Update to Forio Epicenter (1.47)

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Hello Everyone,

We’re excited to announce our latest updates to Epicenter and the Epicenter.js library.

This release of Epicenter includes several exciting new features:

  • The Interface Builder, while still in Beta, now allows you to create run comparison projects. These projects typically have time-based models, and are usually simulated to the end once initial assumptions are set. Then, users can compare these different scenarios. Many projects that look at the effects of different policy decisions use this type.
  • The channel infrastructure that Epicenter uses for communication between end users in multiplayer projects has been upgraded to use web sockets; this provides improved performance especially under high usage.
  • Team members in a customer support role can now reset passwords for all end users, regardless of username.

This release of Epicenter.js, 2.2, includes:

  • A new Scenario Manager for working with time-based projects involving run comparisons. Each Scenario Manager allows you to compare the results of several runs, using three provided components: a current run in which to make decisions; a list of saved runs, that is, runs that you want to use for comparisons; and an optional baseline run to compare against. (Behind the scenes, is used in the Interface Builder’s run comparison projects.)
  • Updates to the Run Manager, including updated strategies, and an addition to the getRun() call so that it can now return model variables as well.

Complete release notes are below. As always, Epicenter release notes for this and other releases are available at:
https://forio.com/epicenter/docs/public/releases/

Happy modeling!

WILL

##v1.47 Release Notes

Release Date: 3/19/2017

New Features

  • Epicenter.js 2.2 Released. This is a major release of Epicenter.js. It includes:

    • Changes to the Run Strategies and Run Manager. In particular, a few strategies have been renamed and a few have been deprecated (all old names and strategies will continue to work for some time). Additionally, the Run Manager getRun() method can now return requested variables, in addition to run information.
    • A new Scenario Manager for working with time-based projects involving run comparisons. Each Scenario Manager allows you to compare the results of several runs, using three provided components: a current run in which to make decisions; a list of saved runs, that is, runs that you want to use for comparisons; and an optional baseline run to compare against.
    • A new Presence Service for tracking end users status (online, offline) in multiplayer games.

    The complete Epicenter.js 2.2. release notes are available on GitHub.

Improvements

  • Web Sockets for Channels. The cometd channel infrastructure, used by Epicenter’s Channel API for creating event notifications and chat messages in multiplayer simulations, has been upgraded to use the WebSocket protocol by default. This allows for improved performance especially under high usage.

  • Password Reset for All End Users. When viewing all end users for a team, team members (including both authors and customer support members) can now change the passwords of end users whose usernames are email addresses. Team members choose between Send Reset Password Link, which allows end users to change the password themselves, and Change Password, which allows team members to create a new password.

  • Creating and replaying a run now accepts a configurable timeout. The call to create a new run (whether creating a new run or replaying a run) has a default timeout of 30 seconds; if the run cannot be created within that time, there is an error. New in this release, that timeout can be increased by setting the inceptionGracePeriodSeconds field in the model context file. In most cases there is no need to change the default. However, some models have a very long running initial operation and need additional time here.

  • Additional security for Interface files. For additional security, you can now add a new folder in the Interface section of your project and name it “protected”. Files added to the “protected” folder are accessible only to end users who are logged in to your authenticated project. (Outside of the “protected” folder, files added to the Interface section within your project can be accessed through the user interface of your project, or with the exact URI.)

Bug Fixes

  • When editing the assignments of end users to worlds, the existing world names are always listed in alphabetical order. (Note that this is only true for assignments created after this release.)

  • When uploading end users with a template, in some cases choosing to Overwrite and Add to Group was not actually overwriting the data for existing end users. This was released as Epicenter v1.46.2.1 on 2/14/17.

  • Other minor fixes for performance and stability.

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