Combat Medic Developments

[Gatekeeper]

Some ideas to replace the AOE/self heal on F. These would generally hit the same area as the default healing field (and thus affect the CM himself as well) and would provide some healing just for consistency. Each field would glow a different colour in order to differentiate between them.

1) Stimulant Field (Red): Boosts movement speed, very low healing, long duration.
2) Overheal Field (Blue): Low healing, but allows health to go above 100%.
3) Healing Rush (Orange): High healing, but very low duration and long recharge.
4) Recovery Field (White): Very low healing, but anyone who dies while affected by the field auto-resurrects (with low health) after a short delay (2 seconds?).
5) Wide-Area Healing (Yellow): Low healing, but double normal radius.
6) Adrenal Healing (Purple): Long default recharge, but recharges a large amount (30%-50%?) every time you make a kill.

[Palerion]

So... That still sounds like stimulants. Which I'm pretty sure are overlapped by implants.

[Sledgecrushr]

It looks like if we get implants then any kind of player chosen buff system is out of the window. I am not a fan of implants atm because it will take away this small potential bit of meta game.

[Palerion]

What is the purpose of implants? Are they like actual permanent perks, or just temporary advantages?

Anyway, regardless, I would say even something that replaces AOE heal that is an emergency self-heal that brings your health back up instantly would be a good idea. Not only in a firefight, but in the situation that you need to get to a downed soldier, it would be helpful.

The problem with coming up with these ideas is trying to make them fit the medical/biological feel of the class. If it were not for that obstacle I would say a simple shield that negates all damage and removes use of the player's weapon. But finding another possibility that works like buffs, that could be used to benefit both the player and allies, is a challenge.

[Sledgecrushr]

Palerion we need to pitch this buff/stimulant idea on the official forum.

[Palerion]

On the roadmap or just the forum? Pretty sure the official forum is kind of a downgrade, but you're right. I just need to recollect what my forum password was... :/

[Carbon Copied]

Ok so think outside the box and empty your heads of this RPG-style buff bot; things like that are simply not practical - they sound good on paper but think about it in terms of the game as to what they actually achieve and/or add to it.

Buffs seem to just so far be an attempt at producing some form of super soldier: how do these buffs give xp, how do they stack, what if I want to get rid of a buff that some asshole medic has just run up to me and bestowed on my person, do you have a platoon of super soliders running around against a group of people, how do I know if another person on my team has a buff, am I going to be pissed if asshole medic number 2 runs up and overwrites the buff I wanted.
You see where the cracks are starting to show?

Seriously this isn't me saying "shit idea" because on paper it's pretty cool but like figment mentioned in another "cool idea" thread what sounds cool is, ingame the worst concept and design ever. This is coming from a dedicated support player.

[Palerion]

Well honestly I'd just like to know that the devs are willing to give the class something other than more healing, because that's all they've got on the roadmap.

[Sledgecrushr]

Medic already does good healing, unless they intend on nerfing their current capabilities more healing seems very redundant.

[Palerion]

Yeah, the thing is, i can't see too much of an expansion on healing in future development. I can really only see new types of gear, and I would venture to say that weaponry and defensive/offensive utilities are the only routes.

As Figment apparently said, ideas that sound cool sometimes play out terribly in-game. Alternate ways to heal, such as "long-range healing devices" are the perfect example if you ask me. Snipe-healing is not a medic's job, frontline healing is, and we already have a medical applicator, AOE heal, rez grenades, and heal grenades. Quite honestly, that is enough in terms of its support role.

I think giving the combat medic more "F" abilities, though, is what should happen. Combined with maybe more small class-specific utilities. I know it's a medic, but they work on the frontline, up close. They may find a use for small explosives, deployables, and the like.

As a matter of fact, that is the one expansion to healing I do agree with on the roadmap. A deployable healing station. That is useful and fits the medic, and if the medic has a deployable healing station and AOE heal on, it would decently boost the survival rate of him and his squad.

[Carbon Copied]

Ok so had a think and came up with some potential suggestions to the table:

(Below rely on an engineer and the engineer class having these added to the game)

Nanite Energy Shield Healing Module (The NESHM):

Friendly engineer deploys a shield bubble module that by default just protects the occupants inside. Should a medic have the correct certed module he can interface with the module (via a consumable resource costed item) this provides the occupants with an AOE (that doesn't go outside the bubble boundaries) however is totally destroyed should the engineer deconstruct/re-deploy his module elsewhere or the shield is destroyed from enemy attack.

