OBJECTIVE
Starting at Lomas Orbiter in the Wolf 359 system, visit 60 systems in the order specified as quickly as possible, and then return to the starting station. Different classes have varying docking requirements, depending on the level of challenge you wish to pursue, and a variety of divisions help you race in your winning ship!
LEADERBOARDS
BACKGROUND
Buckyball Racing has existed since the beginning of the current era of spaceflight, popularized by CMDR ElectricZ with The Buckyball Run. The enterprising ElectricZ is partnered with (or possibly works for?) a stoic kangaroo named Bucky.
| Some history from ElectricZ: The "Buckyball" Braben Star-to-Shining-Star Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as The Buckyball Run, is an unofficial, unsanctioned spaceship race run from Xiaoguan Hub in Magec to the Vonarburg Co-Operative in the Wyrd system. The first run was not a real competitive race, as there was only one team running, but was intended both as a celebration of the Federation Interstellar Star Route System and a protest against strict traffic laws coming into effect at the time.
As it was found out, the newly imposed 9.8c relativistic limit imposed by the Federation Maximum Velocity Law (imposed as an energy conservation measure) was actually slower than the quickest average velocities of point-to-point travels of Commander Ian Buchanan "Buckyball" Braben (no relation) in the first half of the 32nd century. In 3102, Braben flew the route in a Cowell-MgRath model 57 Sidewinder, averaging greater than 12.5c, setting a 32 minute record that stood for nearly 140 years. Another motivation was the fun involved... |
| The original use of the name "Buckyball" was as a nickname for mankind's first manufactured nanomaterial: buckminsterfullerene, so the shape of its molecule is used as the race's symbol. The name is an homage to Buckminster Fuller, and the geodesic domes of his invention. |
| Buckminsterfullerene is a carbon-60 (or C[SUB]60[/SUB]) molecule with atoms arranged in a truncated icosahedron that was originally described by Leonardo da Vinci. CMDR Jak thought it should be possible to find a race course that's shaped like a buckyball molecule. So numbers were crunched, the route modified (only slightly) to be more fun, and a course was plotted. Welcome to: The BuckyBubble. |
CLASSES
4 race classes are provided to allow for differing levels of race challenge and a variety of ships.
| Class | Equipment | Docking | Time | SC |
| Stock Challenge | Only this shieldless Hauler build. No engineer modifications. No FSD injection. Pit crews with limpets are not allowed. | No docking other than finish at Lomas Orbiter. | 1 hour | 53 ls |
| Pro | Any ship. No engineer mods or enhanced thrusters. No FSD injection. Pit crews can refuel via limpets. | 17 spaceports (no outposts). 1 per relevant system. Finish at Lomas Orbiter. | 2 hours | 34,610 ls |
| Top Fuel | Any non-large ship. Any equipment and engineer mods. FSD injections are allowed. Pit crews can refuel via limpets. | 29 spaceports or outposts. 1 per relevant system. Finish at Lomas Orbiter. | 2.5 hours | 29,775 ls |
| Funny Car Challenge | Same rules as Top Fuel, except:
| Same stations as Top Fuel. | 2.5 hours | 29,775 ls |
| The Stock Hauler can be built for less than 1M credits at these stations, near Wolf 359. You can replace its Basic Discovery Scanner with an Intermediate or Advanced one. Please note the non-standard, reduced size fuel tank. |
THE ROUTE
The race starts and finishes at Lomas Orbiter, in the Wolf 359 system. You must travel through all systems in the order specified below, docking at required stations in those systems containing them. The chart indicates which systems have docking requirements for each class.
