This is the eighteenth bridge building contest! After a few 'straight' Pontifex II. contests this one is a special task. Everyone is welcome to enter. The full version of Bridge Construction Set (BCS, the game formerly knows as Pontifex II) is required.

The Goal

For the uncertain, the goal is to build the cheapest, most original, best-looking or craziest bridge possible that allows the train to complete the level, while obeying the following simple rules ...

The Task

In Contest 18 your task is to build a bridge that submerges completely under water.

This time the two categories 'clean' and 'dirty' are replaced by two different levels.

1. Level 18 A is quite demanding but should be solvable for most of you, (please excuse, if it's too hard again - even magical ME needed 3 hours for a working solution),
2. Level 18 B is a real challenge for the experts.

The landscape is exactly the same in both levels (except for some anchor points) and both have four phases:

1. the train has to pass the bridge from left to right
2. the bridge submerges completely under water
3. the bridge rises up (out of the water)
4. the train has to pass the bridge from right to left.

The RULES

For Level 18 A:

In Level 18 A the sequence of the phases is as above (train, bridge down, bridge up, train).

1A. Between phase two and three the bridge must be completely under water, except for the two right- and leftmost deck parts (as it's impossible to let these sink under water), like this:

OK

but NOT like this:

NOT OK

This rule will be tested for in simulation mode (manual phase).

For Level 18 B:

In Level 18 B the sequence of the phases is the other way round (bridge up, train, train, bridge down).

1B. Before phase one and after phase four the bridge must stay completely under water for 30 seconds. (This rule will again be tested for in simulation mode (manual phase). Joints standing half way out of the water in edit mode are no problem.)

Artistic Bridges:

2. Artistic bridges may be built in any level.

For both levels:

3. The train must pass the bridge without breaking any links.

4. Bridge links may touch/penetrate the level terrain.

5. The train may go through bridge material.

6. Trains may not touch the water (no wet trains!).

7. The bridge must work (the 'test passed' message must appear) with any train delay beyond the 'settling point'.

8. The bridge may have gaps.

9. You may not exploit bugs or flaws in the game engine.

10. Editing the level is strictly prohibited.

Level submission

Save your bridge in a .PFB file. It will be located in your profile folder. Compress it with RAR or ZIP! Then attach it to an e-mail and send it to contest@bridgebuilder-game.com.

The e-mail subject must read "[CLEAN/DIRTY] Cost: xxx Name: yyy" or "ARTIST Name: xxx Cost: yyy". No dollar signs ($), no punctuation in the bridge cost, e.g. "CLEAN Cost: 12345 Name: Gray". Use these e-mail links to make sure you get it right: 18A, 18B, ARTISTIC.

The contest ends at 6:00 PM GMT on March, 7th. I take no responsibility for e-mail servers being too slow for your e-mail to reach me in time, etc. You will get an automatic e-mail reply when an entry is received.

Strictly ONE bridge per level plus ONE artistic bridge per participant are allowed at most, no exceptions.

Any discussions on contest bridge COSTS are to be kept in this special sub-forum. For your own good, it is password-protected. To get the password, first read this. General comments on the level and the contest are welcome and should be posted here.

Breaking, bending or scratching any of the above rules will result in disqualification. If you are unsure whether or not your bridge meets all the requirements, contact me for a clarification before submitting your entry.

In the event of a tie, the entry I receive first will be rated better.

The Prizes

Prizes are awarded, as usual, to the cheapest working bridge in each category. If either of these prize winners declines their prize, as has frequently happened in the past, their prize shall be awarded to the best newcomer in that category. A 'newcomer' is defined as anyone who does not appear in the Hall of Fame (except bridge artist titles). I should stress that handing down of prizes is totally up to the winners, however I'm sure most of the contest regulars would be happy to support the bridge-building community in this way. This means that even if you never entered a contest before, there's a really good chance you can win a prize this time! So don't be shy! Send in your bridges!

For the cheapest working 'LEVEL 18 A' bridges:

Winner: Eternal glory and admiration, the title of 'Bridge General' and the full version of any Chronic Logic game!
1st Runner-up: Temporary glory and admiration, the title of 'Bridge Major'
2nd Runner-up: Momentary glory and admiration, the title of 'Bridge Captain'

For the cheapest working 'LEVEL 18 B' bridges:

Winner: Eternal respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Experts King' and the full version of any Chronic Logic game!
1st Runner-up: Temporary respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Experts Lord'
2nd Runner-up: Momentary respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Experts Knight'

Additional awards: The Title of 'Bridge Artist' for the best-looking entry
The Title of 'Bridge Inventor' for the most creative entry
Possible additional Special Titles as I see fit :)

Many thanks to Chronic Logic for providing the prizes!
The winners will be announced soon after the contest ends. They will have the right to register on the Forum completely free of charge and bear the best of their titles there forever. Their names will also appear in the eternal Hall Of Fame.

The Levels

Unzip the files into the 'files' folder and load it from the main menu using 'Load Level'.
Contest 18 levels (ZIP) (9 kB)

Some Hints

I suggest you read the Manual (especially the drawbridge section), study the record bridges from the DWN-site and check out the forum in case you're not very familiar with the common bridge building techniques.

The easiest way to move a bridge or parts thereof is to use several hydraulics of the same length. As the water level is only very slightly below terrain level the hydraulics do not need to be very long. And remember the strength of hydraulic parts. Happy bridge-building!

Good Luck!