Poly Bridge Tips, Cheats and Strategies

Poly Bridge is a frustratingly addictive (addictively frustrating?) physics puzzle game game from Dry Cactus. All you have to do is build a bridge so that vehicles can reach the goal at the end of the level, but ye gods is it absurdly tough when you have to factor in things like weight distribution and building material tolerances. But no worries, Gamezebo’s Poly Bridge tips, cheats and strategies won’t get you into the Department of Transportation, but it will help you build structurally sound bridges.

Balancing Acts

• Consider the terrain. Some sort of chasm is a given, but really take a look at the layout of the level before you form your game plan. Is the starting point at a different elevation than the ending point? Is there a spot in the middle where you could anchor some supports?
• Pay attention to vehicle designations. When there’s more than one vehicle on a stage you can tell what order they move in by looking at their labels (i.e. A1, A2, etc).
• Look out for boats! You’ll see a big red silhouette for a boat if one is present in the level. You’re going to have to either arch the bridge over the boat’s path or create a drawbridge. Otherwise when it passes through it’s going to completely destroy your bridge.

• Each vehicle is different. Motorcycles are tiny, fast, and extremely light. Station wagons are big, slow, and heavy – dump trucks even more so. Knowing what type of vehicle you have to design around will ultimately make it easier to design under budget.
• Start with the road. Once you have the lay of the land and know what vehicles you need to account for, draw out your road. It’s best to get the general path set up before you start adding supports to everything as making small adjustments is much easier when you have fewer connections.
• Check out your material selection. Some levels will limit the number of pieces of a given material you can place, others will block certain materials off entirely. Pay attention to what you have access to.
• Know your materials. For example, wood is fairly sturdy and relatively light, but it can still snap if too much weight is put on it. On the other hand, steel is MUCH sturdier but also a lot heavier, and could cause your bridge to collapse under its own weight if used too liberally.

• Supports can go over and/or under. Depending on the layout of the level one might be a much better solution than the other, but most of the time you can go with either option.
• Anchor everything. The pieces you place won’t simply float in the air – they’ll sag and shift if they are’t properly supported. If you can, use cables to tether your bridge to the ground or use multiple anchor points to make sure its connection to land is solid.
• Symmetry can be your best friend. Depending on the terrain this won’t always be an option, but if things are evenly spaced and level make sure to put that grid to good use while building. Symmetry is better for equally distributing weight.

• If you’re having trouble with a particular stage, turn on the slow motion. When you hit the Play button to make the vehicles start moving, you can control the viewing speed with a slider on the right side of the screen. By slowing down the action and watching vehicles use the bridge you’ll have an easier time pinpointing exactly where the structural weaknesses are.
• When in doubt, go over budget. I know the goal for three stars is to come in under budget and keep things from breaking, but sometimes it’s easier to go overboard with the construction first. Once you have a solid bridge you can go back and move or delete pieces in order to dial it in (so to speak).
• If you get too frustrated, stop worrying about budget and permanence – just beat it! Sure you won’t get a three star rating this way, but you can always come back and try again later once you’ve regained some patience.

Rob Rich

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Just a guy who likes to play video games, then tell people about them. Also a fan of the indie development scene.