This topic seems to come up more and more often lately, so I thought I'd write another guide. Note that this will follow a more practical approach, mostly focused on explorers who heard about boxels and boxels surveys, and it won't go into detail about how sectors and boxel positions are assigned. Beyond mass codes, of course. For such info, I'll include links instead.
What's a boxel?
What use do boxels have for me when I'm exploring?
How do I tell boxels apart?
Are there any third-party apps to help me with surveying boxels?
What are mass codes?
Pictures please? How does all this look?
So what are the similarities between systems inside the same boxel?
What's this about metallicity then?
What about star types, is there anything about them?
Can I determine helium levels of a boxel if the system I'm in has no gas giants?
If I found something interesting, should I check the rest of the systems in a boxel?
How many systems can be inside a boxel? How can I tell how many there are?
I can't seem to find any undiscovered mass code h systems, help!
How does the game generate the names of sectors and boxels?
Finally, some curiosities and oddities:
What's up with that weird cross on various star type maps?
You said there's only AA-A h, so why is there a BLEIA5 YE-A h30 nebula?
Why are some sectors' mass code h systems numbered all over the place, and not sequential?
Alright, that should be all then: if I forgot something, please post it here. Thanks for reading! And here are some
Handy resources:
What's a boxel?
A boxel is a cube of systems that share some similarities, characteristics that are used for their generation. This is the main reason why people tend to do boxel surveys. A sector is a 1280 ly-sided cube in the galaxy, and boxels are smaller cubes inside them. Like this:
From the official Discovery Scanner video - well worth watching, by the way.
Frontier calls these subsectors, by the way: the boxel is just a fan term that stuck somehow. Probably because it's shorter.
From the official Discovery Scanner video - well worth watching, by the way.
Frontier calls these subsectors, by the way: the boxel is just a fan term that stuck somehow. Probably because it's shorter.
What use do boxels have for me when I'm exploring?
Boxels of various type share some similarities, similar starting conditions before the Stellar Forge (the game's procedural generation engine) generates the system you've arrived to. I'll be going into this in plenty of detail in the following questions.
Knowing about boxels is also handy if you're planning on surveying a specific area: determining which boxels you want and copy-pasting the system names into the galaxy map search is faster than picking the systems out each by hand.
Also, as I'll mention later, even if you are travelling from A to B and exploring systems along the way, boxels might be of use to you: if you find something interesting on your way, it might be worth checking the rest of the boxel's systems. Depends on the type of your find, or even whether you have the time required, as some boxels can have lots of systems.
Knowing about boxels is also handy if you're planning on surveying a specific area: determining which boxels you want and copy-pasting the system names into the galaxy map search is faster than picking the systems out each by hand.
Also, as I'll mention later, even if you are travelling from A to B and exploring systems along the way, boxels might be of use to you: if you find something interesting on your way, it might be worth checking the rest of the boxel's systems. Depends on the type of your find, or even whether you have the time required, as some boxels can have lots of systems.
How do I tell boxels apart?
Let's take a look at an example system name: Vegnue WK-E d12-329. The boxel part of this is WK-E d12. If you wanted to survey this particular boxel, you'd have to go to Vegnue WK-E d12-0, Vegnue WK-E d12-1, Vegnue WK-E d12-2, and so on.
Other boxels in this same Vegnue sector will have varying positions and sizes. WK-E is the relative position, and most importantly, d is the mass code. That part leads to the similarities in a boxel's systems' generation, so I'll soon cover that in more detail.
Other boxels in this same Vegnue sector will have varying positions and sizes. WK-E is the relative position, and most importantly, d is the mass code. That part leads to the similarities in a boxel's systems' generation, so I'll soon cover that in more detail.
Are there any third-party apps to help me with surveying boxels?
Sure, EDJP has features built exactly for this. The BoxelStats plugin for Observatory Core helps with displaying information you've collected as well. Of course, many other ED utilities can help you with tracking where you've been.
What are mass codes?
