Welcome to the Microsoft Technical Quest, which introduces gamification of Microsoft technologies. The game supports learning in a fun way and can help to increase the understanding of new technologies. Microsoft Technical Quest is valuable for anyone hoping to expand their learning, and it complements Azure administrator and Azure architect courses and certifications.

The object of the game is to accumulate the most points by purposefully deploying Resource cards and skillfully applying Action cards to improve your deployment.

There are two play modes: Guided and Autonomous. With Guided play, an instructor indicates the architecture to play and leads players through the game. Autonomous play does not require instructor guidance. The game can be played by two individuals or by one individual on two browser tabs. In either play mode, spectators can observe the game.

To get started, from either the ribbon or the Microsoft Technical Quest home page, select Start a game. At any time, you can review the available cards by selecting Microsoft Technical Quest and then selecting the cards. To review the rules, from the ribbon, select How to Play.

After you start a new game, you follow these steps:

• Select your avatar
• Enter your first Name
• Select the course to play
• Select the architecture
• Select Start a Game

When you reach the Discard screen, you are ready to share the game link with your opponent.

• To provide the game link to your opponent, select Copy the game link to clipboard and then paste the link in chat.
• To play the game against yourself, paste the copied link into another tab.

Guided Play

The instructor divides the class into two teams and picks the Reference Architecture for the game. Both teams attempt to build the same architecture using the specified number of Resource cards and Action cards.

Autonomous Play

Individuals who want to play independently (without an instructor or a second player) can follow the Guided play instructions, but they begin a game by opening two browser tabs and acting as both players.

1. To start a new game, the player selects Start a Game.
2. They select their first avatar.
3. They enter the name for the first instance they plan to play.
4. The player selects the course.
5. To select the game’s Reference Architecture, they select an Architecture card image.
6. They select Start a Game.
7. The player selects Copy the game link to clipboard and then pastes it into a second open tab to become their own opponent.
8. They open a second instance of the game as player 2, choose an avatar, and enter a name.
9. They select I'm Ready to Play.
10. After they select Start a game and I'm Ready to Play (as both players), they proceed to the Discard screen.
11. They continue to discard and play by moving between tabs and making selections as both players.

Spectators

Individuals who want to watch the game may do so in Teams if a player shows their screen. Or they can join as a spectator and view the game of the player who has shared their Game ID, as follows:

1. After both players make their discard selections and join the game, they can provide a spectator link to allow others to watch their game.
2. To copy the game link, players select the black-and-white icon with shapes of people at the top of the screen. This initially displays No Spectators, but after the link is shared in the chat, players see the names of spectators who have joined to view the game.
3. Each player can paste the copied link in the chat, noting that the link is for their game [Player 1 (name) spectator link: or Player 2 (name) spectator link:].
4. Spectators select the shared game link of the player they wish to observe and then enter their own first name. After spectators select I'm Ready to Watch, they join the game and can view the cards for the player they chose. Their name appears in the spectator box for both players to view.
5. Spectators can view the game as it progresses but cannot move any cards.
6. Spectators can bookmark cards and architectures. This allows them to build a library of topics which they can then email to themselves from the bookmark area for further learning.

Note: While the game is in play, players can browse or review their bookmark page. To return to the game in play, on the ribbon, they select the Current Game link. They should avoid using the refresh button to return to the game, since this results in a new game.

Each team has 15 minutes to review and discuss its cards. Remaining minutes and seconds are displayed on the timer. The objective is for teams to review the Reference Architecture and the cards they were dealt and to then identify which ones can be used in the Reference Architecture.

All Resource cards and Action cards are automatically shuffled into a random selection, and the computer deals each player the total number of cards indicated on the selected Architecture card. Each team has a different set of random cards.

To review a detailed (zoomed) view of a card, a player needs to select it. Teams are allowed one opportunity to discard any cards that cannot be applied to the Reference Architecture. As teams review their cards, they can choose to keep or discard each one. Players have one opportunity to discard cards they do not want to use for the architecture they are playing.

Players can drag the card to discard it, or they can select a card to zoom it out. To view the card’s details, players use the carousel Right arrow and Left arrow. To discard from the zoomed view, players select Move to Discard Zone.

To move a card back to the Keep pile, players drag the card back or zoom on the Discard pile and select Move to Hand.

Players may select as many cards as they like for discard or, if they choose to keep the first random selection dealt, they select Skip Discarding.

After players decide which cards to keep or replace, the computer provides random replacements for the discarded cards. There is no opportunity to go back, so players should make their selections wisely. Teams should use the remaining time during the Discard phase to review their new cards. The discard time for each team is limited to 15 minutes.

Players can wait for the timer to run out for the game play to begin or, after both players have completed discarding, they can each select Ready to play. The timer then counts down the battle!

The objective of the game is to accumulate the most points by the end of the game. A player adds points to their team’s total by playing Resource cards—or Action cards with positive points—to their own Architecture. A player can play a negative-point Action card on the opposing team’s architecture, resulting in a loss of points for the opposing team. A player can review card details, including its assigned points, by selecting it and zooming in on it.

Both players begin the game with an Azure Subscription card. This allows the activation of the game architecture. The active player is identified at the top of the screen. A timer encircles their avatar to limit the play time. When a card is played, the next player is automatically displayed at the top and the second player’s avatar begins the countdown. If a player does not select a card within the allotted time and the time runs out, the play is automatically handed to the other player.

Players may select one Resource card or Action card and drag it to the playing surface, or they may play the card from the zoomed carousel view. The scores update with each card played.

Each player has a set amount of time to play their cards. The timer for each turn is displayed around their avatar. If a player does not play their card within the allotted time, the play is automatically handed to their opponent.

If a team has no cards that can be played, the player can select Pass Turn. The play then reverts to the opponent.

The game ends when no cards are left or if neither team can play any of their remaining cards. It can also end if either team selects End game. Alternatively, after 15 minutes of play, the game clock expires and the game ends.

The team with the most points wins the game.

The Bookmarks feature allows all learners (players and spectators) to build a library of select architectures and services they wish to learn more about after the game is over. This gives the learner a mapped link to the corresponding page on Microsoft Learn so they can review and further study the technology on their own. From any zoomed view of cards or architectures, a learner can select Add to Bookmarks and add the topic to their bookmark library.

The feature is available to players at any point in the game. Note that bookmarked items are not saved after the game is over. During the game, learners can either email the bookmarks to themselves by selecting Share Bookmarks or by selecting the Copy to clipboard icon, so they have the link in their Favorites for future reference.

Either player can pause the game to focus on specific deployment strategies. To do so, they select Pause Game beneath the clock. This notifies the opponent of the request to pause and allows them to confirm it. The opponent screen displays this message:

Either player can request a pause by clicking on the ‘Pause Game’ button. This will notify the opponent of the request and allow them to confirm.

"Player (name) wants to pause the game. Do you agree?"

To pause the game, the opponent selects Yes. To reject the request and continue moving the game forward, the opponent selects No and then the requesting team is notified that the request was denied.

To resume play, a player again selects Pause Game.

 

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The Azure Architecture Center contains guidance for building end-to-end solutions on Microsoft Azure. Microsoft Technical Quest references this information. For the most current reference architectures, best practices, design patterns, scenario guides, and reference implementations, go to Microsoft Docs.

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