Bridge Too Far
April 17, 2009 7:48 AM Subscribe
Friday Flash Frustration: Their cute little faces ask for the impossible. Get them to the other side. (via)
Actually, levels 1-4 are incredibly easy. 5 is impossible. Then a few more easies, then 9 is also impossible. That's as far as I've gotten.
posted by DU at 8:20 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 8:20 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
people, I can't even get past the second bridge. Stupid little cutesy bugs are dying at my hands! I'm drowning cartoons because I didn't pay attention in Physics class!
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 8:22 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 8:22 AM on April 17, 2009
people, I can't even get past the second bridge. Stupid little cutesy bugs are dying at my hands! I'm drowning cartoons because I didn't pay attention in Physics class!
Uh, there's a hook. Took me a minute to notice it.
posted by phaedon at 8:28 AM on April 17, 2009
Uh, there's a hook. Took me a minute to notice it.
posted by phaedon at 8:28 AM on April 17, 2009
It would be nice if they stopped talking to me like I'm five, and did a better job showing me where the damn skyhook and other important doodads are.
(Though it is fun listening to them say "Annoying Pretext, can you help me?")
posted by rokusan at 8:35 AM on April 17, 2009
(Though it is fun listening to them say "Annoying Pretext, can you help me?")
posted by rokusan at 8:35 AM on April 17, 2009
It wouldn't be so bad if steel didn't evaporate when someone sneezed on it.
posted by edd at 8:43 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by edd at 8:43 AM on April 17, 2009
One interesting technique I've developed is pre-stressed steel beams. If you use a beam and a rope to connect the same two points, the rope compresses the steel (?!) and then later tension doesn't overstress it.
posted by DU at 8:52 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by DU at 8:52 AM on April 17, 2009
It wouldn't be so bad if steel didn't evaporate when someone sneezed on it.
Wake up, cartoon sheeple!
posted by rokusan at 8:52 AM on April 17, 2009 [4 favorites]
Wake up, cartoon sheeple!
posted by rokusan at 8:52 AM on April 17, 2009 [4 favorites]
"Actually, levels 1-4 are incredibly easy. 5 is impossible. Then a few more easies, then 9 is also impossible. That's as far as I've gotten."
If 5 is "impossible", then you're lying about everything past that.....! Which is it, man, possible but difficult, or impossible???
this is why we can't have nice things here...
posted by HuronBob at 9:01 AM on April 17, 2009
If 5 is "impossible", then you're lying about everything past that.....! Which is it, man, possible but difficult, or impossible???
this is why we can't have nice things here...
posted by HuronBob at 9:01 AM on April 17, 2009
5 and 9 I eventually got past but didn't really understand. That's what I mean by "impossible". 11, I think it was, was just difficult.
posted by DU at 9:03 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by DU at 9:03 AM on April 17, 2009
Level four is killing me. I've tried everything I can think of - suspension from ropes on the outside, from the inside, massive reinforcement, used triangles prodigiously.
I might pass this on to my engineer friends, see if they can do any better.
Until then, anyone care to give me some pointers?
posted by djgh at 9:20 AM on April 17, 2009
I might pass this on to my engineer friends, see if they can do any better.
Until then, anyone care to give me some pointers?
posted by djgh at 9:20 AM on April 17, 2009
5 and 9 are trivially solved by just building trusses.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 9:21 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by The Pusher Robot at 9:21 AM on April 17, 2009
Same with 4.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 9:22 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by The Pusher Robot at 9:22 AM on April 17, 2009
5 and 9 are trivially solved by just building trusses.
I probably built 30 trusses of various dimensions before I stumbled on one that worked. Thus I dispute "trivially".
posted by DU at 9:24 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
I probably built 30 trusses of various dimensions before I stumbled on one that worked. Thus I dispute "trivially".
posted by DU at 9:24 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
Hrm, okay. I built trusses and it worked, so that's sort of where I was coming from.
I did play a bunch of Pontifex and BCS (Pontifex 2) back in the day, so I guess maybe I have a bit of practice.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 9:31 AM on April 17, 2009
I did play a bunch of Pontifex and BCS (Pontifex 2) back in the day, so I guess maybe I have a bit of practice.
posted by The Pusher Robot at 9:31 AM on April 17, 2009
I got stuck on Level 4, too. (And I have no idea what "under water" is supposed to mean. Sentences: They're where it's at.)
It's a neat game, but probably more fun and less trial-and-error for engineers and people who are better at math. Even after I noticed the hook in Level 2 and figured out the principle, it took me a few tries to get the right arrangement of bridge segments and rope. (I also don't understand why the rope contracts when you click "Start.")
posted by cribcage at 9:33 AM on April 17, 2009
It's a neat game, but probably more fun and less trial-and-error for engineers and people who are better at math. Even after I noticed the hook in Level 2 and figured out the principle, it took me a few tries to get the right arrangement of bridge segments and rope. (I also don't understand why the rope contracts when you click "Start.")
posted by cribcage at 9:33 AM on April 17, 2009
I am shit at this, therefore, this is shit.
posted by biffa at 9:46 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 9:46 AM on April 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
Little fuckers need to go on a DIET.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:57 AM on April 17, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:57 AM on April 17, 2009 [5 favorites]
It's educational in that, in Level 9, what didn't work one way (a truss) worked fine when I flipped it upside-down. It hadn't occurred to me there would be that much of a difference in distributing the load.
It reminds me of building structures with toothpicks and dried peas in elementary school.
posted by cribcage at 10:14 AM on April 17, 2009
It reminds me of building structures with toothpicks and dried peas in elementary school.
posted by cribcage at 10:14 AM on April 17, 2009
Their unflinching optimism in the face of my comical incompetence is inspiring. It must take tremendous strength for them to resist the temptation to mock me endlessly.
posted by Awakened at 10:19 AM on April 17, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Awakened at 10:19 AM on April 17, 2009 [3 favorites]
It hadn't occurred to me there would be that much of a difference in distributing the load.
I'm not a structural engineer, but I think it shouldn't make any difference at all. Except that I think the ropes are stronger than the steel, so if you make the high loads tension ones, it might work better.
posted by DU at 10:32 AM on April 17, 2009
I'm not a structural engineer, but I think it shouldn't make any difference at all. Except that I think the ropes are stronger than the steel, so if you make the high loads tension ones, it might work better.
posted by DU at 10:32 AM on April 17, 2009
I absolutely hate this game.
Thanks all the same, DU.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 10:35 AM on April 17, 2009
Thanks all the same, DU.
posted by six-or-six-thirty at 10:35 AM on April 17, 2009
Sorry cribcage!
Essentially, two decks laid flat, as normal, and then steel girders underneath in a W shape.
i.e.
______
\/\/\/\/
posted by djgh at 10:47 AM on April 17, 2009
Essentially, two decks laid flat, as normal, and then steel girders underneath in a W shape.
i.e.
______
\/\/\/\/
posted by djgh at 10:47 AM on April 17, 2009
level 14 is about where i lost interest. still, TRUSSES. if i could double-caps it, i would.
posted by seagull.apollo at 11:30 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by seagull.apollo at 11:30 AM on April 17, 2009
There's a vogue in bridge-building games right now. Some of them are really wonderful -- World of Goo comes to mind. I don't really see what's special about this one. So many of the levels seem essentially the same.
posted by grobstein at 11:45 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by grobstein at 11:45 AM on April 17, 2009
I hope I weigh less relative to the strength of steel on any bridges I may cross than these guys do. Either the steel is weak, the dudes are heavy, or both.
posted by nat at 11:50 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by nat at 11:50 AM on April 17, 2009
World of Goo is great, but isn't playable in a browser and in any case I finished it. If there are some other bridge building games out there, especially if they are better than this, I'd love to see them.
posted by DU at 11:59 AM on April 17, 2009
posted by DU at 11:59 AM on April 17, 2009
Is it wrong that i want them to die?
posted by Capt Jingo at 12:44 PM on April 17, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Capt Jingo at 12:44 PM on April 17, 2009 [2 favorites]
Is it wrong that i want them to die?
It's not just you. I kept hoping for some Lemmings-like death spirals, myself.
posted by rokusan at 3:26 PM on April 17, 2009
It's not just you. I kept hoping for some Lemmings-like death spirals, myself.
posted by rokusan at 3:26 PM on April 17, 2009
Anybody got any tips for level 14?
Trusses both above and below the decks/walkways seem to have quickly solved every level for me so far, but 14 is causing problems. I've tried building stable structures from both sides, and structures that fall into place after the start from both sides with no luck.
posted by Science! at 4:28 PM on April 17, 2009
Trusses both above and below the decks/walkways seem to have quickly solved every level for me so far, but 14 is causing problems. I've tried building stable structures from both sides, and structures that fall into place after the start from both sides with no luck.
posted by Science! at 4:28 PM on April 17, 2009
Their unflinching optimism in the face of my comical incompetence is inspiring. It must take tremendous strength for them to resist the temptation to mock me endlessly.
I keep wanting one of them to stop before crossing and say, "Are you sure? This doesn't even really seem like a bridge."
posted by roll truck roll at 4:29 PM on April 17, 2009
I keep wanting one of them to stop before crossing and say, "Are you sure? This doesn't even really seem like a bridge."
posted by roll truck roll at 4:29 PM on April 17, 2009
Here's my gallery of all the bridges that worked for me. Don't view if you don't like cheats.
posted by Science! at 4:46 PM on April 17, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Science! at 4:46 PM on April 17, 2009 [3 favorites]
I give up; at level 26 you are tasked with saving two obese smirking blobs of primary colors. And they insist of trying to traverse the bridge at the same time.
posted by JeNeSaisQuoi at 5:27 PM on April 17, 2009
posted by JeNeSaisQuoi at 5:27 PM on April 17, 2009
Okay. It took nearly an hour, but I finally got 14. Barely. MeMail me if you'd like to know the answer.
posted by thecaddy at 5:44 PM on April 17, 2009
posted by thecaddy at 5:44 PM on April 17, 2009
5 and 9 are trivially solved by just building trusses.
I tried every truss I could think of. The answer I used had *no* trusses at all.
Hint, rot-13: hfr guerr cvrprf bs fgrry -- nyy iregvpny
posted by eriko at 6:41 PM on April 17, 2009
I tried every truss I could think of. The answer I used had *no* trusses at all.
Hint, rot-13: hfr guerr cvrprf bs fgrry -- nyy iregvpny
posted by eriko at 6:41 PM on April 17, 2009
Man, 14 is a son of a bitch.
I tried every truss I could think of. The answer I used had *no* trusses at all.
My solutions for those two looked pretty much exactly like Science!'s.
hfr guerr cvrprf bs fgrry -- nyy iregvpny
Wait, what? Guerr fgrry cvrprf jurer?
posted by The Pusher Robot at 7:47 PM on April 17, 2009
I tried every truss I could think of. The answer I used had *no* trusses at all.
My solutions for those two looked pretty much exactly like Science!'s.
hfr guerr cvrprf bs fgrry -- nyy iregvpny
Wait, what? Guerr fgrry cvrprf jurer?
posted by The Pusher Robot at 7:47 PM on April 17, 2009
I'm confused, which level are you guys talking about, eriko and The Pusher Robot?
14 is making me hate myself, but I'm impressed with myself that the level I'm having trouble on is the same level everyone else his having trouble on. I usually feel like a total Little Leaguer in these threads.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:09 PM on April 17, 2009
14 is making me hate myself, but I'm impressed with myself that the level I'm having trouble on is the same level everyone else his having trouble on. I usually feel like a total Little Leaguer in these threads.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:09 PM on April 17, 2009
Ha! Eat it, 14!
posted by roll truck roll at 8:12 PM on April 17, 2009
posted by roll truck roll at 8:12 PM on April 17, 2009
For those of you who are really frustrated, here's a site with all of the levels completed, in video form.
Big Time Spoiler Alert
posted by Axle at 8:28 PM on April 17, 2009
Big Time Spoiler Alert
posted by Axle at 8:28 PM on April 17, 2009
Am I the only one who is wildly amused whenever my bridge fails and the little fucker falls in the river?
posted by fungible at 9:58 PM on April 17, 2009
posted by fungible at 9:58 PM on April 17, 2009
Axle: "For those of you who are really frustrated, here's a site with all of the levels completed, in video form.
Big Time Spoiler Alert"
Great find. That gave me the final clues for 14, but then I rocked 14 without a hint of help. Though, now 15 is kicking my butt and I don't want to watch the clips. Sweet find.
posted by Science! at 10:02 PM on April 17, 2009
Big Time Spoiler Alert"
Great find. That gave me the final clues for 14, but then I rocked 14 without a hint of help. Though, now 15 is kicking my butt and I don't want to watch the clips. Sweet find.
posted by Science! at 10:02 PM on April 17, 2009
You're probably thinking too hard about 15.
posted by roll truck roll at 10:18 PM on April 17, 2009
posted by roll truck roll at 10:18 PM on April 17, 2009
It was Level 27 that finally drove me away. There's a tiny island on the left-hand side, so I built a steel grapple around the island to secure the bridge. Then I clicked "Start," the the steel just 'phased' right through the island and fell into the water beneath. For a game that prides itself on being physics-in-action...I'm pretty sure that when you drop a steel I-beam on the ground, it lands.
posted by cribcage at 7:56 AM on April 18, 2009
posted by cribcage at 7:56 AM on April 18, 2009
hfr guerr cvrprf bs fgrry -- nyy iregvpny
Not sure if it was the same level, but I tried that too.
I'm pretty sure that when you drop a steel I-beam on the ground, it lands.
Yeah, this made me give up eventually too. I wanted to prop the end on some steel beams (which are cheaper than deck pieces). Falls right through, what?! Screw you, Bridge Game.
posted by DU at 8:46 AM on April 18, 2009
Not sure if it was the same level, but I tried that too.
I'm pretty sure that when you drop a steel I-beam on the ground, it lands.
Yeah, this made me give up eventually too. I wanted to prop the end on some steel beams (which are cheaper than deck pieces). Falls right through, what?! Screw you, Bridge Game.
posted by DU at 8:46 AM on April 18, 2009
Ya, deck segments are the only one that don't sink thru.
posted by Mitheral at 8:50 AM on April 18, 2009
posted by Mitheral at 8:50 AM on April 18, 2009
I couldn't afford the solution to number 5. I run out of money as I'm completing the top of the bridge. Can somebody give me a loan? I know, I'll remortgage my house!
posted by tehloki at 12:51 PM on April 18, 2009
posted by tehloki at 12:51 PM on April 18, 2009
I left the tab open and intermittently attempted level 14 for three days, but eventually I couldn't resist watching the video.
posted by Defenestrator at 3:17 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by Defenestrator at 3:17 PM on April 21, 2009
Does that mean you've been listening to those damn birds for three days?
posted by roll truck roll at 5:27 PM on April 21, 2009
posted by roll truck roll at 5:27 PM on April 21, 2009
I've been working on this in my spare time (and when I should have been working on something else), and having FINALLY finished all 70 levels, I can say this:
*****SPOILERS (sorta) BELOW*****
Trusses, yes. Think longer and taller when you get to ridiculously heavy dudes.
Support for the bridge getting sparse? Consider interlocking spoked wheels, pentagons, or other structures with arches within them.
Why don't storm levels require you to use only ropes to get through (seriously, if you were this intrepid little guy that kept getting dunked into water, would you want to be struck by lightning, too)?
Your solutions will look mostly like the galleries and the walk-throughs, though sometimes more elegant if you give them some thought--but even if you have a great idea, if it isn't what the game designer had in mind, weird things happen. Physics does not necessarily rule the day.
My Favorite Bridge.
posted by misha at 9:53 AM on April 30, 2009
*****SPOILERS (sorta) BELOW*****
Trusses, yes. Think longer and taller when you get to ridiculously heavy dudes.
Support for the bridge getting sparse? Consider interlocking spoked wheels, pentagons, or other structures with arches within them.
Why don't storm levels require you to use only ropes to get through (seriously, if you were this intrepid little guy that kept getting dunked into water, would you want to be struck by lightning, too)?
Your solutions will look mostly like the galleries and the walk-throughs, though sometimes more elegant if you give them some thought--but even if you have a great idea, if it isn't what the game designer had in mind, weird things happen. Physics does not necessarily rule the day.
My Favorite Bridge.
posted by misha at 9:53 AM on April 30, 2009
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posted by cranberrymonger at 8:13 AM on April 17, 2009