How do you manage your craft files?

[Jaedinator]

Hello, I'm now close to ~30 craft saves, and its hard to keep an overview of all of them. I recently started giving them a label like Craft/Fun/Station/etc. for example "Craft Explorer","Fun SRB Rodeo","Station Fuel Tank" but its not really a solution :/

I thought that I cant be the only one having such a problem.

So, how do you manage your craft files, do you use any mod (which i havent found after some googling and searching on the forums) or do you just dig through all of them to find the right ones??

[Scrogdog]

I use Sub-Assembly Loader mod. With that, what I usually do is develop and save payloads and lifting packages separately. For example, I develop a one man capsule/CM package and save it normally. Then I create the lifting package and save that part only by dropping on to the mod icon. Now, to create a one man capsule mission, I load up the Capsule/CM as normal, and then grab the lifting package from sub-assembly loader.

Of course, that lifting package can also be used for light satellites.

Occasionally I might save lifter and payload together, depends on the mission.

[Aragosnat]

Go to main ship save area. hold "Crtl + a" then press Delete. But, in all seriousness. I try my best to name them for exactly what they do or are used for. Sadly we need a description area for our crafts. I like writing paragraphs. One thing I can suggest is write / type their description on paper / notepad (or what ever word program you like to use) and then Give the craft a TLA with at least one full word on what it does. Example: Lander KMmM, could stand for Lander for Kerbin Mimmus.

I know it would require a bit more work. But, what else are you going to do to past the time while ones ships get in their burn zones. Also if you do try such. Get your TLA naming system down first and stick with it and dont change it. Hence the reason why I suggested on paper or print it out as it can be faster to look up then switching. As sometimes one can do sometimes do something foolish like over burn or forget to burn. On the plus side. One can then write / type out how successful or flawed the design was and what areas could need improvement or removal.

[JaySmoka]

I use pattern in their name to get them ordered and use sub-assembly for "parts"

For example: L87-100 L stands for Lifter, 87 is the max payload then 100 is for orbit capability.

When i build rockets for specific version, the craft file will be the Vessel class, number of the revision and the destination. A-1 Mun will be the name of the first iteration of the A class and designed to get to Mun. If my mission is a success, I rename my vessels in order to be able to find them in tracking center. So quickly i can find which craft is designed for.

Also if a model didnt change much but I changed some feature I add feature description abbrev. For example I have a Tug ship used to bring Fuel tank to my space station. Form my space satation I have to type of docking possible for fuel tank: normal docking port adn Sr docking port. So I have a fiel Tug-1 Fuel SRD (senior docking port) and Tug-1 Fuel D (normal docking port). If my station get A jr docking port for fuel I will name it Tug-1 Fuel JRD.

Just need to remember abrev

[Bunzmaster]

I give them names to help me remember.

My Jet Plane is called the Arrow (being Cdn it's what comes to mind when I think of an awesome jet)

Mun vehicles are "Apollo"

Minnimus vehicles are "Minnie"

My Vehicles to pickup stranded kerbals are Apollo Rescue, or Minnie Rescue.

I also give them numbers.

My current Apollo lander is "Apollo 2.5" The first number being how many Complete redesigns, and the second number is how many failures that resulted in a small change in the design.

[Frederf]

I've taken to naming them "01 Skyscratcher" and "02 Munzor" and so on so my space program is in numerical order, each craft building off the last. I rarely reuse a craft, maybe for multi ident remotetech sat launches.