X2-Online A realistic replacement for SETA

Tracker · Post by **Tracker** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 10:50

Some time back I thought of a good way to replace SETA in an Online Universe. I'll post it up here at lunchtime(uk).

I'd like to hear your ideas(I'm sure they'll be better than mine)

Apothos · Post by **Apothos** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:15

There really isnt any need for SETA in a persitent online-universe. The only reason it exists in XBtF/XT (in my opinion) is because the game isnt running 24/7 and without some way of speeding up the economy it would take literally 100's of hours to get anywhere, and with you being the only person playing there really is no advantage gained by using such a device.

Faster engines, or a sustainable turbo (much like XBtF, but maybe without the shield drainage) would sort out travel times.

VowelX3 · Post by **VowelX3** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:20

I've put an idea in the other thread asking about OU. Go read it for my sugestion.

But I'm not realy for it as it encorages power playing.. Which I hope they do somthing to keep to a minium.(playing purly to 'level' and get rich faster than everyone else, many times ignoring other players to do so)

Gandalf The White · Post by **Gandalf The White** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:29

Hi. You would also have to speed up production cycles as well. Or you would be weighting for ever for the econamy.

Although in saying that, it would force you in a way to do more exploring so there is that to consider.

fireblade · Post by **fireblade** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:33

I posted an idea a while back about a varation of the LDS used in I-war 2
to work bets it would required full size star systems, which would be nice to have anyway

i can go dig up a more detailed description of how it would work later on

but it basicaly give you a large speed boost (99% speed of light) but requires time to charge and can be disrupted by certain missiles and stations and takes the form of a new drive system

anyone who played Iwar-2 will have some idea of what i mean

The Doctor wrote:Hi. You would also have to speed up production cycles as well. Or you would be weighting for ever for the econamy.

Although in saying that, it would force you in a way to do more exploring so there is that to consider.

to some extent maybe (cant remember how long production cycles take)

but remember a few hours is nothing in a online game

also production would have to be done differently in OU than x-bft/x-tension and x2 due to the fact that it would be a player based ecconomy rather than a npc based one and because of other things that im not going to mention

VowelX3 · Post by **VowelX3** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:35

FFS, I posted an idea just like that fireblade, it's in the OU thread ony a matter of a couple below this one..

Here's all that I said for you lazy burgers.

"they could do what Neocron does and leave your avatar there for 30 secs after it detects your not responding, then remove you saving your place, shields and hull.. So if your losing a battle and pull the phone line your just a sitting duck for half a minute, long enough to get blown away.. But if it's not a battle you'lll be safer, as somone will start shooting you and you;ll dissapear before you hull is breached.

It's the same thing when you log out too so you have to be somwhere relativly safe..

Onto the SETA issuse, Maybe the same system, but instead of speeding up the game world, speed up your ship at the cost of weapon and shield stregth droping to maybe 25% while the mod is engaged, have it slowly speed you up to it's max, and firing/changing direction would take you out of this mode.. It'd only be a multiplyer though so somone with a far faster ship could still catch you, maybe add a diruptor for it, so somone can knock you out of it to try and steal your cargo.

Though I'm sorta not for fast travel, it was good for single player because you didn't have to spend an hour going from place to place.. But in a MMOG it's not just you, and if your wizzing along super fast you'll miss some player interaction that makes these sort of games winners.

Ha, thats what you get for asking."

Gandalf The White · Post by **Gandalf The White** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:36

Sounds like the old Torus Jump Drive from the origional Elite.

Not a bad idea.

Gandalf The White · Post by **Gandalf The White** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:39

A form of Interdiction a?

Now I would like an Intadicter Croozer.

fireblade · Post by **fireblade** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:44

i read your suggestion and my idea is slightly different though you cant tell with only the simple description

the key difference would be the full size star systems which make a lot of difference to high speeds causing problems as the lowest speed for such a drive would be impossible to do comabt at as you would run into your own bullets not to mention the problems of manuvering at that speed

and you need such high speeds to be able to get around the system in any resonable length of time.

also you can change direction while it is active (but only slowly)
and it does not affect your shields.

you also cant escape from combat because anyone with a disruption missile can launch it at you even after the drive is active and the missile can still track you as it would also have the drive and can move a lot quicker

like i said i will post a fuller description latter on

VowelX3 · Post by **VowelX3** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:49

Well you should not have posted now to say that your gonna post your ideas later.

