| Ships featuring standard cargo pods | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pod x 1 | Pod x 8 | Pod x 16 | Pod x 40 |
| Terrapin | Pegasus | Manticore | Leviathan |
The independent Terrapin is a civilian ship in Escape Velocity Nova.
"The aptly named Terrapin is the mainstay of the Federation's small traders. While ugly as sin, and about as fast as its namesake, the Terrapin carries one whole standard cargo pod segment. This huge cargo capacity for such a small vessel makes it a ripe target for pirates and Auroran raiders. They usually travel in "gaggles" with hired escorts, but sometimes a lone trader on his last monetary legs will try to journey alone." ― Buying a Terrapin
The pug-ugly and sluggish Terrapin is the classic example of form following function -- if you needed to design a ship to haul 125 tons of cargo as cheaply as possible, you'd end up with this cargo tug.
Stats[]
"Terrapins used to be tugs to move single standard cargo pods while bigger ships remained in orbit. However, someone in very similar straits to this down-on-his-luck captain modified them to have jump engines, in a desperate attempt to get back on their feet. The Terrapin outside looks as forlorn as its owner." ― Hiring a Terrapin
Standard (#136)[]
| Stats |
|---|
|
Terrapins come with a Medium Blaster without requiring a Heavy Weapons License. Terrapin captains brake for nobody.
Shipyard Variants[]
Stats are relative to the stats of the basic model. The basic model is Standard. Every Terrapin shipvariant is a bit of a mixed bag.
Poorly maintained Second-hand (#369)[]
| Stats |
|---|
|
Another shitbox, but this one is of economic value. They may be down on their luck, but that doesn't mean we can't exploit them with an honest contract.
Well maintained Second-hand (#370)[]
| Stats |
|---|
|
This shipvariant is the true "Upgraded Engines" -- ironically, if you upgrade this escort it becomes much worse. However, this variant is meant to be flown personally as the AI gets no benefit from the installed Carbon Fiber. The installed outfits are worth 252k new, which matches the more than doubling in price.
Like all other Terrapin variants, this one has downsides as well. Witness the missing turret slot. I wonder where that went? Note also that you can no longer install a Sigma Mass Expansion due to the already converted cargo space.
Wild Variants[]
The following shipvariants are unavailable in the shipyard and must be captured in the field.
Upgraded Shielding (#202)[]
| Stats |
|---|
|
This variant is better protected, with point-defence even! -- at the cost of some speed and cargo. Unfortunately, no Terrapin upgrades to this version, so you'll have to find it out in the field.
Upgraded Engines (#203)[]
| Stats |
|---|
|
The only aspect of this shipvariant's maneuverability that has been improved is its turning and that comes at a cost to durability. It's difficult to consider this an upgrade at all.
This is the Terrapin variant favored by Marauders, but it's also found in the hands of Traders.
Technical Variants[]
Surprisingly despite the Terrapin's background as an in-system cargo tug, there is no 'economy at work' variant.
Gameplay Analysis[]
"Another medium freighter, its 125 tons of cargo space can come in handy for escort work. However, if you're looking at getting one for yourself, you'd be better off getting a Star Liner instead." ― EVula Survival Guide
The much-maligned Terrapin may not be the picture of speed and elegance, but it makes an economical escort ship for commodity traders. Try to hire poorly maintained second-hand Terrapins -- they're even cheaper.
Believe it or not, there are marauders who fly this ship. Perhaps a Terrapin was all they could steal. Should you see one flying the black flag you can attempt to board and capture it, but take care with your attacks -- the difference between disabling and destroying it is on a razor's edge due to its weak armor. They make easy targets for early-game players who can avoid their single forward-firing weapon. Even if you do not have the money to fill up a captured Terrapin's hold with trade goods, they can be your treasure ship for cargo taken from other disabled ships.
It's slow enough that if you choose this as your ship, you'll be desirous of playing on x2 speed. The silver lining is that Terrapins barely need to decelerate to enter hyperspace, which almost counts as a form of fast jumping.
If you fly a Terrapin as your own ship, take pains to avoid conflict. Even maximally armed with a pair of guns and a turret, the Terrapin typically can't outfight anything more than fighters or a baseline corvette. And of course, it's a sitting duck for a missile or railgun barrage -- don't let a Fed Destroyer or an Aurora Cruiser get you in its sights.
When choosing a ship to hotrod, the Terrapin isn't even the worst you can do. The Terrapin has a lot of cargo space for the Mass Trick, being able to fit a Sigma Mass Expansion. It has a small hitbox with a tightly arranged set of gun exit points and it doesn't have to unfurl to fire; avoiding foibles of the the Enterprise and the Asteroid Miner, respectively. You may want to consider the Star Liner instead for its impressive shielding and best-in-class crew count.
Images[]
The Terrapin model was made by Scott Vardy. It finishes off the Leviathan/Pegasus trio by being an in-system shuttle for individual pods.
Appearance[]
The Terrapin has a rectangular prism shaped main hull which has been rounded slightly with chamfers. Two sponsons are attached to the port and starboard. A semi-circle shaped bridge is set in an indentation in the main hull. Due to being directly scaled to the Leviathan, this bridge may actually be rather spacious. The main hull is attached to a large cargo pod via a clamp which is anchored directly below the main hull. The cargo pod dwarfs the rest of the ship and has a series of decals resembling a terraced hill. To the stern of the ship is an assembly of struts upon which six medially-elongated sausage-butt engines are mounted. Four engines are mounted to the port and starboard of the main hull, and they are arranged in pairs making a sideways v-shape. Two are mounted distally beneath the cargo pod, vertically side-by-side with eachother. The engines have grate-styled intakes on the front.
Ship Spins[]
This ship has 1 set with 36 frames.
- Ship: 40x40
- Lights: 40x40
- Engine: 60x60
Representative Images[]
