Terrapin as explorer

[Happa]

What do you guys think of having the Terrapin as an explorer? Is there a more suiteble ship or is it good enough? Give me some feedback

[Devil Khan]

Slow

[AstroJak]

The terrapin wouldnt make for a very good explorer. It lacks the necessary equipment to sustain crew for long peroids in space. Eg bed to for saving.
It would be sufficent for short term system exploration but i feel you would reach its limitations very quickly and look to upgrade...or down grade to something like a bata or reliant or 315p.


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[Fintz]

 

[GestaltZero0]

+ 1 for the bumbling idiots

I am going to stay with my Freelancer. The Terrapin sounds nice but I do want to bring things back with me. 

[Switch]

15 hours ago, AstroJak said:

The terrapin wouldnt make for a very good explorer. It lacks the necessary equipment to sustain crew for long peroids in space. Eg bed to for saving.
It would be sufficent for short term system exploration but i feel you would reach its limitations very quickly and look to upgrade...or down grade to something like a bata or reliant or 315p.


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Regarding the bed, it has one (Spoiler below) and aren't the engines extremely efficient and made for long range? Towards exploration, since we don't know what specifically is... better or necessary for exploration, example the Carrack has drones, something to help align with Jump points, etc. If all of that is "needed" often then maybe the Terrapin isn't the best choice but currently, it seems like a fun idea. With its giant radar sweep and yes it's slow but "Slow" in this game is still a good speed since you can jump and if you're sweeping for things, maybe slow is better to not miss things, possibly.

So personally I'd say it's one of those "wait and see" situations with too many unknowns. 

And "Is there a more suitable ship?", Carrack is #1 Exploration ship personally due to how well prepared it is, but consider crew requirements, size, etc. you need to figure out how many people and/or the size of ship you want, then you can find the best exploration ship for you.

• 315p
• Freelancer DUR
• Constellation Aquila 
• Carrack

 

Carrack - Constellation - Freelancer - No 315 but you get the picture =]

Spoiler

 

[Fintz]

I do see Terrapin as a first jump last to leave ship. A ship to jump in get the info for the system while try to keep a low profile, assess the threat level and then singal the squishy exploration fleet to get into the system. Also it could act as a lookout while everyone else is busy getting detailed information.

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[Devil Khan]

EWAC Early Warning AirCraft.

I wouldn't leave it behind without fighters. It is practically weaponless, only forward facing S2 guns, when you are trying to get out (slowly). Also can I assume that even though she is a small ship when she does an active scanning she will light her self up like a bonfire.

Also bad for exploring is  no gun ( again I ignore the one S2 Gimble forward mount). use the Freelancer DUR it has the fuel and ability to carry a dragonfly and plenty of firepower and the extended range for scans on the nose. It costs a lot less 140 versus 195. If money doesn't matter Carrack or Connie Aquila. 

The one thing which limited it is the terrapin is lack of firepower. The S2 Shields maybe increased  but they don't make it an invincible ship and she is known from concept that she'll make jumped range slower hence like the Idris and she isn't a fast nimble, quite the opposite really. 

No cargo room, need I say more?

The Terrapin is a specialist. She is small and powerful (sensors range). The main role will never let her alone(ish). Personally I only really see her with a fleet. The only place shall be Hi-sec solo ship really.     

[Leonn]

There seems to be some confusion over this little ship and I feel people are commenting on it without having really read the Q & A's.

It IS a dedicated exploration ship and more specifically military exploration (surveillance). Of course CIG could completely fail to deliver what they stated but it was given a very unique role and a hefty price tag due to it's level of specialisation. It sold in the exploration pack and it's primary role title is exploration.

It is a scout ship. It's job is to jump in and position itself somewhere out of the way and go dark only running its scanning system with all other system on as low a settings as possible or turned off completely. I am sure CIG will offset this ability with the fact that you can pretty much be instantly killed should you be found with all your shield turned off and your armour in the open/venting state but there needs to be some kind of trade off.