| Way- point | System | LYs to Next Sys | Stock Docking | Pro Docking | Top Fuel Docking |
| 0 | Wolf 359 | 52.83 | ✖ | ✔ | ✖ |
| 1 | Ao | 19.43 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 2 | LP 911-13 | 19.52 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 3 | V886 Centauri | 25.23 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 4 | Khaka | 24.28 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 5 | LTT 6947 | 15.14 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 6 | L 484-31 | 28.28 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 7 | Dumnona | 22.41 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 8 | Alrai Sector FG-X b1-5 | 20.58 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 9 | V379 Serpentis | 22.89 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 10 | Wolf 515 | 19.78 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 11 | Wolf 427 | 25.4 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 12 | LP 734-11 | 25.2 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 13 | Shamash | 27.43 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 14 | LHS 281 | 19.77 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 15 | LFT 568 | 21.27 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 16 | Puppis Sector IC-M a7-1 | 22.33 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 17 | Crucis Sector OI-T a3-2 | 25.49 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 18 | Col 285 Sector QK-P a35-4 | 23.06 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 19 | Col 285 Sector RV-N a36-2 | 18.13 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 20 | LP 926-40 | 21.07 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 21 | Chowei | 16.83 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 22 | LHS 3505 | 25.9 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 23 | LHS 3434 | 23.81 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 24 | Heracles | 25.83 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 25 | 14 Herculis | 27.33 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 26 | Ross 1019 | 17.38 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 27 | LFT 898 | 19.69 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 28 | LHS 302 | 19.36 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 29 | LHS 2212 | 28.1 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 30 | Ross 439 | 22.86 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 31 | 9 Puppis | 18.88 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 32 | Puppis Sector IR-W b1-4 | 20.56 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 33 | Puppis Sector VJ-R a4-2 | 14.17 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 34 | LP 374-6 | 23.73 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 35 | Djandji | 26.35 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 36 | Kinich Ahau | 23.12 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 37 | LFT 1765 | 18.88 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 38 | Col 285 Sector MK-P a35-0 | 20.71 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 39 | Piscium Sector ID-I a10-2 | 19.12 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 40 | LHS 6410 | 25.26 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 41 | LHS 6386 | 21.94 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 42 | Theta Cygni | 26.03 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 43 | h Draconis | 18.02 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 44 | LFT 1073 | 21.22 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 45 | LP 62-147 | 27.58 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 46 | G 107-65 | 16.74 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 47 | LTT 18046 | 27.65 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 48 | Toog | 18.26 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 49 | LP 417-213 | 28.08 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 50 | Shokwa | 22.38 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 51 | Saranyu | 24.31 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 52 | Ross 555 | 19.49 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 53 | LHS 113 | 23.13 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 54 | Piscium Sector YF-N a7-1 | 20.01 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 55 | Jastreb Sector XU-P a5-2 | 19.99 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 56 | Aeng Dimo | 27.15 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 57 | BD+75 58 | 28.10 | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 58 | Keer | 24.86 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 59 | Ndozins | 24.09 | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| 60 | LP 298-42 | 56.1 | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ |
| 61 | Wolf 359 | n/a | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| * Systems in orange have non-scoopable stars for their entry point. ** LYs distances are calculated from eddb.io data; use at your own risk. |
EVIDENCE
Due to the large number of destinations in this race, some non-standard evidence will be required.
VISUAL REQUIREMENT
Submissions for the Stock Challenge can use screenshots to capture visual evidence, as described in the How To Enter section of the Buckyball Racing Club's official website. However all other classes require video submissions.
I highly recommend using the free, Open Broadcast Software project for video capture and streaming. I didn't think that my machine could handle video capture while playing a game, and then this software was recommended by another Buckyball racer. It has saved me a ton of trouble during races. Thanks, robinjb.
Please upload visual evidence to youtube.com, an imgur.com album, or another appropriate hosting service, and then include a link in in your submission.
VERBOSE NETLOGS REQUIREMENT
The use of verbose netLogs allows the race host to not check visual evidence in those systems where no docking takes place. By default, netLog files do not include the info needed to use them as evidence, so you will need to enable verbose logging. The process was summarized in this post by Executive Producer, Michael Brookes, but the detailed process is explained here.
First, please review the following support article to identify the location of your game installation's AppConfig.xml file.
https://support.frontier.co.uk/kb/faq.php?id=108
Next, create a file named AppConfigLocal.xml in that same folder, and open it with Notepad or another simple text editor. Copy/paste the following into the file, save it, and close the text editor.