Boxels are broken into eight sizes (or categories) by mass code, ranging from a to h. Mass code a boxels are the smallest, only 10 ly in sides, and have the lightest systems. As you go higher, boxels become larger in size and heavier in total mass. At the far end, h boxels cover the entire sector: there is only AA-A h. From then, the sides of cubes are halved: g has 640 ly, f has 320 ly, all the way down to mass code a having tiny 10 ly cubes.
Pictures please? How does all this look?
First off, see the picture in the first answer again.
Then two examples, rendered with EDJP:
Boxel YJ-A f: That's the 2,2,0 boxel, and with mass code f, you can see that each side is divided into four cubes, so there are 64 in total.
Boxel MG-X d1: That's the 12,4,2 boxel, and with mass code d, you can see that there are many more boxels, 4096 in total.
Notice that by these, a system's name will tell you where it is in the galaxy, down to within a certain cube. The sector name determines a 1280 ly cube, then the boxel determines a cube within that one, its size depending on its mass code. So a mass code a system's estimated position will be within 10 ly, while a mass code h system's will be "somewhere in this 1280 ly cube".
Then two examples, rendered with EDJP:
Boxel YJ-A f: That's the 2,2,0 boxel, and with mass code f, you can see that each side is divided into four cubes, so there are 64 in total.
Boxel MG-X d1: That's the 12,4,2 boxel, and with mass code d, you can see that there are many more boxels, 4096 in total.
Notice that by these, a system's name will tell you where it is in the galaxy, down to within a certain cube. The sector name determines a 1280 ly cube, then the boxel determines a cube within that one, its size depending on its mass code. So a mass code a system's estimated position will be within 10 ly, while a mass code h system's will be "somewhere in this 1280 ly cube".
So what are the similarities between systems inside the same boxel?
For the most part, we can't observe these directly, but there are some we can: the system's age, and more importantly, metallicity. (In astronomy, any element above helium is called a metal.) Gas giants in the system will share the same helium levels, and systems within the boxel will share the same range.
In addition, higher mass boxels will have more variety in stars inside them. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what you are looking for. "Exotic" stars and varied orbits? You'll want to go as high in mass code as you can. Valuable planet types, like ELWs, AWs, or thin atmo planets? You'll want d the most, perhaps c or e (the latter especially for thin atmos), but going above those will see the chances for these fall like a rock. (More luminous stars pushing the habitable zone farther out, gas giants "crowding out" rocky planets, and so on.)
In addition, higher mass boxels will have more variety in stars inside them. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what you are looking for. "Exotic" stars and varied orbits? You'll want to go as high in mass code as you can. Valuable planet types, like ELWs, AWs, or thin atmo planets? You'll want d the most, perhaps c or e (the latter especially for thin atmos), but going above those will see the chances for these fall like a rock. (More luminous stars pushing the habitable zone farther out, gas giants "crowding out" rocky planets, and so on.)
What's this about metallicity then?
Metallicity does lead to a lot of similarities in the contents of systems. High metallicity boxels tend to have more gas giants with plenty of moons (leading to significantly higher body counts), and fewer smaller planets. Lower metallicity ones tend to be the other way around: fewer gas giants, more planets, lower total body count. At the lowest levels, systems will only have a few small planets, or none at all.
Bear in mind that this isn't guaranteed, and there will be outliers. But the trend is quite clear.
If you happen to be looking for Helium-Rich Gas Giants, then they'll be abundant in high metallicity boxels. This is also why you don't find them inside the galactic core: FD added a cap there, and that leads to gas giants not having enough helium to be classified as such. (At least ~29.5% is required.)
As for planet types within boxels, there does seem to be a relation. I checked for ELWs, and as I detailed in this thread, the higher a boxel's helium level, the lower the chances of Earth-likes. Unfortunately, this doesn't work the other way around: while low helium boxels can have better chances, but that doesn't mean they all will.
Bear in mind that this isn't guaranteed, and there will be outliers. But the trend is quite clear.
