Light Racer
Light Racer is one of the most popular software packages offered in the LionFire product library. The digital racing sport was initially released as a proof of concept for the communication layer of the virtual network, but rapidly grew into a cultural phenomenon that spread across the empire as the first truly interstellar sport in the Rogers Republic--and possibly the galaxy.
Origin of Light Racer
The LionFire virtual experience was originally developed to test the boundaries of the Ansible Network provided by the Mother Stone. It was clear that distributing a Gahnxite fragment to each connected device was unsustainable, so an alternative solution would need to be implemented for local network communication.
At the time, a litany of game developers had begun researching more efficient means of interstellar communication—something which had limited many industries to more regional content distribution. While it was possible to send data between star systems, it was far from instantaneous and prone to both interference and signal decay over longer distances.
The Gaming Commission was not the only organization to see the potential of an Ansible Network as a solution to this problem, but they were the first to bring such a solution to market.
Inspiration
The Light Racer game was based on a form of gladiatorial combat that originated in the Rhyno Confederacy. Though the original sport had been outlawed for some time, it was still well known, and the simple rules made it relatively simple to translate to a modern DigiSport.
Software Versions
Popular Licensed Users
Other Versions
Neupert LRVM Skynet
The Neupert LRVM Skynet is a similar yet utterly independent product - developed by a government contract and is available for resale or licensing. The Skynet platform was based on the original Light Racer games when they were performed physically by convicted felons. When the Rogers Republic popularized the digital version of Light Racing, Skynet was slow to compete and is primarily only used in the Neupert Circuit.
OpenSky LRVM
OpenSky is an open-sourced version of the Neupert LRVM Skynet, but modified to use the LionFire ruleset. Most secondary schools and organizations within the Rogers Republic that hold Light Racer competitions use the OpenSky LRVM. There are also several plugins and expansion packs for OpenSky, some of which have been implemented into LionFire.
Illegal Versions
Several private syndicates run local Light Racing rings. Many of these syndicates utilize 'cracked' or 'hacked' versions of LionFire, even going to far as to leave LionFire branding in place to deceive clients into believing they are using properly licensed software. There are two popular cracks available that most illegal betting tracks use;
SelfControl
SelfControl was cracked by a Oddi Syndicate technician and is notable for being able to still use the RGC Ansible network without being detected. This is a massive benefit for criminal organizations as it alleviates infrastructure costs and helps disguise the illegitimacy of the signal.
The primary disadvantage of SelfControl is the control blocks put in place to keep Registry and Racer API data out of the network. This forces all health and safety checks to be removed and 'streakers' to sometimes interrupt games.
SorryNotSorry
SorryNotSorry was uploaded to the public OmniWeb by an unknown hacker and received much media attention when RGC won a substantial legal battle against file-sharing hubs and code repositories. Versions of SorryNotSorry still exist, but many versions now available on the OmniWeb are so laced with viral code it's too dangerous even to try and install the application.
Some technicians in the racing community maintain that RGC laced the most popular versions of SorryNotSorry with malicious code and let it slowly replace the 'legitimate' version.,