Finally, use the support article above to find the location of your game installation's NetLog files.
When you have completed a run of this race, please shut down the game client, and copy the most recent netLog.log file to include with your race submission. If you were disconnected one or more times during the run and still wish to submit it, include all relevant logs.
Submissions for the Stock Challenge can use screenshots to capture visual evidence, as described in the How To Enter section of the Buckyball Racing Club's official website. However all other classes require video submissions.
I highly recommend using the free, Open Broadcast Software project for video capture and streaming. I didn't think that my machine could handle video capture while playing a game, and then this software was recommended by another Buckyball racer. It has saved me a ton of trouble during races. Thanks, robinjb.
Please upload visual evidence to youtube.com, an imgur.com album, or another appropriate hosting service, and then include a link in in your submission.
VERBOSE NETLOGS REQUIREMENT
The use of verbose netLogs allows the race host to not check visual evidence in those systems where no docking takes place. By default, netLog files do not include the info needed to use them as evidence, so you will need to enable verbose logging. The process was summarized in this post by Executive Producer, Michael Brookes, but the detailed process is explained here.
First, please review the following support article to identify the location of your game installation's AppConfig.xml file.
https://support.frontier.co.uk/kb/faq.php?id=108
Next, create a file named AppConfigLocal.xml in that same folder, and open it with Notepad or another simple text editor. Copy/paste the following into the file, save it, and close the text editor.
Code:
[FONT=Verdana]<AppConfig>[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] <Network[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] VerboseLogging="1">[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana] </Network>[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]</AppConfig>[/FONT]Finally, use the support article above to find the location of your game installation's NetLog files.
When you have completed a run of this race, please shut down the game client, and copy the most recent netLog.log file to include with your race submission. If you were disconnected one or more times during the run and still wish to submit it, include all relevant logs.
RULES & PROCEDURES
Make sure you are playing in open and park your ship at Lomas Orbiter, in the Wolf 359 system. Proceed as follows:
- Collect visual evidence of your ship's outfitting (see the official How to Enter instructions).
- Collect visual evidence of your start (see the official How to Enter instructions).
- Travel the route above (or your own route for the Funny Car class).
- Collect visual evidence at relevant spaceports along the way.
- Return to Lomas Orbiter, in the Wolf 359 system and collect visual evidence of your ship back on the pad.
- Log out of the game.
- For the Stock Challenge:
- Upload your screenshots to imgur.com or another appropriate hosting site.
- Video may be used, following the instructions for other classes.
- For other race classes:
- Upload your video to youtube.com or another appropriate hosting site.
- Create a list of video timestamps that show your ship docked at the required stations (see the official How to Enter instructions).
- Copy the netLog(s) containing your run to include with your visual evidence.
- Submit all visual evidence and other required info for your race entry via email to jhyrryl<at>buckyballracing<dot>org<dot>uk.
DECLARING INTENT TO RACE
Before racing, it is customary to declare your intent to race by posting in the thread, but it is not strictly necessary. To declare your intent, specify the following:
CMDR Name (forum alias)
Ship Name (ship type)
Race Class
Ship Name (ship type)
Race Class
So my intent to race might look like:
CMDR Seneh (Jhyrryl)
Black (Adder)
Stock Challenge
BEAUTY SHOTS
The final podium update requires a beauty shot of your ship, if you take 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any class. To take a beauty shot:
- drop out of supercruise next to a class F star in Solo;
- orient the ship so that the star fills the upper-left screen;
- open the classified camera (CTRL-ALT-SPACE by default);
- position the camera between the star and ship such that the ship fills 3/4 of the screen;
- take a screenshot;
- upload the screenshot to imgur.com or other appropriate hosting service;
- include a link to the shot with your submission
SUBMITTING ENTRIES
As noted in the Rules & Regulations section, evidence for your race entry (as described in the Evidence section) must be emailed.
Send entries to:
The email must include:
jhyrryl{at}buckyballracing{dot}org{dot}uk
The email must include:
- your CMDR name and forums alias;
- the ship name and type used;
- the race class for this entry;
- the duration of your run, from start to finish;
- a netLog.log file attachment for your run;
- the platform on which you play (PC, XBox, Mac)
- a link to your visual evidence;
- if video is submitted, please also supply a list of timestamps showing your ship on the pad at each required station;
- evidence of your your ship's outfitting;
- whether or not FSD injection was used
- whether or not limpets were used to refuel
- if limpets were used, the names of your pit crew members
- a beauty shot of your ship
FAQ
Q: What stations do I dock at?
A: In those systems where docking is required, you are free to pick any station of an appropriate type.
Q: So if a system with required docking has an outpost that is closer than a large starport, I can use the outpost?
A: If you are running in the Top Fuel or Funny Car classes, yes. The Pro class requires large starports for all docking.
Q: Why are we sending you our log files?
A: I have written a simple program to scan them for your arrival in a system, so you don't have to collect screenshots or video timestamps for systems that don't require docking.
Q: What if I'm playing on XBox and can't provide video or netLog files?
A: Then you'll need to do a little more work to provide all screenshot evidence. Take a screenshot of the GalMap in every system where you do not need to dock, and use them for your visual evidence. When uploaded, please, please make sure they are sorted in chronological order.
Q: What's the deal with limpet refueling?
A: There is a stretch of course where fuel management will be an issue for many ships trying to maximize their jump range. Limpet refueling can help mitigate that if you can find a friend to help out with your race attempts. Note that limpet refueling is not allowed for the Stock Challenge class.
Q: Can limpets be used anywhere else on the course?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Can I replace the Stock Hauler's Basic Discovery Scanner with an upgrade?
A: Yes, as long as it's another Discovery Scanner with the same mass. You cannot replace it with a different type of equipment, even if it has the same or greater mass.
Q: Can I visit system other than those on the route?
A: Yes, otherwise it would be impossible for the Stock and Pro class ships to reach Ao from Wolf 359.
Q: Why are Funny Car Challenge ships capped at 27 LYs?
A: The 27 LY cap on jump range for a full tank is to encourage finding a more optimized route than the default route used by other classes, and/or require the use of FSD injection.
A: In those systems where docking is required, you are free to pick any station of an appropriate type.
Q: So if a system with required docking has an outpost that is closer than a large starport, I can use the outpost?
A: If you are running in the Top Fuel or Funny Car classes, yes. The Pro class requires large starports for all docking.
Q: Why are we sending you our log files?
A: I have written a simple program to scan them for your arrival in a system, so you don't have to collect screenshots or video timestamps for systems that don't require docking.
Q: What if I'm playing on XBox and can't provide video or netLog files?
A: Then you'll need to do a little more work to provide all screenshot evidence. Take a screenshot of the GalMap in every system where you do not need to dock, and use them for your visual evidence. When uploaded, please, please make sure they are sorted in chronological order.
Q: What's the deal with limpet refueling?
A: There is a stretch of course where fuel management will be an issue for many ships trying to maximize their jump range. Limpet refueling can help mitigate that if you can find a friend to help out with your race attempts. Note that limpet refueling is not allowed for the Stock Challenge class.
Q: Can limpets be used anywhere else on the course?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Can I replace the Stock Hauler's Basic Discovery Scanner with an upgrade?
A: Yes, as long as it's another Discovery Scanner with the same mass. You cannot replace it with a different type of equipment, even if it has the same or greater mass.
Q: Can I visit system other than those on the route?
A: Yes, otherwise it would be impossible for the Stock and Pro class ships to reach Ao from Wolf 359.
Q: Why are Funny Car Challenge ships capped at 27 LYs?
A: The 27 LY cap on jump range for a full tank is to encourage finding a more optimized route than the default route used by other classes, and/or require the use of FSD injection.
GOOD LUCK!
Fly fast, CMDR!
SUPPORT JAQUE!
Can't participate because you're helping out Jaques Station? Check out The Long Haul.
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