Art by Dana Moot II
The past summer has been a magical one for the game-loving members of the Azure Advocacy team, as we presented to you our three-part game series entitled the Azure Maya Mystery. If you haven't been following along, you can read about its genesis and continuation right here on dev.to.
True to our mission as Advocates on the Academic Team, lead developers Jen and Chris wanted to sneak in a little educational content, and we hope you have enjoyed learning more about Maya glyphs this summer. Congratulations, by the time you complete Level 3, you will know the meaning of 13 ancient Maya glyphs!
The following content contains spoilers about gameplay!
Back in July, we introduced you, the intrepid explorer, to a text-based online experience where you were introduced to a mysterious pyramid you have found, deep in the jungle. As you circle its base, reading half-hidden glyphs, you discover the keys to climb its steep flight of steps to its entrance.
Using your knowledge gleaned from matching clues found in Microsoft Learn and the newly discovered glyphs, you discover a code needed to open the pyramid's door. You use your learnings about Azure Static Web Apps to launch a chat window to discover part of the pyramid's name, and then gain entry into the pyramid.
But suddenly, the floor collapses under your feet and you start to slide!
In August, you discovered Level 2, where you speak to a grumpy turtle, launch a web app using Node.js to gather necessary equipment, dive into a cenote, or underground spring, and salvage broken glyphs.
Fitting them back together, you are granted access to the main chamber by the turtle, who seems to be more than a simple reptilian ally.
Now, in the very last level of the Azure Maya Mystery game, you will be able to ascend to the pinnacle of the pyramid by helping complete the restoration of the pyramid and reach the summit. Along the way, you will learn the name of the pyramid and the identity of the goddess to whom it is dedicated.
Using a web app powered by a machine learning model for image recognition, you will gain insight into the full meaning of the three parts of the pyramid's name. Discover its meaning, and unlock the entry to the summit, where you will be rewarded by the goddess presiding over the pyramid.
We hope you have enjoyed learning about our three technical foci over this summer: Azure Static Web Apps, Node.js, and Machine Learning. In addition, we hope you enjoyed the scavenger hunt we sent you on as you shuttled between Microsoft Learn and the Mystery! Finally, we hope you learned a little about Maya pyramids and glyphs and enjoyed the adventure.
Visit the third level of the Maya Mystery today, ascend to the summit, and earn your reward!
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