block-unit-cargo-loader

The Unit Cargo Loader is a transport block that spawns and commands a single flying delivery drone (Manifold) to carry items from the loader to matching Unit Cargo Unload Points placed elsewhere on the map. It appears as a dedicated logistics building that ties one Manifold to itself: when the loader senses items in its internal buffer it assigns the Manifold to deliver those items to unload points that accept the same item type. If the Manifold is destroyed the loader will reconstruct a replacement, and each loader counts against the unit cap so you cannot build more loaders than your current unit limit allows.

Operation is automatic and item-specific: upon detecting an item the loader searches for unload points that accept that item. If multiple unload points for the same item exist, the assigned Manifold will cycle through them; if an unload point is full the drone will skip it. A Manifold returns to its assigned loader to refill once its carried item capacity is emptied. Because each loader only manages one Manifold, throughput depends on the drone’s cycle time and distance to targets: longer trips reduce effective throughput since the Manifold spends more time flying and less time loading/unloading.

Practical considerations and strategy:

• Place unload points so routes are short and avoid intersections where Manifolds must cross; collisions and mid-flight locking between drones have been reported and can reduce effective delivery rate.
• Since each loader reconstructs its Manifold when destroyed, protecting the loader itself preserves long-term logistics even after losses; consider shielding or placing behind defenses.
• Unit cap matters: plan the number of loaders against your unit limit because once you hit the cap you will be prevented from building additional loaders.
• If you have multiple unload points for one item, the Manifold will round-robin them; this is useful for balancing deliveries but can be inefficient if one destination needs far more throughput than others.
• Some workflows note that resource inputs used only at construction time of related buildings (for example nitrogen for certain structures) allow low-cost production setups — you can feed the loader from minimal producers if the consumed item is only needed infrequently.

The Unit Cargo Loader is primarily useful for flexible, long-range item delivery where belts or conveyors would be impractical, but its single-drone-per-loader design and distance-sensitive throughput mean layout and unit-cap management are key to getting reliable performance.