Same goes for this topic starter, either post your ideas now, or later, but don't post to say your going to post later and you've got an idea.

It's me saying to my GF... "I'm going to tell you somthing later about our relationship"

Later.... "I don't think we're good for each other, bye"

It's a stupid idea.

fireblade · Post by **fireblade** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 11:58

hmm well maybe

but its not any worse than saying i posted an idea in the other thread without linking to that thread

VowelX3 · Post by **VowelX3** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 12:05

The other thread actualy had ideas in it, this one started life as an anoucment about an idea that would be reviled later.

Hell at one point this was just one thread above the other. this is a SETA in OU whereas the other is better because it is more general.

https://www.egosoft.com/x2/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4655

Tracker · Post by **Tracker** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 13:23

The problem with online space games is basically how do you cover large distances quickly, & yet have WW1 style combat. Most of us probably remember Frontier Elite, you got 1 shot, then you were a million miles apart again. Obviously in an OnlineUniverse you can't just speed up time.

Anyway here's my idea.

Every ship would have a SETA drive that when active forms a time bubble around the ship. This allows your ship to travel very quickly. The drive in your ship will pulse in a specific way, this could be decided by a six digit code that is broadcast from the local master space station. When a ship enters a new sector the SETA drive sets it's pulse to the local pulse code. Bubbles created by different ships do not affect each other if they are on the same pulse. However a Pirate or Enemy ship(s) could close on another ship(s) with its engine on a different pulse, when the bubbles touch they both collapse, dropping all ships into WW1 speed where they Mix it UP.

You can have different engines with larger bubbles that go faster.

Your radar would show engines using the local sector pulse as RED.

Switching pulse codes could take 30sec to stop players sneaking up on one another(tho technology could reduce this time.)

Player pirate formations would simply set all their codes to the same number so they can catch their prey while in SETA.

In sectors where there are no stations, friendly ship would just default to a standard code.

Obviously when close to stations the bubble would utomatically collapse.

Technology devices could scan for the 6 digit codes being used by other players, so you could escape on SETA.

Ships would basically have 2 engine types, SETA & sublight. These could be upgraded seperately, but you can't have powerful engines of both types. So if you are fast in SETA, you are slow in Combat. This would make pirates/military use carriers with powerful SETA drives to catch prey, then launch fighters.

Well that's it, I think you could have a lot of fun with it in a MMOU

You are right about the other thread Vowel, it's what made me think about it, but at the time it was turning into a thread about link deads and such.

pjknibbs · Post by **pjknibbs** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 13:41

Tracker wrote:Every ship would have a SETA drive that when active forms a time bubble around the ship. This allows your ship to travel very quickly. The drive in your ship will pulse in a specific way, this could be decided by a six digit code that is broadcast from the local master space station. When a ship enters a new sector the SETA drive sets it's pulse to the local pulse code. Bubbles created by different ships do not affect each other if they are on the same pulse. However a Pirate or Enemy ship(s) could close on another ship(s) with its engine on a different pulse, when the bubbles touch they both collapse, dropping all ships into WW1 speed where they Mix it UP.

You know what that reminds me of? The Spelljammer system used in the Dungeons and Dragons game, where ships were forced to drop to "tactical speed" once they got close enough to each other...

carran · Post by **carran** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 13:47

It doesn't solve the problem that SETA was created for, ie speed up time for the universe to reduce not just travel time but speed up production too.

If it doesn't satisfy both requirements it's not a suitable substitute for SETA. I'm all in favour of a device to allow ships to move faster, but this has to be separate from speeding up production cycles or else OU will become a nonsense.

Thalass · Post by **Thalass** » Thu, 13. Mar 03, 14:41

Well, I'm hoping that by the time XOL comes out, a proper jumpdrive would have been invented, so SETA would be redunant. You could jump to a specific point in whatever sector you were in, or even others (at the cost of EC's, of course).

I would like that. Me in my Titan jumping to ambush some poor Teladi or Split trader

oh! the carnage! hehe