Bridge Building Games Explored

Thanks to DIYGames for their review of Bridge Construction Set, the "the second game in the hit engineering simulation series" from Chronic Logic and Garage Games. There are Windows and Linux demos available for this title, which lets you "...design and build bridges, and then stress test them [with trains and other vehicles] to see how your creations hold up under pressure", and there's even an independent fansite, BridgeBuilder-Game.com, which bills itself as "the ultimate bridge builder game website", and deals with the original Bridge Builder and Pontifex games, as well as the forthcoming Bridge It!, which sports much more impressive graphics thanks to the Auran Jet 3D engine.

Comments

Why must all games go to 3D?

[Brian_rts]

This new version of BCS (pontflex) runs like a absolute dog on my system...the framerate is horrible compared to the speed and easy of use of the first version. Now the mouse lags to hell and all the non essential fancy 3d stuff is slowing the entire program down. I have a 2ghz P4 w/ 512 meg ram and a GF2 64meg Pro... If it isnt broke..dont fix it.

Re:Why must all games go to 3D?

[SmallFurryCreature]

While I would agree in principal, I am currently playing Monkey Island 4 (who came up with that interface should be shot), I don't agree here. I am not going to say it runs fine on my hardware, it does and it is only marginally better.

Instead I am going to wonder how the hell the original works. Bridges are 3D construcs by devinition. Certainly building them would require you to think in 3D as well. Would be odd to then be forced to do this in a 2D world.

The game really works. I am not sure if it is worth the price they ask but then I didn't pay for it. Sue me.

So I think that for this type of game you are out of luck. Kinda like complaining that all these new fangled talkie adventures seem to assume you got a soundcard :) But really if it runs fine on my slightly better system perhaps something else is wrong.

Oh and nice graphics for the opcoming version. Now if only they made the interface slighly more this centurie it would be a great puzzle game for everyone. Oh and include some tech tutorials. I learned some tech in school. Most people I know didn't.

Re:Why must all games go to 3D?

[GigsVT]

I played a 2D bridge constructor years and years ago. Basically you just designed it looking at a side view, and it's understood that the other side is identical, and they are firmly attached somehow.

I guess since it's not medeling anything fancy like resonance or wind profile, the interconnections between the two halves don't matter as much. It seemed pretty accurate, it was surprisingly hard to build a bridge that didn't collapse under its own weight.