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FRHV21 EC-HoverExcavator

Mod/Scenario - None (Vanilla)


The twentyfirst and final vehicle in the First Run Hover Vehicles series, the Enclosed Cockpit HoverExcavator is a T3 CPU "high level" but further upgradable, three person air-tight Mining ground vehicle.
Equipped with six Mechanical Drills and three Drill Turrets for getting to and collecting ore, a Harvest Module to clear the digging site of any in-the-way trees, and four Gatling Turrets plus 2 fixed Gatling Guns to defend against hostile drones.
The EC-HoverExcavator is equipped with: a 13k SU Ore & Wood container; a 3k SU Ammo container; two large & two small cargo boxes; two Mini-Fridges; two O² Stations with six O² Tanks; two Armour Lockers; a Wi-Fi; and a detector.
The EC-HoverExcavator is lifted by four large Hover Engines by default plus four more large Hover Engines set to "MaxLift", as well as four Medium T2 Thrusters pointing downward at the rear to help pitch forward when starting to dig into the ground. It also had another six large hover engines closer to the centreline of the vehicle that are turned on using the "Mining Hovers" Custom Signal (that also turns the default ones off) in an effort to prevent the rocking back and forth usually experienced on uneven ground left between drills when digging that occurs when the hover engines are too far apart.
For propulsion: it is lifted by default by four large Hover Engines with six more for mining and a further four more set to the "MaxLift" custom shortcut, as well as four Medium T2 Thrusters pointing downward at the rear to help pitch forward when starting to dig into the ground; three Hover Boosters; six thrusters for forward thrust, six for reverse, and three on each side for strafing thrust, all of which are T2 Large Thrusters; and six RCSs.
It's power generation consists of three large Generators with ten large Fuel Tanks.
- NOTE - any Mini Fridges on board come turned off by default.
- NOTE - ingress and egress from the vehicle when standing upright is not possible due to the 2:1 gradient slopes on the insides of the doors, so you will be required to "crouch" (whatever that is) when entering and leaving.

By replacing the T3 CPU Extenders in the shuttered compartments at the rear of the cab, along with the red blocks found therein too, with the T4 CPU Extenders, the following modifications can then be made to the EC-HoverExcavator:
Replacing the 6 Mechanical Drills with Laser Drills;
Replacing the red blocks in the centre compartment at the rear of the cab with a Pentaxid Tank;
Adding a Shield to the rear compartment;
Adding four Power Generators to the side compartment (accessed from the top).





Body = Steel
Deck Plating/Floor = Carbon Composite
Armour = None
Turning the 'Power Save' custom signal on turns the following devices off:
Wi-Fi; "upgrade slots" instruction LCDs; Cab display holoprojectors.
The hazard beacons on the EC-HoverExcavator come on automatically when using the "MiningMode" Custom Signals.
Video - How To Turn Off Wimp's Blinking Lights
Outer Doors - Manual.


Originally part of the "Enclosed-Cockpit Utility Hover Vehicles" series, prior to the full release of Empyrion. Finally updated August 2023.

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