Basic Instructions for the UAA Python Experimental Economics Toolkit (UAA-PEET) Ben Saylor November 30, 2009 ---------- INSTALLING ---------- PEET requires Python version 2.6.x and wxPython. Installing Python: Python is generally pre-installed in Linux and Macintosh operating systems. For Windows, go to http://python.org and click on the "Windows Installer" link under "Quick Links (2.6.x)" (x will be the current revision number) to obtain the installer. Installing wxPython: For Windows, go to http://wxpython.org/, click on "Binaries" (under "Download"), and download the appropriate installer for Python 2.6 for your system (typically win32-unicode, unless you are running a 64-bit OS). For Linux/UNIX systems use the package manager to install wxPython if it is available for your distribution (the Ubuntu package is called python-wxgtk2.8). Installing UAA-PEET: UAA-PEET requires no special installation; simply extract the files from the archive (taking care to preserve the sub-folder structure) to a location of your choice. The server and each client will need a copy. Operating systems: PEET has been tested in Ubuntu 8.04 - 9.10 and Windows XP, but has not been tested thoroughly in Windows Vista or at all in Mac OSX. ------- RUNNING ------- Double-click on server.py. Click "Open" to open your parameter file. This starts in the folder UAA-PEET/server/paramfiles, where there is a testing version of a parameter file called island-testing.ini - select this one for now. If you want to edit the parameters, click Edit, make your changes and then click Save and Close. "Number of players" is on the left-middle. 2 is a fine number for testing. Click "Choose output folder". All the output files will be written into whatever folder you select here. If it doesn't matter, just leave it at the default folder (UAA-PEET/server/output) and click OK. You may want to check "Auto-advance rounds" and/or "Auto-advance matches". Click "Connect to Clients". You should see two status lines appear in the status area that say "Waiting for connection." Back in the UAA-PEET folder, Double-click on client.py. Enter anything for the login name and click "Log In". Repeat for any additional clients. Each login name must be unique. The Status column should now say "Connected" for all clients. Click "Start" and the game will begin. --------------------------------- RECONNECTING DISCONNECTED CLIENTS --------------------------------- If a client disconnects, the game will pause, including the auction timer. The Unpause button in the server window will be disabled until all disconnected clients have reconnected. The disconnected subject should open the login window again, but click "Reconnect" instead of "Log in". They will be presented with a list of clients who have disconnected (probably just one). If more than one, select the right one. Then click "Reconnect". The client window should reappear in more or less the correct state (don't worry, the game data for that client will be correct as it's stored on the server and not affected in any way by the disconnect). To continue the game, click Unpause in the server window.