Nanite Adaptable Healing Pad (The NAHP):

Engineer constructs a portable equipment terminal where by default (like all other terminals) this does not heal you when you re-equip. With The NAHP the medic can interface with the equipment terminal to deploy a ground regeneration pad (via a consumable resource costed item) that heals over time any user interfacing with the equipment terminal. This can also be deployed on standard facility terminals as well however only one may remain active per medic at any one time and as well as the added risk that hacked terminals will turn the medic pad over to the faction's hacked side. Destroying the terminal will also destroy the medical terminal pad.

(While not a "buff" it probably sits between the lines which could be a starting point)

Nanite Systems Infantry Medical Adapter (The NSIMA):

A consumable resource costed item that allows the medic to integrate a Commercial AOE Medical Applicator to a Heavy Assault infantry man. This adapter interfaces with the Heavy Assault's Personal Shield so that when activated creates a low radius, low heal field around them healing others; unfortunately Nanite Systems are unable to integrate it sufficiently enough so that it heals the modified Heavy Assault personnel directly while their Personal Shields are active. While it doesn't affect the Personal Shield directly; once activated the Commercial AOE Medical Applicator is lifed to one use and will require refitting should the Heavy Assault turn off shields prematurely or run his Personal Shield generator dry.

[Sledgecrushr]

Originally Posted by Carbon Copied

Ok so had a think and came up with some potential suggestions to the table:

(Below rely on an engineer and the engineer class having these added to the game)

Nanite Energy Shield Healing Module (The NESHM):

Friendly engineer deploys a shield bubble module that by default just protects the occupants inside. Should a medic have the correct certed module he can interface with the module (via a consumable resource costed item) this provides the occupants with an AOE (that doesn't go outside the bubble boundaries) however is totally destroyed should the engineer deconstruct/re-deploy his module elsewhere or the shield is destroyed from enemy attack.

Nanite Adaptable Healing Pad (The NAHP):

Engineer constructs a portable equipment terminal where by default (like all other terminals) this does not heal you when you re-equip. With The NAHP the medic can interface with the equipment terminal to deploy a ground regeneration pad (via a consumable resource costed item) that heals over time any user interfacing with the equipment terminal. This can also be deployed on standard facility terminals as well however only one may remain active per medic at any one time and as well as the added risk that hacked terminals will turn the medic pad over to the faction's hacked side. Destroying the terminal will also destroy the medical terminal pad.

(While not a "buff" it probably sits between the lines which could be a starting point)

Nanite Systems Infantry Medical Adapter (The NSIMA):

A consumable resource costed item that allows the medic to integrate a Commercial AOE Medical Applicator to a Heavy Assault infantry man. This adapter interfaces with the Heavy Assault's Personal Shield so that when activated creates a low radius, low heal field around them healing others; unfortunately Nanite Systems are unable to integrate it sufficiently enough so that it heals the modified Heavy Assault personnel directly while their Personal Shields are active. While it doesn't affect the Personal Shield directly; once activated the Commercial AOE Medical Applicator is lifed to one use and will require refitting should the Heavy Assault turn off shields prematurely or run his Personal Shield generator dry.

Wow I absolutely love it. This has almost everything. The teamwork idea is spectacular. All I would like are for more choices between this interaction of engineer and medic.

[Palerion]

That's a pretty sexy idea, but a lot more for the engineer than the medic. It would be cool if they could do something like that.

I'm still brainstorming on more medic utilities and abilities; haven't come up with much.

[Gatekeeper]

Originally Posted by Palerion

So... That still sounds like stimulants. Which I'm pretty sure are overlapped by implants.

Really? I don't see how there's a problem, honestly. My ideas were primarily based on existing certs in other categories or on simple modifications to the existing healing effect. The only controversial concept is the auto-res.

The big difference here with the stimulants concept is that these abilities would work in the same way as the current CM healing aura - you have to be near your target(s) and have the ability toggled on in order for them to get the buff. So we're not talking about some kind of fire-and-forget buff you need to apply to people in some way, but instead something that lets the Medic buff his squad a little while he's fighting alongside them, or lets him heal in different ways.

Since the Heavy already has a few different overshield versions to choose from, and LA has different jump-jet versions, it seems logical to me that the Medic should get alternate healing auras. It's relatively simple to implement, consistent with other game features and seems fairly balanced to me.

[Sledgecrushr]

So alternate healing auras that also buff other stats for as long as your aura is active. Of course choosing a buff would lessen the healing as a tradeoff but applying the correct buff at the right time could change the ballance of a fight.

I would like for a buff gained while in the medicaes aura to last for a couple of minutes.