If you happen to be looking for Helium-Rich Gas Giants, then they'll be abundant in high metallicity boxels. This is also why you don't find them inside the galactic core: FD added a cap there, and that leads to gas giants not having enough helium to be classified as such. (At least ~29.5% is required.)
As for planet types within boxels, there does seem to be a relation. I checked for ELWs, and as I detailed in this thread, the higher a boxel's helium level, the lower the chances of Earth-likes. Unfortunately, this doesn't work the other way around: while low helium boxels can have better chances, but that doesn't mean they all will.
What about star types, is there anything about them?
There are clear connections between systems' main star types and the mass codes of their boxels. (Little wonder, what with the total mass.) This goes both ways, whether you list star types within boxels, or boxels within star types. You can find more information and data on this in this thread. In a nutshell, a given star type is most of the time "centered" on one mass code, while a mass code can only have a few specific star types in it.
For example, on the most extreme end, 99.9% of class F main stars are in mass code d, and the remaining 0.1% is divided between mass codes e, g, h. Meanwhile, looking at mass code b, 96.2% will have class M dwarfs as their main star, then 1.79% is TTS, 1.02% is K, 0.99% is L, and there are no others. (T-Tauri Stars can be in any mass code, by the way.)
A curious exception to this are class G main star systems: they are split evenly between mass codes c and d. However, their generation is clearly different between the two mass codes, so the mass code is more important there than the main star type. See this thread for more on this matter.
For example, on the most extreme end, 99.9% of class F main stars are in mass code d, and the remaining 0.1% is divided between mass codes e, g, h. Meanwhile, looking at mass code b, 96.2% will have class M dwarfs as their main star, then 1.79% is TTS, 1.02% is K, 0.99% is L, and there are no others. (T-Tauri Stars can be in any mass code, by the way.)
A curious exception to this are class G main star systems: they are split evenly between mass codes c and d. However, their generation is clearly different between the two mass codes, so the mass code is more important there than the main star type. See this thread for more on this matter.
Can I determine helium levels of a boxel if the system I'm in has no gas giants?
No.
Look in other systems inside the same boxel that do have gas giants in them.
Look in other systems inside the same boxel that do have gas giants in them.
If I found something interesting, should I check the rest of the systems in a boxel?
If you have the time required, then sure: maybe you'll be lucky. However, this depends on the topic of the next question:
How many systems can be inside a boxel? How can I tell how many there are?
This depends on the general star density of the area, and the size of the boxel of course. At the extreme end, inside the galactic core, even a mass code d boxel can have over ten thousand systems, all crammed into a 80 ly cube.
The way you can count them is simple, but manual: use the galaxy map search and see which numbers don't give you a result. For example, you could search for [boxel]-1800, not get any results, then -1700, get a result, then -1750, get a result, -1775, get no result, and so on: you can narrow it down this way.
The way you can count them is simple, but manual: use the galaxy map search and see which numbers don't give you a result. For example, you could search for [boxel]-1800, not get any results, then -1700, get a result, then -1750, get a result, -1775, get no result, and so on: you can narrow it down this way.
I can't seem to find any undiscovered mass code h systems, help!
Unfortunately, mass code h boxels are a rather finite resource, so to speak. The game has been out for many years now, so finding new such systems won't be easy, but it's probably still possible. There is the "sector list of AA-A h systems" on EDAstro, in which you can check how many mass code h systems have been uploaded in a sector, what was the highest number, and how many systems does the sector have uploaded in total. You can use these to guess where there might still be some. However, bear in mind that just because a system hasn't been uploaded to EDDN yet doesn't necessarily mean that it's undiscovered.
How does the game generate the names of sectors and boxels?
The sector's name is generated from its position in the galaxy, and the boxel's name is generated from its position in the sector. The details aren't really needed for this guide, but if you're curious about how exactly it works, maybe you want to code something that uses this, see the DISC Wiki page on this subject.
You can also check the code of various projects to see how they handle things. (Unfortunately, EDJP's author decided to close his, so that's not an option there.)
