Spot Vanilla Modules

From UniWiki

A Vanilla Module is the most basic module type other than a Civilian Module and they are often used for contests to make sure the competitors are selecting components of the same price range and similar relevant strength.

There are several key approaches to easily spot the vanilla module in a category - it'll usually have the most boring name. For instance, looking up the item group in the market either by browsing to your item of interest or searching for it, then make sure you've got the parent category visible in the left-side menu. Example:

Another very easy and similar fashion is pulling up Show Info on any one module in a group and going to the Variations tab - that lists every module of that type available

So that helps you spot the likely vanilla module at a glance, but how to confirm it? Bring up Show Info on something and check the Attributes tab. You're looking for the "Meta Level" attribute, or more correctly the lack of that attribute, as such:

In comparison, here is a "named" standard missile launcher, which does have a meta level attribute - so no vanilla here!

Finally, note that it isn't always quite as straight forward to spot the vanilla module. For instance, armor plates come in many sizes and simply different materials rather than fancy names. There, one potential key item to home in on is that only steel has a II version - generally only the vanilla module itself will have an outright II version: