KSPLaunchNumbering

A small mod to perform automatic numbering of launch vehicles.

This project is a fork of the original KSPLaunchNumbering by Damien-The-Unbeliever — a genuinely brilliant idea. Later, linuxgurugamer took it further with a more feature-rich version, which is great in many ways too. However, I wasn't quite happy with how the numbering logic worked there, so I decided to roll my own implementation with a slightly different approach.

The core idea is very simple: you put a [tag] in your vessel name, and the mod replaces it with a sequential number on each launch. I didn't want to use complex templates, mindblowing 'blocs', or Roman numerals. It's as simple as pie: just replace [tag] with a number.

How It Works

Name your vessel with a [tag] placeholder, and the mod replaces it with an incrementing launch number.

Examples:

With a named tag:

Vessel-[vessel]     => first launch  renames to "Vessel-1"
Vessel-[vessel]     => second launch renames to "Vessel-2"

With an empty tag [] — the entire vessel name is used as the key:

Vessel-[]           => first launch  renames to "Vessel-1"
Vessel-[]           => second launch renames to "Vessel-2"

Each unique [tag] gets its own counter. Named tags and empty tags track independently.

Mission Suffix / Comment

You can append any comment after a # sign. Everything from # onward is stripped during rename, so the number is applied only to the part before #.

The # suffix is useful for:

• Mission tracking — keep the same tag but note the destination or purpose
• Variant notes — document payload or configuration differences
• Any extra info — without interfering with the numbering sequence

Examples:

All three launches below use the same [comsat] tag and count sequentially, even though the comments differ:

ComSat-[comsat]#Keostationary    => renames to "ComSat-1"
ComSat-[comsat]#Mun network      => renames to "ComSat-2"
ComSat-[comsat]#Duna network     => renames to "ComSat-3"

As mentioned above, the comment is only visible in the editor before launch — once renamed, the vessel name becomes only what comes before #.

Important: Because the # comment is part of the vessel name in the editor, vessels with different comments are treated as separate craft files in the VAB/SPH. For example, Vessel-[vessel]#Duna and Vessel-[vessel]#Minmus are two different ships in the editor. After rollout, the comment is stripped and both will get sequential names like Vessel-1 and Vessel-2.

Separable Vessels (Multi-Satellite Launch, Mothership/Lander etc.)

You can set a launch template on any command module (capsule or probe core). When a vessel containing that part separates via decoupler, separator, or undocking, the new vessel is automatically renamed according to the template. Also note that if the template doesn't contain a [tag], the vessel is renamed to the literal template name without any numbering.

In the VAB, right-click a command module. Click Edit Template:

Enter the desired name (with or without a [tag]):

The button then shows the current template: Edit Template: ComSat-[].

Example:

Suppose you build a ship named Apollo [apollo] and set the template to LM-[] on the lander's command module. After launch, depending on current tag counters, the ship may become Apollo 11. Decouple the lander, and it automatically renames — for example, to LM-5.

Important: The template is applied only once. After initial separation, the automatic renaming won't trigger again if the separated ship later docks and undocks.

Multi-Tag Support

You can use multiple [tag] placeholders in a vessel name or template. Each tag gets its own independent counter.

Example:

Duna-[duna]-[dunalander]   => resolves to "Duna-5-1"
Mun-[base]-[rover]-[drill] => resolves to "Mun-2-1-3"

Note: Multi-tag requires named tags ([sometag]). Empty [] tags still work but don't combine with other tags in the same name — they use the entire vessel name as the key, which defeats the purpose of having separate counters. If you need multiple counters, always use named tags.

When a subvessel separates, tags already used in the parent vessel keep the exact numbers that were assigned at the parent's launch — only new tags increment the global counter. This matters even if later launches have advanced the counter:

1. Launch Duna-[duna] → becomes Duna-5 (global duna = 5)
2. Launch another Duna-[duna] → becomes Duna-6 (global duna = 6)
3. Eject lander from the first ship (template Duna-[duna]-[dunalander]) → becomes Duna-5-1 — inherits duna=5 from the parent's launch, not 7. Only dunalander gets a fresh number.
4. The second lander ejected from the same ship → Duna-5-2, and so on.

Launch Number Manager

Click the toolbar icon in VAB, SPH, Flight, Map View, or KSC to open the Launch Number Manager window.

The window shows all tracked tags and their last launch numbers:

Entries are displayed in alphabetical order for easy navigation. For each entry you can:

• Edit the number directly in the text field
• Decrement using the - button (minimum value is 1)
• Increment using the + button
• Delete the entry entirely — the counter resets and the tag will start from 1 on next launch

The window closes by clicking the toolbar icon again.

Settings

Open the game's settings (ESC => Settings => Game Difficulty) and find the Launch Numbering section. Toggle Use Alternate Skin to switch between KSP-native and default Unity skin for the manager window.

Save Compatibility

Numbering data is persisted in your save file. If you uninstall the mod, any previously numbered vessels keep their names.

Important: This mod's save format is not compatible with the original mod by Damien-The-Unbeliever or the fork by linuxgurugamer. Do not switch between them mid-save — numbering data will not carry over.

Installation

1. Download the latest release.
2. Extract the GameData/LaunchNumbering folder into your KSP GameData/ directory.
3. The final structure should be:

   GameData/LaunchNumbering/
   ├── Plugins/
   │   └── LaunchNumbering.dll
   ├── Textures/
   │   └── LaunchNumbering.png
   ├── LICENSE
   └── README.md

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• .NET Framework SDK or Mono
• MSBuild
• A KSP installation with KSP_Data/Managed/ containing the required assemblies

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/crvx/KSPLaunchNumbering.git
   cd KSPLaunchNumbering
   

2. Create a symlink (Linux) or junction (Windows) named KSP_Data inside the LaunchNumbering/ folder, pointing to your KSP installation's KSP_Data directory:

   Linux:

   ln -s /path/to/Kerbal\ Space\ Program/KSP_Data LaunchNumbering/KSP_Data

   Windows (admin prompt):

   mklink /J LaunchNumbering\KSP_Data C:\Path\To\KSP\KSP_Data

   The LaunchNumbering.csproj references assemblies via KSP_Data\Managed\*.dll, so this symlink is required for compilation.

Build

msbuild LaunchNumbering/LaunchNumbering.csproj /p:Configuration=Release /t:Build

The compiled DLL will be at LaunchNumbering/bin/Release/LaunchNumbering.dll.

License

MIT License. Originally by Damien-The-Unbeliever, maintained by crvx.