You can also check the code of various projects to see how they handle things. (Unfortunately, EDJP's author decided to close his, so that's not an option there.)
Finally, some curiosities and oddities:
What's up with that weird cross on various star type maps?
That's a special area, known by various names such as the suppression zone, suppression cross, and so on: inside these, systems with more "exotic" (non-main sequence) stars are converted ("suppressed") into more "mundane" ones. The zone wasn't meant to be cross-shaped: the developers' original intent was that such stars shouldn't generate close to the bubble, because it would be weird to see plenty of black holes, very luminous stars etc quite close to Sol. However, a bug crept in, a simple typo: when defining the zone's boundaries, OR was used instead of AND, and instead of the intended box, we got the cross. Unfortunately, this was just discovered just too late to fix it, as by then the game had launched and folks have gone exploring.
So, if you stray inside the cross, you'll notice that things work slightly different there. The most obvious and frequently noticed one is that there are no neutron stars around Sagittarius A* (see EDAstro neutron star map), so explorers have to stop chain-boosting on the final leg of their journey there. However, if you're looking for other types (such as Wolf-Rayets, poor you), then it's always worth keeping the cross in mind: if the boxel is inside the cross, then chances are it'll be different.
So, if you stray inside the cross, you'll notice that things work slightly different there. The most obvious and frequently noticed one is that there are no neutron stars around Sagittarius A* (see EDAstro neutron star map), so explorers have to stop chain-boosting on the final leg of their journey there. However, if you're looking for other types (such as Wolf-Rayets, poor you), then it's always worth keeping the cross in mind: if the boxel is inside the cross, then chances are it'll be different.
You said there's only AA-A h, so why is there a BLEIA5 YE-A h30 nebula?
That's because BLEIA5 isn't a generated sector name, it's inside a name override sphere. The way those work is that Frontier has chosen a central system and a distance, and every system around those has a different sector name displayed. This is most often used for real nebulae, catalogue clusters, and the like. Basically, if a system name has "Sector" in it, it's an override - and the same goes for the remote permit locked spheres, where the developer's Caps Lock key got stuck.
Now, within these, boxel position naming works a bit differently. That's why AA-A h is YE-A h inside there.
Note that the game still tracks the original, generated name of the systems (and this name is used to generate the seed for the system), so if you search for that instead, the galaxy map will center on them. In this example, the original name of the nebula is Vegnoae AA-A h30.
Now, within these, boxel position naming works a bit differently. That's why AA-A h is YE-A h inside there.
Note that the game still tracks the original, generated name of the systems (and this name is used to generate the seed for the system), so if you search for that instead, the galaxy map will center on them. In this example, the original name of the nebula is Vegnoae AA-A h30.
Why are some sectors' mass code h systems numbered all over the place, and not sequential?
If you use the Odyssey system search function, you'll notice that the systems with missing numbers were still there, they just got culled. This happens most frequently in the first sector layer below the galactic plane. Take a look at the mass code h map on EDAstro, and notice how that layer has visibly more systems than the layer above the plane:
Now, consider that all these are the ones that remained after the culling, and imagine how denser that layer would look if none of those systems were removed.
So, my theory is that for whatever reason, the Forge ended up generating far more mass code h systems in that layer, and the developers added some extra functionality to thin it out, because the difference was easily visible.
Now, consider that all these are the ones that remained after the culling, and imagine how denser that layer would look if none of those systems were removed.
So, my theory is that for whatever reason, the Forge ended up generating far more mass code h systems in that layer, and the developers added some extra functionality to thin it out, because the difference was easily visible.
Alright, that should be all then: if I forgot something, please post it here. Thanks for reading! And here are some
Handy resources:
- Naming page on the DISC Wiki
- Discovery Scanner - Creating a Galaxy video
- EDAstro maps, especially the distribution maps
- EDJP, and the BoxelStats plugin for Observatory Core
- Mass codes and star types
- Subsector metallicity and ELW ratios analysis
- Analysing Thin Water Atmo bodies distribution
- Analysing class G main stars and ELWs in different mass codes
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