What is SETA exactly?

[shireknight]

I use SETA to quickly move across sectors and so I thought SETA was a kind of warpdrive device like in Star Wars and Star Trek and that it only effected the players ship and everyone else still moved at normal speed but Ive been reading comments today that are starting to make me think that it's some kind of time speed up gizmo that effects everyone not just the player is that right?

[CBJ]

Yes, it's time compression, as described in this FAQ entry.

[softweir]

It is like bullet-time, but in reverse - the whole universe speeds up, including any enemies, missiles and bullets that may be chasing you!

Its main use is to reduce impatience while travelling from A to B.

Since the ENTIRE x-universe speeds up, including the background economic and out-of-sector simulations, this only works well if you have a CPU capable of managing the extra work. Use too high a SETA setting and the engine ends up queueing too many events, and things go slower than with lower SETA settings. I don't think anybody has managed to slow the universe to below normal speed...

[shireknight]

Gah Iv'e only been playing the X-games since the very beginning -I guess maybe I should have read the manuals

[Carl Sumner]

Actually, what SETA does is slow you down, so the whole universe seems to go faster.

But that means it is easier to run into things, and enemies can shoot you faster.

Unfortunatly, the real CPU in your computer can't compute but so fast. So SETA tends to "dumb-down" the AI stuff like the autopilots. Big crashes. Luckily, collision detection is only done when you are in a sector, so crashes only get worse in the sector where you are.

Be careful using SETA in crowded sectors, it can cause "bad things" to happen.

When most players get a lot of ships and stations, they don't have time to waste on SETA. I seldom use it at all, nowdays.

[shireknight]

When most players get a lot of ships and stations, they don't have time to waste on SETA. I seldom use it at all, nowdays. Cool

Carl does that mean you don't get the chance to fly around in your ships anymore because your too busy managing your Empire?

[Turricanion]

SETA - Singularity Engine Time Accelerator

[jlehtone]

Carl does that mean you don't get the chance to fly around in your ships anymore because your too busy managing your Empire?

* At start:
You are flying to a distant station in The Hole. You own only one slow ship. You do not have satellites to even check prices on remote (uncharted) sectors. What can you do? Compress time.

* A bit later:
You are flying to a distant station in The Hole. Your ship may be faster, so the trip does not take so long. You have all the galaxy mapped, so you can look around for opportunities (trade&fight). You have other assets that you can dispatch if needed. Less management of what you already have, and more preparations for getting some more (ships/stations).


One can remove the SETA shortcut key from the Control Profile. I did.