Yes this is an exploration ship but it is a 'Military Exploration' ship with a very narrow use. It has a gun yes but a gun on this kind of ship is not to go toe to toe with another ship. It is more of a utility item. Finish off a dying ship or kill some marines on the ground, simply a utility item.

Taken from the Q&A's
 

Does the Terrapin have a bed?

Yes, for long-range missions, the pilot could potentially be spending days, if not weeks and months, out of port. In fact, you can even see it in the far corner of the cutaway image.

What will the travel range be like on a Terrapin?

Very long. The Terrapin packs much bigger Hydrogen and Quantum Fuel tanks to increase its operational range. It’s designed to stay out in the verse for as long as possible.

How does the Terrapin compare to the Freelancer DUR?

The Terrapin is tough as boots. It’s designed to be able to handle any eventuality in the dark unknown of space. From a military perspective it’s also extremely usable as a recon ship. Able to survey fleet movements and sustain a lot of direct fire if discovered, the Terrapin’s secondary use is a way to insert or rescue people from combat zones is also highly appealing.

In part 1 it mentioned that the Terrapin was better off running from a battle than it is standing its ground in a dogfight. Can you explain in more detail what this means?

The Terrapin is designed for military long-endurance recon. It’s an intelligence ship; its best defense is, in fact, intelligence. The general idea is to see the enemy before they see you, and manage your position or make use of environmental hazards or features to keep them from finding you. If you learn the signature and shadowing game well, you should find that slower acceleration isn’t much of a problem, especially when you know where they are, but they don’t know where you are.

Can you please elaborate on the different exploration mechanics the Anvil Terrapin will excel at?

Exploration involves a number of different possible activities, not all of which involve taking material things home. True to its original design as an intel and recon ship, the Terrapin is more concerned with finding, cataloging, and reporting critical information and discovering points of interest than it is about taking home incidental salvage, trinkets, or loose resources. The Terrapin’s great emphasis on scanning and detection – including the dedicated utility hardpoints for doubling down on extra scanning capacity – make it ideal for exploring and data processing larger volumes of space more efficiently than even many of its small-explorer contemporaries. It may not be able to bring back many souvenirs, but the real point behind the Terrapin is to locate valuable things for friends. When you bring the Terrapin home, you can sell the information to other parties or call in friends, guilds, or NPC interests to exploit the resources you’ve found for them – or you can keep the secret to yourself and come back with a ship designed or outfitted specifically to take advantage of whatever it was you found out there. This echoes its military role – why tussle with the enemy, when your real strength is calling in the full weight of the fleet you have behind you on your hapless foe?

What do you envision will attach to the utility hardpoints beyond scanning devices? Mining lasers? Salvage claw? Additional weapons?

The utility mount fits equipment, rather than anything offensive, something we’re going to be seeing more of as further support and non-combat ships are revealed. The Terrapin’s Radar Dish and Scanning Array will enhance the range and capabilities of the installed Radar and Scanner, making it far more capable than one without but as utility gear is revealed, the usefulness of an armored utility platform like the Terrapin will grow.

[Switch]

28 minutes ago, Leonn said:

There seems to be some confusion over this little ship and I feel people are commenting on it without having really read the Q & A's.

It IS a dedicated exploration ship and more specifically military exploration (surveillance). Of course CIG could completely fail to deliver what they stated but it was given a very unique role and a hefty price tag due to it's level of specialisation. It sold in the exploration pack and it's primary role title is exploration.

It is a scout ship. It's job is to jump in and position itself somewhere out of the way and go dark only running its scanning system with all other system on as low a settings as possible or turned off completely. I am sure CIG will offset this ability with the fact that you can pretty much be instantly killed should you be found with all your shield turned off and your armour in the open/venting state but there needs to be some kind of trade off.

Yes this is an exploration ship but it is a 'Military Exploration' ship with a very narrow use. It has a gun yes but a gun on this kind of ship is not to go toe to toe with another ship. It is more of a utility item. Finish off a dying ship or kill some marines on the ground, simply a utility item.

Hey Leonn, glad to see you're still around! Yeah, we don't require people to read the Q&A's to comment so it happens.  I agree with "(Surveillance)" and yes, it's a military exploration ship but how well can it be used for "Exploration" however vague that may be or however you define Exploration, for example your QA -

Spoiler

Can you please elaborate on the different exploration mechanics the Anvil Terrapin will excel at?

Exploration involves a number of different possible activities, not all of which involve taking material things home. True to its original design as an intel and recon ship, the Terrapin is more concerned with finding, cataloging, and reporting critical information and discovering points of interest than it is about taking home incidental salvage, trinkets, or loose resources. The Terrapin’s great emphasis on scanning and detection – including the dedicated utility hardpoints for doubling down on extra scanning capacity – make it ideal for exploring and data processing larger volumes of space more efficiently than even many of its small-explorer contemporaries. It may not be able to bring back many souvenirs, but the real point behind the Terrapin is to locate valuable things for friends. When you bring the Terrapin home, you can sell the information to other parties or call in friends, guilds, or NPC interests to exploit the resources you’ve found for them – or you can keep the secret to yourself and come back with a ship designed or outfitted specifically to take advantage of whatever it was you found out there. This echoes its military role – why tussle with the enemy, when your real strength is calling in the full weight of the fleet you have behind you on your hapless foe?

 Helps describe what CIG has in mind for exploration and what that Terrapin can do, 

• "Terrapin is more concerned with finding, cataloging, and reporting critical information and discovering points of interest than it is about taking home incidental salvage, trinkets, or loose resources."
• "It may not be able to bring back many souvenirs, but the real point behind the Terrapin is to locate valuable things for friends."

 

If you want to scout or do surveillance it sounds good, which I will with this ship but depending on how you define exploration in Star Citizen, only you know if it's for you. 

[Leonn]

22 hours ago, Switch said:

If you want to scout or do surveillance it sounds good, which I will with this ship but depending on how you define exploration in Star Citizen, only you know if it's for you. 

Hi @Switch  :-)  yeh I'm still here just busy in RL these days so not commenting so much.

^^ Yep agreed, different exploration ships for different jobs. I like that we are seeing this kind of variety. For me personally the large quantity & variety of ships and design are all leading to a more immersive PU.

I do wish however that CIG would spend more time fixing some of the origonal concepts that people have financially invested in. Some ships are just ignored but i suppose that is for another topic.

Hopefully Terrapin owners won't have to wait long to see some of the mentioned mechanics come to be. I think it is going to be a great little ship.

[Barabit]

I'll definitely get this little gem in game, as the price is way to high imo. I know it's about backing/supporting... still for about the same money you can get a sabre or hull C.

[Fintz]

Totally different roles thought For sure the Terrapin is not the best fit for a starter ship.

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[Barabit]

Yes, different roles. But my reasoning is that with the 200$ Hull C I could probably make enough creds to buy all the Terrapins I need. Afaik it's not a faction specific ship or a rare one, so I plan to get one in game pretty easily.

[Devil Khan]

Realistically speaking the terrapin won't  do everything, in fact it would only really do a very specific thing. Terrapin and a Hull series ship are very different. I really won't justify a 195 for anything, I got mine as part of a package deal. As I said I really can only see it as part of a fleet deal and only operating as an EWAC. I have a carrack already. As it wrote down it is a military ship, we just got excess with lesser quality things.  Just because it is a military ship doesn't mean it is great, EG Hummer, crap mpg, 1st draft  they always broke down after a few 100 miles. especially the desert sand .

there is a few vessel which have military branding, but none of them are warship, fighter, bomber or dropship. Carrack, Reclaimer, and the terrapin. To be honest, buy ( I know already be on LTI sale) if you want to pledge money or if you can say that you will have a use for it. However, don't really buy it for solely economies gain back. Like Barabit said, better off getting a Hull-C dedicated for hauling large cargo between stations, but not planetside solely.