Remembering vessel names after docking and undocking

[THX1138]

Could KSP do a better job of remembering vessel names after docking and undocking? I understand it could get very complicated when parts are docked and left behind but if a whole vessel docks and the whole vessel undocks, the name should return how it was.

[Superfluous J]

Agreed. It's almost MORE annoying that it remembers sometimes (proving it can) but not others.

I wish each command pod/module had its own name, and the game decided in a predictable fashion which command pod to use as the vessel's name upon undocking. And maybe have the name written on the pods under the flag, or somewhere else if there is no flag (like on probe cores).

[swjr-swis]

I am confused. This is a valid suggestion, something that could actually be implemented.

Who are you, and why did you hijack @THX1138's account?

[Alshain]

1 hour ago, 5thHorseman said:

Agreed. It's almost MORE annoying that it remembers sometimes (proving it can) but not others.

I wish each command pod/module had its own name, and the game decided in a predictable fashion which command pod to use as the vessel's name upon undocking. And maybe have the name written on the pods under the flag, or somewhere else if there is no flag (like on probe cores).

Having the name assigned to the command pod itself would be more historically accurate to Earth anyway.  At least in the NASA side.  For example

Mission Name: Apollo 11
Command Module Name: Columbia
Lunar Module Name: Eagle

Mission Name: Apollo 12
Command Module Name: Yankee Clipper
Lunar Module Name: Intrepid

Mission Name: Apollo 13
Command Module Name: Odyssey
Lunar Module Name: Aquarius

etc.
 

As far as choosing the name, that's a little harder.  It should at least try to choose based on craft type.  A ship docking to a station takes the name of the station.  A ship docking to a lander takes the name of the ship... and so forth.

Edited July 14, 2016 by Alshain

[Tyko]

15 hours ago, Alshain said:

As far as choosing the name, that's a little harder.  It should at least try to choose based on craft type.  A ship docking to a station takes the name of the station.  A ship docking to a lander takes the name of the ship... and so forth.

I've had liimited experience with docking, but I thought my craft would always revert to their assigned names when they undocked? Is this not always true?

Also, LOVE the idea of unique ship names and having the name written on the side of the capsule - very cool

[klgraham1013]

I think this suggestion is reasonable.

[Ozymandias_the_Goat]

"Make it So!"

[Pthigrivi]

Has anyone sussed out how it works now? I thought it just got weird for me because I do a lot of reconfigurable modular stuff. 

[Brownhair2]

20 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

Agreed. It's almost MORE annoying that it remembers sometimes (proving it can) but not others.

I wish each command pod/module had its own name, and the game decided in a predictable fashion which command pod to use as the vessel's name upon undocking. And maybe have the name written on the pods under the flag, or somewhere else if there is no flag (like on probe cores).

This would be nice, but how would renaming work? Would you scribble over it in pencil and write the new name next to it?

Edited July 14, 2016 by Brownhair2

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, Brownhair2 said:

This would be nice, but how would renaming work? Would you scribble over it in pencil and write the new name next to it?

Well no the name on the side of the ship would just change. As for what the actual vessel should be named, you right click any command part and say "name the vessel this name." Naming the vessel would be separate from naming the command pods, and you'd not be able to name the vessel itself outside of picking the command pod whose name you'd use.

[linuxgurugamer]

You might want to take a look at Persistent Dynamic Pod Names, does pretty much what you want.

[Stoney3K]

Vessel naming while docking/undocking is just about as much a pet peeve as retaining staging and action groups across dock/undock sessions.

Is is really THAT difficult to keep track of which name, engine/stage tuplet, and action/group combo are part of which 'vessel' (as in, separate controllable entity with command module) and only temporarily 'merge' them when they are docked?

[linuxgurugamer]

Actually, yes, it is.  Although solvable, it's not easy since docking turns everything into a single vessel.

[Stoney3K]

1 hour ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Actually, yes, it is.  Although solvable, it's not easy since docking turns everything into a single vessel.

It's not that difficult to 'tag' parts with a set of data which says: "This part belongs to docked vessel XYZ" so parts, vessel names and staging/actions can be restored after undocking.

The fact that Unity treats a docked set of vessels as a single vessel and that the individual vessels are merged temporarily does not mean that extra pieces of information can't be kept elsewhere to allow the vessels to be split into a sensible set.

[linuxgurugamer]

It is more complicated than that.  For example, craft A docks with craft B.  Then, a smaller part of craft A undocks, leaving part of itself behind.  Then the rest of craft A undocks.  Now you have Craft A (1), craft A(2) and craft B. Names, staging, etc are all mixed up.

This is a simple example.

[Alshain]

3 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

It is more complicated than that.  For example, craft A docks with craft B.  Then, a smaller part of craft A undocks, leaving part of itself behind.  Then the rest of craft A undocks.  Now you have Craft A (1), craft A(2) and craft B. Names, staging, etc are all mixed up.

This is a simple example.

That's why the suggestion is to name the controlling pod which would take over as craft name if undocked.  If each pod keeps track of it's own name it's not an issue at all.  Add little logic to determine which name is selected in the event of a dock or undock and problem solved.

[linuxgurugamer]

3 hours ago, Alshain said:

That's why the suggestion is to name the controlling pod which would take over as craft name if undocked.  If each pod keeps track of it's own name it's not an issue at all.  Add little logic to determine which name is selected in the event of a dock or undock and problem solved.

That Is EXACTLY what Persistent Dynamic Pod Names does.

But it is actually quite tricky to do correctly in all situations.

FYI:  I wrote the mod, so I have a little more knowledge of the issues, having had to work around all the various issues.

[Alshain]

30 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

That Is EXACTLY what Persistent Dynamic Pod Names does.

But it is actually quite tricky to do correctly in all situations.

FYI:  I wrote the mod, so I have a little more knowledge of the issues, having had to work around all the various issues.

I don't expect it to be perfect in every situation.  I expect it to be perfect in the most common situations.  The more you undock the more accurate it would be if every command pod has it's own name, the inaccuracies come when docking (which name do you go with?  The docking craft or the craft being docked to?) or possibly if undocking two command pods at the same time as one piece.  Your scenario of A1, A2, and B would be the best case scenario because each of those command pods have their own name and they are all now separate entities, they all take their own name.

 

The docking scenario can be prioritized by craft type.  If docking a craft to a station, take the station name.  If docking a probe to a craft, take the craft name.  Still not perfect, what happens when docking a craft to a craft (it would just have to pick one) but it's still better than merging them as they do now.

I can't try your mod because it is incompatible, but from the screenshots it looks way more complex than I would prefer for a stock implementation.  A simplified version where you just name the pod would be fine, the dialog for listing all the names and templates are fine for a mod, but overkill for a stock implementation.

Edited July 15, 2016 by Alshain

[linuxgurugamer]

Incompatible with what?

And, you don't need to use the dialog.  If you would read the docs, you would have found that the basic mode is to right click a pod and give it a name.  The dialog is there to help handle complex vessels 

[Alshain]

29 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Incompatible with what?

1.0.5, the latest working version of KSP.

Edited July 16, 2016 by Alshain

[linuxgurugamer]

2 hours ago, Alshain said:

1.0.5, the latest working version of KSP.

have fun then.  No new mods will be available for that.

 

[magnemoe]

22 hours ago, Alshain said:

That's why the suggestion is to name the controlling pod which would take over as craft name if undocked.  If each pod keeps track of it's own name it's not an issue at all.  Add little logic to determine which name is selected in the event of a dock or undock and problem solved.

Yes, you would have more complex setting like an lander docks to an extra fuel tank probe who is docked to the mothership. however in this care the manned pod should get name priority. 
Use the grouping so probes are bottom just above derbies who can not hold names, then rovers, launders above, then ships and bases then stations. 

 

[Azimech]

I would go even further.

 

[linuxgurugamer]

On 7/16/2016 at 11:27 AM, magnemoe said:

Yes, you would have more complex setting like an lander docks to an extra fuel tank probe who is docked to the mothership. however in this care the manned pod should get name priority. 
Use the grouping so probes are bottom just above derbies who can not hold names, then rovers, launders above, then ships and bases then stations. 

 

This mod does things like that: