It’s all about Groove and SharePoint Workspace

NabazGame is an interactive game developed by Hommes & Process during the “Office for students” operation. In addition to integrating a fun and non-standard component in this offer, setting up a collective SilverLight game in Groove is unquestionably a new approach and probably a world-first.

NabazGame in few words…

NabazGame is a reviewed and “improved” version of world famous games like “Noughts and Crosses” or “Connect 4″. The goal is to align a predefined set of pawns, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The main difference compared to Connect 4 is that in NabazGame you do not have any constraints on a pawn’s positioning. The number of players is also free (From 2 to 5), allowing varying levels of complexity, including the fact that players can create alliances. Similarly, the grid size can be freely chosen to be rectangular or square. Game difficulty (i.e. number of pawns to align) is also chosen when starting a new game. As this game is created during an operation already using Nabaztag, pawns look like colored Nabaztag rabbits. 

SilverLight was chosen for several reasons:

1. Because of the capabilities provided by this technology on a Design and Animation point of view,

2. Because of its compatibility - in specific conditions - with Groove development capabilities

3. And, because it was are a really exciting challenge to integrate this technology with Groove

 The SilverLight game is embedded in Groove workspaces like any other Groove tool (calendar, files, etc.). The consequence is that the tool is automatically shared and synchronized with a workspace’s members. A user only has to select one or more players from the members, chose parameters (difficulty and grid size) and launch a new game. The game will be played in real-time or in deferred mode, thanks to Groove communication capabilities.

A workspace gathering several Groove users who would like to test NabazGame has also been set up.
Feel free to join by accepting this invitation

How to use NabazGame

- Download the file (.gta)

- Save the fil in your “My Documents \Groove Tool Templates” folder

- Create a new workspace or open an existing one

- Click on the “add tool” icon

- Then click on “More tools”

- Choose “NabazGame” in the list and validate

- NabazGame is added to your workspace

Enjoy

On a technology point of view.

Groove does not provide, in its standard capabilities, tools to create rich and integrated applications in workspaces. Of course, you can use forms tools (Groove Forms or InfoPath Forms), use SharePoint integration or Web Services API to integrate or extend Groove but there’s no real and standard way to create advanced embedded applications. You have to divert the normal use of tools to reach your goal. In the current case, this was done by using Groove Forms and its hidden underlying Web technologies: what can be considered as a restriction (technology that does not provide advanced capabilities to design forms) can also be a real opportunity! Of course, you have to be cunning to workaround standard - and sometimes puzzling - behaviors in the tool but Web technologies also allow us to embed the SilverLight player. It was the main fact in this case. Content was developed using Microsoft Expression Design and Microsoft Expression Blend and then injected into Groove as XAML.

As a summary

A few experiments have already been done in the past (by Hugh Pyle or Michael Sherroter, both Microsoft employees, for example) but NabazGame is today unquestionably a successful and advanced set up of SilverLight in Groove. 

I have to recognize that an implementation done as a game has a relatively low interest , but this set up has to be analyzed in the way it provides a new way to create interactive solutions in Groove, which can of course be used to implement business solutions.

About Hommes & Process

Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Hommes &process is recognized both nationally and internationally as an expert and leader on Groove collaborative technologies: 2 Groove MVP (Microsoft Valuable Professional) and 4 Groove MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) within the current team is proof of the level of skills. Founded in 2003, Hommes & Process proposes a global offer including organizational / human and technical aspects. Member of Microsoft IDEES program (Microsoft program to support innovative companies), Hommes & Process is also a software vendor, provides the GrooveIT! product range and is recognized for its high capabilities to innovate.

Aware that a global offer based on Groove technologies perfectly fits Education needs (students, university, labs…) and having already successfully deployed such solutions for this kind of user, it was natural for Hommes & Process to collaborate with Microsoft to set up the “Office for Students” program and to provide all components related to Groove (NabazGroove, NabazGame, Groove Workspace templates, GrooveIT! offer, etc)

- Hommes & Process website : http://www.hommesetprocess.com (EN/FR)

- Hommes & Process blog : http://blog.hommesetprocess.com/en/ (EN/FR)

- Nabaztag : http://www.nabaztag.com (EN/FR)

- ”Office for Students” operation : Office pour les étudiants (FR)