Terrapin Medic

Is this the U4A-3 Terrapin-class combat search-and-rescue variant you briefly touched on in the original Terrapin concept?

The search and rescue operations mentioned were originally undertaken by the Navy in the ship’s base configuration. Squadrons outfitted with Terrapins found them to be highly adaptable to numerous scenarios and would often deploy them in novel ways. In response to seeing how the ship was being used by the military and private corporations, Anvil set its engineers to design a specialized variant to cater specifically to those wanting to do rescue operations, the Terrapin Medic.

Will the Terrapin Medic be as durable as the exploration variant thanks to reinforced armor plating and a robust shield generator?

The Terrapin Medic features the same armor and shields as the base Terrapin.

Will the Terrapin Medic benefit from the cooling feature (heat venting by retracting armor panels) as the explorer variant? Or is it still the plan that the vessel’s thick hull plating traps heat at a higher-than-normal rate so that the pilot should remain mindful if operating with the venting closed?

The Terrapin Medic has the same hull plating features as the base Terrapin and, at release, will have no additional functionality.

Will the sealed armor plates also reduce the ship’s radar signature?

The Terrapin and Terrapin Medic have similar signatures, only modified by the different component loadout. The armor plating does not reduce signature at this time.

How is the Terrapin Medic suited to hostile environments? Does it benefit from its strong VTOL thrusters in storms, or are its components better protected against lightning damage by its particularly strong armor?

While the Terrapin’s VTOL thrusters and armor are designed to help it survive harsh planetary conditions, it is not immune to them. It may survive longer than a similarly sized ship, but you will still need to consider the elements when travelling planetside.

The Terrapin comes with two weapon racks (given its military history) and a locker for your environmental suit. Will the Terrapin Medic also have these to ensure the rescue pilot can leave the ship armed and well-protected against hostile environments when tasked with evacuating an injured comrade?

The weapon racks and suit locker have been replaced with a medical prep area, similar to the Anvil C8R Pisces. This includes a sink and storage for medical supplies.

Will there be storage space where you can store additional medical equipment or emergency rations?

There is space that can be used to store additional medical equipment, food, and drink. It also features personal storage lockers for the player and the patient.

Will we be able to control the armored shutters separately from the rest of the armor?

The armored shutters around the canopy are controlled separately from the rest of the armor panels with a dashboard button.

What commodities does the Terrapin Medic come with? Does it also come with a bunk bed and a shower/toilet combination?

The medical suite replaces most of the long-range amenities of the base Terrapin. There is still a sink for sanitary purposes, but the bed, shower, and toilet have been removed.

Does the Terrapin Medic differ from the Terrapin in terms of speed or maneuverability?

There are no speed or maneuverability differences between the two. The swapped internals leave the ship at a near identical mass and both variants have the same thrusters. However, the base Terrapin received a full flight rework that is also applied to the Medic.

What advantages does the Anvil Terrapin Medic offer compared to its competitors like the Anvil C8R Pisces or the Drake Cutlass Red (and are there any notable downsides to consider)?

The Terrapin Medic features a higher-rated medical bed (Tier 2) compared to the C8R Pisces and the Cutlass Red (Tier 3). However, the Terrapin won’t be able to fit into as many spaces as the C8R, while the Cutlass Red will out-gun the Terrain Medic and has two beds over one.

Does the ship have more power available, as the powerplant no longer needs to supply the large radar system?

With the smaller-sized radar, you will have more power available. With current balancing, it is one power segment that can be used in other systems instead. The balancing is currently being worked on and it is very likely that the benefit will be more significant in the future.

Will we be able to attach something else to the utility mount due to the absence of the radar dish? For example, a tractor beam to rescue wounded comrades drifting in space.

The Terrapin’s radar dish has been replaced with emergency beacons. These cannot be swapped for other utility mounts.

Will the pilot still be able to orientate visually when the armored panels are closed? For example, using an MFD external camera.

The armored panels don’t completely cover the pilot’s view. Players will still be able to see forward to orient themselves. There are no plans for an external camera system like the Prowler, Talon, or Storm.

What exactly are the two black boxes on the top?

They are purely visual decorative and support the emergency lighting states like other medical ships have.