Latest updates to understanding system names in the black?

[Adrella]

Hi there folks, I've been looking around online and through the forums on the latest updates to how system names work out in the black.

I've found a lot of contradictory information, and was wondering if anyone had the latest info?

I'm specifically talking about systems looking like this (all elements are variables):
<Sector Name> AB-C D1-23

So, as an example, 'Scorpii Sector QC-V a2-5'

My understanding is 'QC-V' here is a boxel coordinate, and the 'a' is a mass code, likely being a brown dwarf or something else small.

But I'm after some definitive understanding. Most of what I'm finding is 10 years old, and sometimes it contradicts something else I've read, like the 'QC-V' meaning something else.

Are there any guides that look into this properly anyone knows of? I found the boxel pdf by CMDR Hallkel, but can't find anything exact on the mass code understanding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

<o

 

[CMDR dkO]

Marx's Boxel guide is very helpful with understanding this concept. Also check out EDJP which is an incredible third party tool made by MattG that models the boxel itself and allows you to see the positions of them by cycling through the different mass codes

o7

Edit: My bad I thought Marx went over the specifics of the small letter in the naming in that thread but he only mentions the naming of the boxels and references the DISC wiki which is a dead link for me. Regarding this topic, I did read a post somewhere mentioning the closer to the galactic center meant the higher the number after the lowercase letter. I remember them describing it as that the star limit in that specific boxel was reached so to start over it repeats but with 'a2'. However, there is an issue I have with this....how come we do not see the previous boxel systems? You will see the system list populate and only see systems with 'a2' but not the systems for just 'a'. I don't know if there is an actual answer to this yet but hopefully someone can chime in below with more info

 

[forbiddenlake]

Sector Naming - DISC Wiki

web.archive.org

https://web.archive.org/web/20220618134655/http://disc.thargoid.space/ID64

 

[Tifu]

Attaching an image of the printed PDF version of the web archive copy above

Because nothing on the internet is forever.

 

[marx]

Marx's Boxel guide is very helpful with understanding this concept. Also check out EDJP which is an incredible third party tool made by MattG that models the boxel itself and allows you to see the positions of them by cycling through the different mass codes

o7

Edit: My bad I thought Marx went over the specifics of the small letter in the naming in that thread but he only mentions the naming of the boxels and references the DISC wiki which is a dead link for me.

Thanks, I updated the links with the archived versions then.
As for what the mass code means, I do go over that in more detail: see the four questions (and answer) after the "What are mass codes?" one.

how come we do not see the previous boxel systems? You will see the system list populate and only see systems with 'a2' but not the systems for just 'a'. I don't know if there is an actual answer to this yet but hopefully someone can chime in below with more info

That's due to pecularities of the galaxy map search. Depending on what's loaded, what your current position, and such are, it might not output the possible systems unless you make your query more specific. (Exactly how you wrote: by writing "a2", not just "a".) Don't forget that it's meant to give you systems first and foremost, and it's meant to give results fast. The partial results / suggestions are a secondary, less important feature.

 

[marx]

My understanding is 'QC-V' here is a boxel coordinate, and the 'a' is a mass code, likely being a brown dwarf or something else small.

By the way, a somewhat common misunderstanding seems to be that "QC-V" is the only thing you need to identify a specific boxel. It isn't. You need the mass code and the identifier after. In DISC's notation, "[L1][L2]-[L3] [MCode][N1]-[N2]" system name is in the "[L1][L2]-[L3] [MCode][N1]" boxel.

The easiest example of this would be AA-A. That in itself is not enough, as you can get boxels named "Eol Prou AA-A a17", "Eol Prou AA-A b", "Eol Prou AA-A c" all the way up to h. (Bear in mind that if the N1 identifier would be just 0, the game will just chop "[N1]-" off.) As you can see, with sufficiently high star density, using just AA-A can refer to eight different mass codes.

 

[CMDR dkO]

That's due to pecularities of the galaxy map search. Depending on what's loaded, what your current position, and such are, it might not output the possible systems unless you make your query more specific. (Exactly how you wrote: by writing "a2", not just "a".) Don't forget that it's meant to give you systems first and foremost, and it's meant to give results fast. The partial results / suggestions are a secondary, less important feature.

I just picked the first one I can find on gal map: Dryoi Bli PX-U e2-2075

I was under the impression that e2 meant a continuation from Dryoi Bli PX-U e-9999 or whatever max cap is.....however if I type Dryoi Bli PX-U e-0 nothing populates. This DISC thing with 64 integers is new to me and I will have to look at that sheet for a few days until I fully understand

 

[Aleks Zuno]

I just picked the first one I can find on gal map: Dryoi Bli PX-U e2-2075
I was under the impression that e2 meant a continuation from Dryoi Bli PX-U e-9999 or whatever max cap is

The final number is simply to name multiple systems packed densely within the volume to which it refers; it is more that the theoretical Dryoi Bli AA-A e2- position continues from the theoretical Dryoi Bli ZZ-Z e1- position. Mind that the relatively large e-class positions use too few possible codes for those specific names to be correct positions in the galaxy, but that is how the continuation works!

In practice, many names get skipped because larger volumes occupy only a tiny corner of the possible codes. There will be always AA-A x for each size class, but the e-class should reach HA-A e then leap up to YE-A e for the next row. Doing a little calculation, I think the final e position should be VZ-O e6-.

Just to confuse things a bit, it also shortens the names when that continuation number is zero. Full system names such as Cephei Sector BV-Y b4 work as if the code is BV-Y b0-4, which will be the fifth system in that BV-Y b(0) volume.

 

[CMDR dkO]

The final number is simply to name multiple systems packed densely within the volume to which it refers; it is more that the theoretical Dryoi Bli AA-A e2- position continues from the theoretical Dryoi Bli ZZ-Z e1- position. Mind that the relatively large e-class positions use too few possible codes for those specific names to be correct positions in the galaxy, but that is how the continuation works!

In practice, many names get skipped because larger volumes occupy only a tiny corner of the possible codes. There will be always AA-A x for each size class, but the e-class should reach HA-A e then leap up to YE-A e for the next row. Doing a little calculation, I think the final e position should be VZ-O e6-.

Just to confuse things a bit, it also shortens the names when that continuation number is zero. Full system names such as Cephei Sector BV-Y b4 work as if the code is BV-Y b0-4, which will be the fifth system in that BV-Y b(0) volume.

I am finally starting to understand it now.....thank you for this explanation!