What is Cisco Capture the Flag?
Cisco Capture the Flag (CTF) is a hands-on, fun-filled learning environment that has varying levels of difficulty. The game is a like treasure or egg hunt, where the answers are normally found in a lab setting. While there is usually a lab component, there is no "lab guide" provided. CTF will present you with "Missions" that focus around different Cisco technologies and solutions. Each mission will have associated "Tasks" to complete (aka "Flags" to capture). You can play one or more missions of your choice.

Who can play CTF? Do I need any prior knowledge or experience of the technology to complete that Mission?
Anyone and Everyone is welcome. CTF is a fun hands-on learning experience. The game will have Missions with varying levels of difficulty. There are Missions for those interested in learning new technologies or solutions, while some Missions will dive deep into certain solutions. For most of the Missions, you do not need prior knowledge of a particular technology to enjoy the learning environment.

How to Play this Cisco Capture the Flag?
You will be presented with several "Missions", where each mission is a set of challenges or "Tasks" (also known as "Flags"). By solving a challenge, you will have 'Captured the Flag' for that challenge and be rewarded with points. When a set of challenges (flags) is finished, you will have completed that mission. The level of difficulty may vary between Missions. There are Missions for those interested in learning new technologies or solutions, while some Missions will dive deep into certain solutions. The level of difficulty for each Mission (and individual Flags) is indicated in the description for that Mission.
Each Mission will consist of a brief description that describes the situation or purpose of that mission. Any unlocked mission can be chosen to be played, and tasks can be completed in any order. However, some tasks are dependent on other tasks and will only be unlocked once the dependent tasks are done. Also, some missions will only unlock once enough tasks of other missions are completed.
For some flags or tasks, hints may be provided. You may choose to take the hint for a task if you feel that you are stuck, but if the hint is used, point deduction may occur (deduction penalty, if any, is indicated with each hint). The player with the most flags (i.e. points) captured with the least number of hints used will come out on top of the Leaderboard!
Each Mission is played by connecting to a game (or lab) environment. The "How to Connect" section of each Mission will guide you through the steps for a successful connection.
You can choose to go through one or more missions based on your interests. Unless specified in the mission description, it is NOT necessary to fully complete one mission before proceeding to another. You may leave at anytime and come back to proceed with where you left off.

How long does it take to finish? How long can I play?
CTF comprises of several Missions with many tasks/challenges to be solved. The Easy and many of the Intermediate Missions will take 1-3 hours to finish. The Advanced Missions may take 4 or more hours to complete. You can play for as long as you like during the duration of the event. There is no time limit for playing any Mission and it is NOT necessary to fully complete one mission before proceeding to another.

I do not have much time to complete everything at once, so may I stop midway on a Mission and continue from where I left off?
Certainly! You can play as much as you want during the event and leave at any time. When you log back into the CTF portal again to continue, your scores and completed tasks will be retained for you to move forward. Only for a few missions, where it is explicitly specified in the mission description, there may be some exceptions or additional steps required for resuming.

May I leave a Mission in between and play any other Mission?
You can play as much as you want during the event and leave at any time. When you log back into the CTF portal again to continue, your scores and completed tasks will be retained for you to move forward. Only for a few missions, where it is explicitly specified in the mission description, there may be some exceptions or additional steps required for resuming.

Will there be any support if I got stuck or if I have any questions or issues?
Please reach out to your CTF Event Proctors if you need any help related to Flags or Missions. Information about proctor support can be found once you are logged into the CTF portal and playing your CTF Event. For any general information about the CTF Platform - you can reach out to [email protected].

My allocated pod duration is about to expire. I would like to continue. May I get it extended?
For most Missions, you can simply reserve the same pod again following the instructions in the "How to Connect" section for each Mission should your current reservation expired before the completion of the Mission. The new pod reservation will not affect your already completed tasks or scores. Simply continue with your Mission using the new pod reservation. Should any assistance, though, please reach out to the proctor support.