Welcome ...

... to the 29th bridge building contest! It's about building BridgeBuilder (classic) bridges. Download BridgeBuilder here (it's free!). This contest is hosted by diedummenschimpansen. Everyone is welcome to enter!

This contest is generously sponsored by .

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 ...

Contest 29 RULES - read carefully!!

The A-level is not that hard so that everyone should be able to build a working bridge. But the B-level is damn hard, not only for newcomers, I'm sure that even the 'experts' will have problems to build a working bridge.

This time, there are 3 categories: Level A (the easier level), Level B (the hard one) and Artistic (for both levels). Exact definitions can be found below.

For ALL bridges:

1. The bridge must work (the 'Next Level' message must appear) with any train delay beyond the 'settling point'. Parts of the train may not be separated at any time.
2. Bridge links may break.
3. No bridge links may touch (except at the anchor points) or penetrate the level terrain in edit mode. Bridge links touching/penetrating the terrain during simulation are no problem.
4. You may not exploit bugs or flaws in the game engine (flying train, separated train engine, etc.)
5. Editing the level is strictly prohibited. Using techniques only possible using an external editor (e.g. arched deck) are not allowed.

(This means that we almost have the 'dirty' rules of past BB-contests for both levels!)

Level submission

Your bridge file will be located in the game folder (*.brg). Name your bridge in the following way

• 'A.[yourname].brg' (without brackets) in case of a level A bridge (e.g. 'A.Guild.brg'),
• 'B.[yourname].brg' (without brackets) in case of a level B bridge (e.g. 'B.dds.brg'),
• 'C.[yourname].brg' (without brackets) in case of an ARTISTIC bridge (e.g. 'C.blabla.brg').

Attach your file to an e-mail and send it to contest29@bridgebuilder-game.com. An autoresponder is installed.

The contest ends at 8:00 PM GMT on April 22nd. 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.

Strictly TWO A-Bridges, TWO B-bridges and ONE artistic bridge per participant are allowed at most, no exceptions. If someone submits two A- and/or two B-bridges, only the cheaper one for each level will count. If someone manages to win A- and B-category, the additional prize will be awarded to the 2nd place of the B-category.

Forum discussion

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 dicuss the rules. If you are unsure whether or not your bridge meets all the requirements, contact me for a clarification before submitting your entry or send me a message in ICQ (240-951-657).

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

This time there are three prizes (three full versions of any Chronic Logic game). Two will be awarded to the cheapest working A and B Bridge (see below). Additionally, you can win another Chronic Logic game that will be given away in a 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. Everybody who submitted a working bridge will take part in 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 'A' bridges:

Winner: Eternal glory and admiration, the title of 'Bridge General', 10 points and a red/gold medal for the Hall of Fame and the full version of any Chronic Logic game!
1st Runner-up: Temporary glory and admiration, the title of 'Bridge Major', 6 points and a red/silver medal for the Hall of Fame
2nd Runner-up: Momentary glory and admiration, the title of 'Bridge Captain', 3 points and a red/bronze medal for the Hall of Fame

For the cheapest 'B' bridges:

Winner: Eternal respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Experts King', 12 points and a dark blue/gold medal for the Hall of Fame and the full version of any Chronic Logic game!
1st Runner-up: Temporary respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Experts Lord', 8 points and a dark blue/silver medal for the Hall of Fame
2nd Runner-up: Momentary respect and awe, the title of 'Bridge Experts Knight', 5 points and a dark blue/bronze medal for the Hall of Fame

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. Their names will also appear in the eternal Hall Of Fame.

The Level

Unzip the files to the 'level' folder (overwriting the existing 'level01.lvl' and 'level02.lvl', which you may want to backup first) and open it from the main menu using 'Start Game'. Now choose the first level to open Level A or the second level to open Level B. You have to solve the first level before you can choose the second one. You may need to click on 'CLEAR' in order to erase your existing level 1 bridge (which you may want to backup first, too).

Contest 29 levels (ZIP, 1kB)

Some Hints

I suggest you read the tips page and check out some bridges built by others in the bridges and records sections in case you're not very familiar with the common bridge building techniques. Since level B is especially naughty, I've put together a small collection of bridges that demonstrate the use of creative techniques to solve tricky levels. I highly recommend taking a look at the bridges in this collection to everyone without lots of Bridge Builder experience: Inspiration Pack (ZIP) (12 kB). I also recommend using the Speed Hack (see: Bridge Builder Tools) to increase the simulation speed (if it works for you).

Good Luck!

diedummenschimpansen and