Goal

After reading this article you'll:

  • understand what Conducttr Videoconferencing (VC) is
  • be able to enable VC and give special permissions to players for VC management
  • be able to create independent rooms during an exercise

Summary

Videoconferencing allows facilitators and participants to conference live using audio and video in the same environment of the exercise. 


 Name
Videoconferencing
 Benefit
Teams can discuss their strategies or conflicting information at the same time they are receiving all the content in the Virtual Desktop, while facilitator can guide and adjudicate the session on the spot.
 Features
  • Secure videoconference environment built on Zoom.
  • Embedded and resizable VC windows in the same screen as the Virtual Desktop
  • Supports different independent rooms players can join or abandon.
  • Facilitator grants special permissions to players to be able to create dedicated rooms

Creating a "lobby" room (Facilitator Dashboard)

To start using videoconference during your sessions, the facilitator can create a main room to receive all participants.

 1. Enabling Videoconference

After uploading your scenario from the Scenario Editor, launch Facilitator Dashboard

In Manage > Videoconferencing, switch on "Enable VideoConferencing"

Then, click on "Add Conference Room"
 .
 2. Create a room in your Zoom account

- Create a new room in Zoom, keep it open. 

- Copy full invitation, (not only the link)
 
3. Add Conference Room

- Go back to Facilitator Dashboard.

- Paste the invite and paste with no changes in the Facilitator pop-up box.

- Add a name for the room

- Select who should be invited to the room.

- Click "Send Invitation"
 
 4. Let participants into the room from your Zoom app.

In your still open Zoom room, go to Participants. There you can control who gets admitted to the room. 

NOTE: Facilitators should access the VC from their Zoom app and not from the Virtual Desktop to avoid duplicate screens.
 


Assign permission to create rooms (Facilitator Dashboard)


NOTE: This permission allows participants to create independent rooms within the same exercise using their own Zoom accounts, paid or not. This integration does not use Zoom breakout rooms feature. Please follow the steps below to see how participants or role-players can create their independent conference rooms:


1. Go to Special Permissions

- In Manage > Manage Teams, click on Special Permissions
 
 2. Assign Permission

- Drag and drop the "Host VideoRoom" label to the player you want to allow to create rooms
 
 3. Create additional rooms

In the Virtual Desktop, players with the special permission to create a room will see the + icon in their rooms window.

Click the + copy-paste the Zoom invite (as show above for the facilitator)

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Available actions as a player

IMPORTANT: For the VC to work within the Virtual Desktop, participants need to give permission to their browser to allow microphone and camera. These permissions can be granted the first time they try to join a meeting.

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Join meeting

Participants need to login in their Virtual Desktop in a scenario where the VC is enabled. 

If the facilitator has created a main room (see above), they will see it and be able to click to Join Meeting. 

Then, participants will wait for the room owner to admit them in the participants' panel.


 
Resize screen

Participants can
- resize
- fullscreen
- minimize
their screens at any moment of the videoconference.
 
Mute / Stop video

After allowing the browser to use microphone and camera, participants can un/mute their mics and stop/start their video.

Create additional room
If a player is given permission to create rooms, they will see a + button in their Rooms panel.

Once they click +, they will need to create the room by pasting the invite link (see above).

Leave meeting

Participants can leave a meeting anytime. They just need to find the Rooms icon and click Leave meeting.