Key stuck in the platform...

I copied some architecture from another wad a while back, and I had a problem with it then, too, but I fixed that. Basically, it's a bunch of smaller sectors around a platform that's 128 units above the ground (assuming that there's a higher ceiling than 128 for the whole area). The small sectors form a spiral staircase around the tall platform - or at least they do originally. In level 11, I made them all start at ground level, then a switch raises them as stairs. Getting the key on top makes them all fall down again, and the platform also falls to 16 units above the floor (not sure how it does this; I only used W1: down to lowest floor for every sector there... but it works for me!).

I copied that stuff from level 11 to level 14 a few days ago and didn't change a thing except for the textures on the stairs. But when I go to this platform, I notice that the key has sunk, into the platform. It's at ground level, so I can't get it because the platform only goes down to ground level + 16. Now the funny thing is, ever since then the one in level 11 is having the same problem.

I think the problem only appears after you push the stair switch. The stair switch is S1: Stairs (16) + Crush, and it's tagged to the main platform and all the sectors that surround it. The linedef you cross from the top stair to the platform has W1: down to lowest floor and is in the same tag.

Can anyone help? Would an example wad be useful?

Sounds like your key may be on the edge of a sector line and not in the middle of a sector so the game is not sure which sector it goes on. Try moving it to the middle of a stair sector.

Make sure your tags did not get messed up when you copied them over to map 14. "Down to lowest adjacent" should take care of the stairs not going all the way down. Check that too.

No, see, I like the way the stairs are working, just not how the key is. And the key's exactly in the center of the platform it's on. There's one 64-square-unit platform and then the other sectors are around it. The key is in the very center of the 64-square-unit platform, and there are no extra linedefs in that sector. Now, one time I moved the key over a bit so that it was toward the edge (but still not on any linedef) and I had no problems. But that looked weird, of course, so I moved it back, and I still have problems with it.