Customise your session

Each instance of MSP Challenge is created by loading a configuration file into the MSP Challenge server.

This configuration file is a text file in the JSON format. A separate software tool for editing these configuration files is being developed. Either way, the configuration files stipulate almost everything, e.g. the time frame of the simulation, all the data layers that should be available, which simulations should be running in the background, etc. etc. This means that without a configuration file, there is no MSP Challenge edition or session.

When a configuration file is loaded into the MSP Challenge server, the server pulls all the requests data from the stipulated GeoServer, sets up the MySQL database for the requested edition and all its data. It also sets up the requested background simulations (e.g. Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE), Shipping simulation (SEL), Energy simulation (CEL)), and sets up any other more technical things required to get the MSP Challenge edition up and running.

See the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Clyde marine region pages for more information on what the default configuration files for these editions look like. If you've downloaded the entire MSP Challenge simulation platform, feel free to open up one of these configuration files in a text editor of your choice (all .json files in the 'config' directory of the server software are such configuration files) to see what they look like.

How to edit configuration files

When you download the client+server you will have also downloaded the configuration file editor. This is a tool we have created to make it easier to edit the configuration files.

If you want to edit an existing configuration file (at the moment: 'NS_basic', 'BS_Basic' or 'CR_Basic'), please copy the file you want to edit and save it with another name that makes sense to you, for example 'BS_Basic_energy' if you are preparing a special session for energy scenarios in the Baltic Sea. You can do this on your windows files explorer.

When you open the configuration editor, you'll see two tabs on the left side: "Menu" and "Issues", click on the "Menu" tab and then click on "Load" to browse and select the file you want to use (the one you just saved).

Click 'ok":

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We highly recommend you make a copy of this file, rename it to something that makes sense to you, and then only edit this new file!

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(see if this still applies)

On the left-hand side you will see the main categories of variables in the configuration file:

o Global Data:

General settings for a game, e.g. what’s the start year, end year, etc.

o Layer Meta:

This category contains all the data layers already included for you to change or remove, and also allows you to add new data layers based on e.g. GIS data from your GeoServer. Every data layer has its own variables, e.g. the geotype, category it should fall under, whether it should be editable by players or not, etc. You can also set e.g. the names and colors of each type under each data layer here.

o MEL:

This is an acronym for ‘MSP EwE Link’. MEL allows you to specify which data layers (e.g. fish farms) create which kind of pressures (e.g. artificial habitat) that are subsequently fed into the EwE ecosystem simulation running in the background of an MSP Challenge 2050 session. The window shows each data layer connected to each pressure. Per pressure, you can add layers or remove them. The checkbox before a data layer indicates whether the layer introduces said pressure already during the construction phase (checked) or not (unchecked). The decimal number shown behind each data layer in each pressure (always between 0 and 1) are factors. The higher this number, the higher the impact said data layer has on said pressure.

o Restrictions:

Under this category you can define any restrictions each combination of two data layers introduce, e.g. a shipping route versus a wind farm. The restriction can have three types: info, warning or error. Each has a different consequence in the game, all involve at least a message under the Issues tab of a plan. Errors disallow players to finalize a plan, warnings are strong messages but players can still finalize a plan, and info messages are purely insightful information messages.

o Plans

Here you can simply click on the Export Plans button to retrieve the plans that are currently in the database (because you and/or your players drew them in the game) and save them to the configuration file. A configuration file with plans saved in it allows you to recreate a session with those plans again. Use this feature to set up a session with so-called starting plans in them.

o Objectives

Here you can again simply click on the Export Objectives button to the objectives that are currently in the database (because you and/or your players added them in the game) and save them to the configuration file. A configuration file with objectives saved in it allows you to recreate a session with those objectives again. Use this feature to set up a session with specific starting objectives in them.

When you select a category on the left-hand side, you will load that category’s variables on the right. You can change values of the appropriate variables here, and click on ‘Save’ at the bottom of the screen when you’re done. You should see a confirmation message at the top of your screen. • If you then go back to your MSP Challenge 2050 main server page (http://localhost/stable/api/visual/start) you can select your new, updated configuration file, and click ‘Reload Database’ to thus set up your MSP Challenge 2050 server and session.