his mod replaces the Comsec in the standard single-player game with the Terrapin Patrol Vessel.

Terrapin model created by Shane. Craft naming, history, testing, and a host of ideas by Hot4Darmat, GrandpaTrout, and the rest of the Epic Development Team.



How to install the mod:
Simply place the mod (still zipped) into the mods folder and activate at the Extras screen. At the hanger select the Comsec.

Enjoy!

Please note that Lucretia's base loadout code does not allow for very precise weapon-balancing. Should any modder wish to use the Terrapin in a mod, please feel free to balance as they see fit.



Terrapin History

While many organizations have opted to place armaments on vessels designed as commercial tugs (the ubiquitous Puffin-class and Spider-class armed tugs are good examples of this), the Consolidated Mining Corporation chose to look for another solution for their defense needs. Following the War of Dissolution, shipyard production was at its nadir, and new defense fleets were at a premium. Unfortunately, manufacturing output, in general, was also in decline. The chaos that followed the war meant that defense needs were as important to any surviving corporate or political interest as ever. It was in this climate that the Terrapin-class Patrol Vessel was born. CMC operated a NSO LaPlace licensed production facility for the manufacturing of 590r Puffin-class tugs, in the Watts system, but found that trying to use such a vessel for security was inadequate to their needs. Arming Puffins and putting them on patrol also took away from their much needed commercial tug capacity at the same time. Without wanting to retool their production facility, they set out to design a modified vessel that could meet their security needs based on a Puffin 590 space-frame, power plant, and similar overall tonnage.

The first Terrapin-class Patrol Vessel was launched in 2341. Empty, she displaced 5852 tonnes, needed a crew of 4 and enjoyed a better defensive and offensive capacity than the best of the armed tugs in the vicinity. Since then, the design has been exported and widely adopted by several other factions looking for a cheaper military vessel that can give a corvette a run for its money. It can be seen fulfilling a wide range of roles in the Middle States cluster, including system defense patrols, close escort, and customs enforcement duties.

Slower but more heavily armoured, the Terrapin can take a surprising amount of punishment before having to leave an engagement, forcing a change in combat tactics, and shifting the balance of power in favour of the Terrapins. Offensively, the Terrapin boasts two PBCs and a pair of fixed missile packs. While the re-fire rate tends to be slower in the Terrapin, the sheer number of missiles this ship can carry in her hull makes it a formidable enemy to take on. Like the fable of the tortoise and the hare, the Terrapin-class patrol vessel may not be the fastest or the hardest hitting, but its ability to endure and keep firing when everyone else has spent their munitions has meant the difference between winning and losing the race.