How can I run a Vensim game over the web?

[AlexV]

Hi, I would like to "run" a Vensim model in gaming mode over the web - what would be the best way to do this? (Or should I start with "Is it even possible?")

I don't mind having to build interfaces, and I don't need players to see the actual model: I just need to be able to feed the model with gaming inputs and extract simulation results at each game interval.

(An added wrinkle: I want several people to be able to play at once - but I am assuming that collecting results from and disseminating results to several different people can be taken care of via the proper interface, so Vensim does not need to worry about this.)

Thank you for your help!

[Administrator]

Forio Epicenter allows this,
https://forio.com/products/epicenter/

That will be the quickest way to get a game on the web.

[AlexV]

Hi, yes, I know about Forio and they are great... but we really want to do this ourselves. I am sure that we could just translate the model into Python and operate it that way, but I am hoping that Vensim will allow for an easier way...

[Administrator]

Do you want multiple players at different locations to play the same game at the same time? Or is it multiple players playing it by themselves?

[AlexV]

Multiple players at the same time (same game) - but as I said, I believe that this can be taken care of by the interface.

[tomfid]

You can use the Vensim Multicontext DLL with a server license, but that's kind of an expensive heavyweight solution - best for heavy use or large, complex models.

You can translate a lot of simple models to PySD.

Forio is still the best option for many purposes, because you don't have to reinvent all the infrastructure.

[Travis]

I think an easier approach would be to use SDEverywhere. This converts an MDL file to WASM which you could then call. You'll need to do webapp coding to have some web sockets and such, but the model can run locally or on a server (Node.js). SDEverwhere can also generate standalone C code, if that is your preferred way of deployment.

[tomfid]

Can SDE run in gaming mode, with decisions at discrete intervals within a particular simulation?

[Travis]

Not yet, but that could be added. Right now it would be a hack of some inputs.

But thanks for pointing out Game Mode -- I missed that in the OP.