Automation, Drones & Battle for Cranelock
Robot automation
Robots replace grunt work: unloading, stocking, and customer service. Community guides often describe types such as:
| Role (community names) | Focus | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic sorter / “Mooch” | Sorting & stocking | Early, lower cost |
| Loader Bot | Heavy lifting & transport | May need warehouse expansion (e.g. Level 5) |
| Unloading Bot | Emptying delivery trucks | High priority to cut early grind |
- Keep an eye on energy / status; maintenance prevents mid-task freezes.
- Second customer terminal (Two Lines Are Better Than One) helps when traffic spikes.
- Fully upgrade the warehouse for Maximum Capacity.
Drones
- Unlock drone delivery for small / urgent packages (Traffic-Free Delivery).
- Grind / progress: complete many drone orders (Sky Delivery — 200) and max the drone upgrade line (Boxes from the Sky).
- Community notes mention shared “drone zone” competition with rivals once that system appears — expect contested capacity.
Wholesale
- Unlock wholesale deliveries (Serious Business), then ship volume (Wholesale Supplier — 50) and fully upgrade the line (Package Convoy).
- Late-game automation makes bulk counts easier; players often finish these while focusing on story goals.
Billboards & ads
- Take over billboards for city presence (Cranelock-Style Marketing).
- Ad campaigns are part of pushing out the local monopoly competitor (often called QuickBox in guides).
- Demo-era write-ups mentioned campaign costs on the order of a couple hundred dollars lasting a few in-game days — verify in your build.
- Branded bags are sometimes cited as passive advertising while customers carry them around town.
Battle for Cranelock (overview)
The mid/late game pushes you to outcompete QuickBox and become Cranelock’s delivery legend. Community sources summarize three levers:
- Ads filling — Billboards and local spots to drown out rival branding.
- Key clients — Undercut or out-deliver on important accounts; chase VIP work.
- Exclusive VIP / licenses — Higher-tier jobs rivals can’t take; licenses can be pricey but pay back over a few big orders (exact prices vary).
Community / demo-era
Special events (e.g. city logistics failures) can dump extra orders on you — overstock common goods if you see a festival-style day coming. Night / “black market” VIP work appears in Steam marketing copy; play carefully and follow in-game warnings.
Suggested unlock order (soft)
- First robot(s) → stabilize the warehouse floor
- Drone unlock → skim urgent small jobs
- Billboard foothold → start the ad war
- Wholesale unlock → passive volume
- Warehouse / drone / wholesale max upgrades + VIP licenses
Story also points toward bigger ambitions (rocket / space-scale delivery per Steam blurb) — chase those quests when they appear.
Disclaimer on numbers
Dollar amounts, level gates, and robot names above mix Steam store fantasy with community demo guides. Prefer your in-game shop UI if anything conflicts.