The hardest part of KSP for me

[ohlookabirdie]

The hardest part of KSP for me is naming my ships/landers/probes/whatever, i spend stupid amounts of time thinking and then end up calling them unoriginal things like EEV2 - "Fearless"

how do you guys come up with good names?

[Pipcard]

That's not unoriginal; that's actually pretty creative.

[NASI Director]

I think it just depends on your own naming scheme. I use star names for me. Like Alpha Centauri was a satellite at an 45 degree orbit. Sirius was the name of its launch vehicle. Later I used random names like my 2nd spacestation was KerOSEL, for KERbin Orbital Science & Exploratory Lab.

[ohlookabirdie]

well i use a code like EEV2 so i know what the ship's mission is/was at first glance (EEV2 is the second Eve Exploration Vehicle) but the actual name is not as easy :/

[Masked Turk]

OP, I agree. Naming, and fluff in general, usually takes up 50% of my KSP-playing time.

For example: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EbKwhlZAn4bbai86rcqXHx2hY4VoiGoyr2e19IxbM88/edit?usp=sharing - the mission log of my first attempt at 0.22 (just a day or two's play, haven't touched it in a while)

I... I need to furnish my activities with context. It's an illness

[Wjolcz]

I use mostly acronyms.

But when I play(try to) multiplayer I name my Rockets something like "This is going to work" or "Promising Looking Rocket"

[Albert VDS]

Bird names, like Pintail, Osprey, Phainopepla, Shrike, Willet, Condor, etc. That's what I use.

[Sirrobert]

I'm HORRIBLE with names. So I just name them after theyr function.

Mun lander. Jool Probe. Minmus lander. Mun rover. You get the idea

[ohlookabirdie]

Bird names, like Pintail, Osprey, Phainopepla, Shrike, Willet, Condor, etc. That's what I use.

i like this idea, i am a birdwatcher

i have a spaceplane called the SP1-Raven

[ohlookabirdie]

I use mostly acronyms.

But when I play(try to) multiplayer I name my Rockets something like "This is going to work" or "Promising Looking Rocket"

there is no multiplayer...

[katateochi]

Naming is very problematic. Its easy enough when copying real missions, just change the first letter to K!

With other things I often try to put characteristics together and get some resulting acronym that's clever, witty and sophisticated. This never works!

Point in case; "Advanced Single Stage Winged Inter-Planetary Explorer" - fail.

[Wjolcz]

there is no multiplayer...

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55835-Kmp-0-22-wip-alpha

here. have fun.

[Dusty44]

there is no multiplayer...

Share a save file.

[Taki117]

I generally name my ships after Norse Gods appended with roman numerals for iterations.

[CrazedGunman502]

I name them after stars, and a number that sounds catchy with it. For example, Cygnus V. Since there are so many, I can get a unique name in about 30-35 seconds.

[Dave Kerbin]

I'm not great at names, the ships are all named by function. Some of the ships I've been flying recently:

Eve Explorer 1 (one way probe to Eve)

Duna Cargo Ship (nuclear cargo support ship to fly a few days ahead of non-nuclear manned Duna expedition)

Gravity Survey Probe (Small probe for taking gravity readings around Kerbin and surrounding SOI)

Mun Reuse (Mun mission rig to support 3 landings with the same lander, with interchangable science pods)

[Mr_Brain]

It really depends. At the start of career mode, when I think of my Kerbals as not so experienced, I call them something like "There's no way this will work out 1" or so. Later, it really depends. For example my Minmus base modules are called "Mint Base Module Alpha/Beta/Gamma/... (Hab/Power/...)". My missions just have any names I can come up with, but they mostly describe the mission (for example "Potato Probe 1" for a probe sent to Gilly). Of course, I always add a number or so to it ("1", "I", "One", "A", "Alpha" or so), in case I want to build an updated version later.

[boomerdog2000]

I usually go with whatever random Greek god or star pops into my head at the time. Although my most recent Jool mission all followed the idea of long journeys, Odyssey, Intrepid, Voyager, and their back up sister-ship Endeavor which was diverted to an Eve mission once the Jool ejection was determined to be successful.

[Killerdude8]

I name my Craft based on the job they are intended for, IE, A Mun lander would be named "Munar Lander" Any improvements or upgrades to that type of craft gets an 'MK' designation, Currently, I am on my second iteration of my Munar Lander in Career mode, so, Munar Lander MK-II.

[Krosulhah]

Share a save file.

Actually, i think you'll find, due to the KMP mod, there is now functioning multiplayer.

[Superfluous J]

I do a weird mix of functional names (Minmus Kethane Scanner), Kerbalizing of Human names (Jool 5 is a common lifter name), and whimsical (The ship I sent way in with a low periapsis on Kerbol I named Phoenix). I think generally if I can't come up with a whimsical name in about 5 seconds I try to think of one that nods to a Human ship, and if nothing immediately jumps out at me I go with the more pedestrian names.

So 95% of my ships have boring names

[Jafiki91]

I use a specific name for the body I'm going to that usually has something to do with that body, plus the number of the mission.

So for example, in the Kerbin system, orbital missions are Aetheris (because they're in the sky), atmosphere missions are Terrox (low to the ground), Münar missions are Lotus, because its white and it just sounds cool. and Minmus is Reacher, because its farther away.

[Luckless]

I just name them based on their function or mission goal.

Duna Return Lander Probe mk I

Light Nuke Tug mk I

Mun Manned lander mk I

etc, etc.

[pebble_garden]

I've fallen into the habit of using Greek/Roman mythology as a source of names, starting with Phoenix after I bought a new computer when my old one died. Since then I try to pick names that are at least vaguely resonant with the ship's function. Thus, Bucephalus is a refuelling tug, Icarus is an outer-planets explorer (with Daedalus as the lander). I will use a name like Ariel or Daphne for very small craft.

Though WHY the Kerbals would have any knowledge of such mythology is beyond me. But it's simpler than inventing a whole new mythos. (smiles)

[Wampa842]

I always choose names from Kalevala when designing a spacecraft, then add a roman number to indicate modified versions.

My permanent refuel station in Kerbin orbit is called Ilmarinen, and the Mun-Kerbin fuel transport is called Seppo.

All my Mün landers are called Tapio I, II, III, and so on. The kethane mining station is called Tapiola, and the fuel transporter between Tapiola and Seppo is called Mielikki.