Feature that would be nice to have: Stage Naming

[neamerjell]

I'm building an extremely complex ship with all the bells and whistles: A one shot colony in a box - 5 MKS colony modules each with their own skycrane with 4 engines each and 5 stack separators between them, a transfer stage, and a 5-tank asparagus lifter (3 stages just for this).

Instead of stage names like S0, S1, S2... etc, I would like to right click on the orange bars and rename them to something meaningful like "Asparagus Stage 1" and "Detach Colony Command Module".

Hey devs, if you are reading this, is this on the to-do list? Is there a mod that already lets me do this?

[FleshJeb]

That's a good idea. I'd have things like Ascent, Landing, Transfer.

I'm a little rusty on the stage sorting logic, but named stages might get wonky when docking and undocking.

[Lhathron the Elf]

This would be great to have... It's one of those things you don't realize you need until you realize you were getting along pretty sucky without it.

[Kelderek]

Take it another step further and allow for named stage groupings. Create a group and give it a name like "Kerbin Launch" and then fill it with stages (which can also be named). Then allow for +/- buttons to collapse or expand the stages for each group -- that way you don't have to scroll through an endless list of stages, you can just expand the group for the stages you are focused on and access them quicker.

[neamerjell]

I just got done organizing my "Colony in a Box" ship... 14 stages!

0: Detach Skycrane from Power Module

1: Light Engines on Power Module

2: Detach Skycrane from Biolab Module

3: Light Engines on Biolab Module and Detach from Ship

4: Detach Skycrane from Aeroponics Module

5: Light Engines on Aeroponics Module and Detach from Ship

6: Detach Skycrane from Kerbitat Module

7: Light Engines on Kerbitat Module and Detach from Ship

8: Detach Skycrane from Colony Command Module

9: Light Engines on Colony CommandModule and Detach from Ship

10: Detach Transfer Stage

11: Detach Last Lifter Stage

12: Detach Asparagus Stage 2 and Light Separators

13: Detach Asparagus Stage 1 and Light Separators

14: Launch

It has so many stages it runs off the screen and I have to right click the orange boxes to scroll them! There's gotta be a better way of doing this!

- - - Updated - - -

Take it another step further and allow for named stage groupings. Create a group and give it a name like "Kerbin Launch" and then fill it with stages (which can also be named). Then allow for +/- buttons to collapse or expand the stages for each group -- that way you don't have to scroll through an endless list of stages, you can just expand the group for the stages you are focused on and access them quicker.

Add this to my wishlist too!

[Greenfire32]

The only issue I have with this is the nightmare that would become docked vessels/colony crafts.

[Alshain]

I approve of this idea and would like to add action group naming.

[Starwhip]

Take it another step further and allow for named stage groupings. Create a group and give it a name like "Kerbin Launch" and then fill it with stages (which can also be named). Then allow for +/- buttons to collapse or expand the stages for each group -- that way you don't have to scroll through an endless list of stages, you can just expand the group for the stages you are focused on and access them quicker.

There we go! That's perfect. I hate the huge staging list on large multistage crafts.

Also, why is it that sometimes grouped engines get separated because you take off a component and put it back again?

[neamerjell]

...named stages might get wonky when docking and undocking.

This is where my idea would shine! In this case the game could append the ship names to the stages:

Science Satellite: Orbit Stage

Science Satellite: Transfer Stage

-------------------------------------

My SSTO: Emergency Abort - Parachutes

^^-- I always outfit my spaceplanes with a last ditch bring-it-down-in-one-piece option!

Edited January 21, 2015 by neamerjell

[Specialist290]

This appears to be a development suggestion, so I'll be moving it to the appropriate subforum

This would indeed be a handy feature, especially if you're loading up a design you haven't used in a while.

[neamerjell]

This appears to be a development suggestion, so I'll be moving it to the appropriate subforum

This would indeed be a handy feature, especially if you're loading up a design you haven't used in a while.

Can you somehow make this viewable in the addon development section as well? Surely someone might be able to figure this out and make an addon (which may be much easier to incorporate into the stock game).

[manni01]

Or you can edit stage naming in flight.

[Specialist290]

Can you somehow make this viewable in the addon development section as well? Surely someone might be able to figure this out and make an addon (which may be much easier to incorporate into the stock game).

There shouldn't be any problems with creating a new thread in General Add-on Affairs to make a request for such a feature

[Capt Snuggler]

This is a great idea. A GREAT IDEA! this would help so so much with organization of complex craft and missions.

[Vallius]

Alternatively, is there any way the stage numbering can be reversed, so stages are numbered in the order they are fired? In real life, conventionally the 1st Stage is the one that ignites on the launchpad.

[neamerjell]

Alternatively, is there any way the stage numbering can be reversed, so stages are numbered in the order they are fired? In real life, conventionally the 1st Stage is the one that ignites on the launchpad.

Oh yes! This too!!!! Stage 1 should be launch. My idea still stands, but I would suggest the stages follow standard numbering (except the reverse like Vallius said) unless you choose to rename that stage.

I just thought of something else - what if you could fold the stages down so only the number or name is visible, so that if you have 14 stages, they don't go off the screen? I'm thinking of the same concept from computer programming "integrated development environments" or IDE, where code folding is a convenient feature that lets you shrink down all the visible subroutines to just the first line (which normally is its name) so you can concentrate on the one subroutine you are working on. Apply that concept to the staging.

[SaturnV]

+1

'Should implement it.

It's kind of confusing when design the stagings. I‘d like to see something like “Release rover 02“ other than “S4“