Welcome ...
... to the twenty-fifth bridge building contest. Again, this Bridge Construction Set/Pontifex II contest is free for everyone to enter. Chronic Logic has released a special demo for the contest.
If you are new to the game or use the demo, please note the hints for beginners at the end of this page!
This contest is generously sponsored by  .
This time the task is to build a very small drawbridge, but beware, the order of the phases is quite unusual. As the ships pass in the first and in the last phase, the bridge has to move in place for the train, so you don't see it's shape in edit mode!
The Goals
In Contest 25 there are three categories NORMAL, HARD and ARTISTIC. NORMAL and HARD bridges just have to be cheap (and fit to the respective rules, of course)! ARTISTIC bridges should be original pieces of art and don't have to be realistic.
The Rules
The levels is built with the intention to keep the rules as simple as possible:
For ALL bridges:
- The bridge must work without breaking any links.
- The bridge must work with any delay after settling (max: 1:00 min).
- Both decks must be attached to the anchor points, i.e. the train must use the rails on the island (see screenshots below).
 
- The ships may not touch the bridge (never!).
- No danglies! Every part has to be attached to other bridge parts on all ends and should not dangle (see screenshots below,).
1.  2.  3. 
1: danglie, NOT allowed; 2: danglie, NOT allowed; 3: not danglie: ALLOWED
- Editing the level is strictly prohibited.
- You may not exploit bugs or flaws in the game engine.
In contrast to earlier contests, bridge material may penetrate the terrain and touch the train (but not the ship), decks don't need to be horizontal in any mode, the bridge may have gaps, vehicles and bridge parts may touch the water ...
For HARD bridges only:
- The use of cable and steel is forbidden. You may only use iron and hydraulics.
Level submission
- If you use the demo:
The file containing your bridge is named 'contest25.pfb' and it's located in the folder 'Bridge Construction Set Contest\profile\default\demo'. If you've finished your bridge, rename the file to:
- 'N-[Yourname].pfb' in case of a NORMAL bridge, (without the brackets)
- 'H-[Yourname].pfb' in case of a HARD bridge,
- 'A-[Yourname].pfb' in case of an ARTISTIC bridge.
WARNING: You can't load a renamed file in the demo, so once you rename your bridge, you will have to rename it back to contest25.pfb if you want to edit it again. This makes working on your bridges a bit tedious. With the full version you can just use 'save as' to save your bridge as the correct name and 'load bridge' to load it up again.
Compress the file with RAR or ZIP, attach it to an e-mail and send it to contest25@bridgebuilder-game.com. Uncompressed entries will be ignored!
- If you use the full version:
Your bridges will be located in your profile folder. Rename your file like described above and then compress it with RAR or ZIP!
The e-mail subject must read "[NORMAL/HARD/ARTIST/ORIGINAL] Cost: xxx Name: yyy". Use these e-mail links to make sure you get it right:
The contest ends at 18:00 GMT on Sunday, May 1st 2005. I take no responsibility for e-mail servers being too slow for your e-mail to reach me in time, etc.
I'll put up a list of received entries in the forum during the contest.
The number of bridges you submit is limited to ONE per category per WEEK (max: 4). Only the last submission will count.
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 warmly welcome and should be posted here. This forum thread is also the right place to discuss the rules. If you are unsure whether or not your bridge meets all the requirements, contact me for a clarification before submitting your entry.
Breaking, bending or scratching any of the above rules will result in disqualification.
In the event of a tie, the entry I receive first will be rated better.
The Prizes
Chronic Logic give away three full versions of any Chronic Logic game (e.g. Bridge Construction Set, Gish) to the winners. One game will be awarded to the architects of the cheapest working NORMAL and HARD bridges. Additionally, you can win a game that will be given away by a lottery. Everybody who submitted a working bridge will take part in the lottery. If either of the two winners declines their prize, as has frequently happened in the past, their prize shall be added to the lottery. 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 'NORMAL' 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 'HARD' bridges:
Winner: Eternal respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Don' and the full version of any Chronic Logic game
1st Runner-up: Temporary respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Mafioso'
2nd Runner-up: Momentary respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Bandit'
Additional awards:
The Title of 'Bridge Artist' for the best-looking ARTISTIC entry (2 points for the Hall of Fame)
The Title of 'Bridge Inventor' for the most creative entry (2 points for the Hall of Fame)
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. Their names will also appear in the eternal Hall Of Fame.
The Level
The BCS Contest Demo version including the contest 25 level is available for Windows, Linux and OSX and can be downloaded here:
Windows:
Windows: bcscon25demo.exe
Linux: bcscon25demo.tar.gz
OSX: bcscon25demo.dmg
If you only need the contest level (you own the full version), download it here:
contest25.zip
Unzip the archive into the 'files' folder and load it from the main menu using 'Load Level'.
Some Hints
If you use the demo, you'll have to play through the five demo levels first, in order to access the contest level. You may also want make use of the two tutorial levels first, if you're completely new to the game.
I strongly recommend you read the Manual, 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.
Good Luck!
The full version of BCS can be purchased for $19.95 directly from Chronic Logic: http://www.chroniclogic.com/pontifex2order.htm
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