Bukkit

Build redstone powered rectractable bridges, without using commands!

Features:

• It doesn't use commands. Just build the bridge and it will work.
• Stateless, i.e. it does not have to save anything on the server.
• It's redstone powered, giving you flexibility in controlling it.
• It is realistic. The bridge does not disappear, but slides in and out just like a real one would.
• Holds back water or lava... ;)
• Configurable speed by applying more or less redstone power

Demo server: mc.pepsoft.org

Check out the PorteCoulissante and RetractableBridge demo Minecraft server at mc.pepsoft.org. It shows examples of both plugins in use, so you can see what you can do with them, and how you use them.

Note that you can't build or break anything or go too far from the town. You can use chests, beds, furnaces, etc. Hostile mobs won't spawn inside the walls at night, but they do spawn outside the walls. If you want to have some fun, there is food in the inn's kitchen, and weapons in the armoury. Note that the gates don't open from the outside!. If you lock yourself out or you get stuck, use the /kill command to kill yourself and respawn. Please let me know if you encounter any problems, if the server is full, or if you find any evidence of griefing!

Server admins, feel free to direct your users to this demo server so they can see how to use the plugins!

Usage:

• Build the bridge itself, out of slabs/half-blocks or double slabs.
• Make sure there is at least one block adjacent to the bridge on three sides, so that it can't move in that direction.
• For the direction in which you want it to move, make sure there is a block to stop at the distance you want it to move to.
• Power one of the blocks underneath the bridge with redstone. Please note: you are powering a block underneath the bridge, not the bridge itself! Note that for the purposes of this plugin, just running redstone wire underneath a block will power it.
• If you power more than one block, the bridge will move faster! Two blocks doubles the speed, and three blocks doubles it once more (so four times as fast as one block).
• Make sure that when the bridge is fully extended it is still in contact with redstone power underneath. It can be the same blocks, or different ones.
• When the blocks receive redstone power, the bridge will move to the south or east (in other words, increasing x or z coordinates; depending on which direction is free), when they lose redstone power, it will move to the north or west (in other words, decreasing x or z coordinates).
• Here is an example. If you build this, it will work. The bridge in this picture is three blocks wide and four blocks long. Note that it only has one powered block, so the bridge will move at its slowest speed:

Tutorial:

Check out this tutorial created by the folks of UK Gaming Troops:

Hints and tips:

• The bridge has to be at least two blocks long on each side, and it must be rectangular. It can't have holes or bits sticking out. It also can't abut any other blocks of the same height and material (when open or closed), since the plugin will think they are meant to be part of the bridge.
• I highly recommend to make the distance the bridge can move less than its length. That way, the blocks at the forward edge of the bridge (when it is open) are always in contact with the bridge, so you only have to power one of those blocks.
• The bridge will go through (and hold back) water and lava, so you can make water gates and water or lava traps with them.
• The blocks that stop the bridge when it retracts can be steps or stairs. This way you get a smooth walking experience when the bridge is closed, without having to jump, if you are using slabs/half-blocks for the bridge. Here is an example to show what I mean (the bridge is closed in this example, and there are wooden stair blocks on each end):

Source code:

The source code for the plugin is hosted at sourceforge.net. See the Source Code page for details.

Configuration:

The plugin is configurable via a configuration file. See the Configuration page for details. The aspects of the plugin you can configure include: the speed of the bridge; the materials from which you can make it; the materials that are allowed as power blocks (the blocks directly underneath the bridge through which it receives redstone power, by default this can be any solid block), whether or not bridges are allowed to float in thin air and various aspects of the sound effects.

Feedback:

Please let me know what you think of this plugin! Are there any bugs? What can I improve about it? Leave a comment on this page to let me know. And if you're a server admin and you're using my plugin I'd love an invitation! ;)