Chronic Logic

While Bridge Project is very enjoyable to play, I think in many ways it's a step back from Bridge Construction Set. There is less room for creativity when creating bridges because most of the levels seem to present you with a simple span. Gone are the multilevel, multidirectional, multistage hydraulic bridge levels that made BCS so much fun.

Below is a list of features that I'd like to see implemented in BP. Feel free to add your own:

• High Resolution Editing Grid - This feature was present in Pontifex and BCS, and if implemented in BP it would help differentiate world records through fine tuning.
• Better Copy/Paste - As it stands right now I don't even bother with copy and paste because it's so clunky. It constantly prevents me from copying a segment simply because I'm out of a given material. The game should let me copy it anyway, and then notify me once I paste that that certain materials couldn't be pasted. I generally encounter this problem when I'm trying to copy a portion of the deck (which I lay out first). If I'm pasting the deck where deck already is, then the it doesn't matter than there's no more decking.
• Copy/Paste Flip - Again, this was a feature in BCS that was omitted in BP. If I'm copying and pasting, there's a good chance I'd like to flip my copied segment to match the opposing side of the span. I don't understand why this wasn't implemented in BP.
• Pre-tensioned Suspension Cable - I'd like the suspension cable to rest where it is in the editor. It's incredibly annoying to have a suspension bridge settle, and then end up with accordion decking. The result is a deck that is more prone to failure because cars and buses jump over the crests, and cause extra stress.
• Draw Bridge Joints - The joints currently only work when directly connected to a hydraulics piece. If the hydraulic piece isn't connected to the split joint, then the deck pieces won't separate. Sometimes I like to lift a whole bridge element (like a proper draw bridge), and not just the central deck piece. Giving us the option to specify the joint, and a pivot point would be really nice.
• Angled Decking - This was already in BCS and Pontifex. It would allow for much more interesting bridges and levels.
• Better Implementation of Building Planes - In past games you could join two beams in the center plane. This often allowed you to reduce the cost of a bridge by having one spinal beam for a truss. This isn't possible in BP. Why? Also, you used to be able to build outside of the anchor point planes, now we're limited to building within the anchors.
• Bridge Snapshots in the World Records - It would be nice if there were snapshots of the top 3 or top 5 winning bridges, so new bridge builders could see, and learn from the better players.
• Better Consistency in the Simulation - This is especially true for wind challenges. I've manually tested my bridge for wind many times, and had it pass, only to see it fail during the actual simulation over and over agin.
• God Mode - this used to be a reward for beating Pontifex. It would be fun to have it in BP.
• Better Multicore Support - My Intel i7 930 only sees use on two cores, and yet performance isn't stellar in BP.

If I think of more I'll try to add them. If some of these features are actually present in the game, and I've just overlooked them, please let me know.

I just want to preface this post by saying that I was super excited when I heard that Bridge Project had been released. After trying the demo I was pretty underwhelmed by some of the changes, but I went ahead and purchased the game anyway. I think what the guys at Chronic Logic are doing is great, and bridge building games are some of my favorite. Supporting these developers will help make these games better, and ensure that they continue to be produced in the future.

I should also mention that I've been a long time player of the genre, and I used to take part in the competitions hosted by bridgebuilder-game.com. I've seen all the physics exploits used in previous games, and I recognize that in a simulation like this there will always be inconsistencies from run to run.

Now to the meat of your question which concerns the "world records." Yes the system is broken, and yes, there are physics exploits that allow for ridiculously cheap bridges. When I first began playing, I tried to build bridges like any engineer/normal person would, but after comparing my results with the world records I soon realized that there were fundamental problems with my approach. If I've learned anything from past competitions, it's that with enough time and patience, a bridge can be built cheaper. When you know where the physics model breaks down, bridges can be made cheaper still. I've spent some time working on my world record bridges, but I don't care enough, or have enough time to fiddle a great deal. If you're curious about my bridges, you can find me as "Fletcher" in the world records lists. I'll try to post some photos when I get home, so you guys can see what these bridges look like.

Below is a list of current issues with Bridge Project's physics model that I've seen. If you keep these in mind when building, then you too will find yourself easily breaking into the top ten.

•   Forces across the width of a deck piece aren't transferred properly. What this means is that you can often support a bridge using only one side of a truss.  You do this by disabling the "mirrored" mode, and building beams in only one plane. There is some deflection with traffic on the unsupported side of the deck, but not nearly enough.

•   When building a deck piece, the wood, iron, or steel that is built along with it can be removed with almost no detrimental effect. This includes the cross members, and beams that connect joints. What you end up with is a deck that's much lighter, cheaper, and which isn't dependent on the physical characteristics of the material which constructed it. All of deck piece failures that I've witnessed have come from joints failing, or vehicles improperly "colliding" with the edge of a decking piece.

•   This may or may not be a physics model issue, but you can often ignore conventional anchor points when building a bridge. Support beams can often rest directly on the ground. You will sometimes experience weird physics collision issues, sliding, and inconsistency from run to run, but in general, this is the cheapest method of bridge construction.

I'll follow up with additional information this evening when I get home. In the meantime feel free to try some of these exploits, and see where you end up on the records list.

I've attached some images below:

Canyons #2 Edit Mode


Canyons #2 Test Run


City #1 Edit Mode


City #1 Test Run


City #8 Edit Mode


City #8 Edit Mode


City #8 Test Run


City #8 Test Run