier variant named Payload Propulsion Tower existed on Serpulo prior to Erekir; other blocks that existed in pre-Erekir forms include the Constructor, Large Deconstructor, Payload Loader, and Payload Unloader.