First Post on here. I play a lot of Medic. But lately I have played a lot of Engineer, and it strikes me that the Engineer system of having an Ability (Ammo Box) plus a deployable (Turret or Barrier) is a lot more elegant than the Medic's system. My suggestion is to make the Medic work closer to the Engineer. Meaning that the Medic always has their AOE Heal (which would need a nerf) when they press F. But then would have their choice of Deployable which would be in weapon slot 5, like an Engineers turret. Obviously their would need to be more Deployables added to the game to make this work. But it is just an idea. Compared to the Engineer, the Medic has very few options for diversity. Ideas for the Deployables: -Shield Regen Device (as it currently exists in game) -Forward Spawn from the Test Server (minus the Shield Regen effect, IMO those need to be separate effects) -Health Pack Box - Like an ammo box for the Regen Injection thingies, requires the player standing on them to have Regen Injector equipped (the full Health Injectors would probably be OP) -Hardlight Barrier (unlikely, but could be argued that Medics get damage prevention deployables, while Engineers stick to turrets. Again, unlikely.) What do you all think?
Area-healing to heal health damage, or heal shield damage; Medics have the FS (forward spawn) as deploy-able in their item slot shared by Med-kits, C-4, etc (as per PTS) The med kits are a nanite-costing item; To have medics replenish them in the field: Either they'd drain allies of nanites to replenish them (and be the only item that can be replenished without a terminal to restore a nanite-based item).. which would be the most problematic issue... Or they'd make Med kits free when replenished in the field. Which would be OP as hell.
Health Damage. Same as the default Ability, but probably nerfed since you would also have a Deployable now. Oh, my understanding was that forward spawns used the Ability slot. And yes, the Med Kit idea is a bit weird. Was just brainstorm ideas for deployables. Neither one of those facts really addresses the whole point of my post though, that medics could have a deployable AND an Ability similar to the Engineers.
I think "don't fix what isn't broken". Engineers have more deployables, because they are engineers. Overhauling heal grenade to a medkit similar in BF3 would be enough IMO.
Yeah! So the deployable shield regenerator should be removed from the Medic! As should deployables like the Motion Spotter, because they aren't on the Engineer. I really hate this kind of reasoning. There is absolutely nothing wrong with improving the Medics capabilities. Currently it's the least used class that I know off. If every class was well-balanced you would need about the same amount of each, so it is broken in that aspect. Even if it was balanced, what's wrong with more variety and choice? What's wrong with adding stuff to the Medic? Let's say we added a deployable shield-wall to the Medic, where it belongs. Because the Medic can easily be a class that uses defensive support and damage prevention to his resume next to it's damage removal. While on the Engineer it's only there "because he's an Engineer". Allright, Engineers should also hack stuff, right? Because Engineers are the smart guys! Engineers should be the only one's with explosives, because that's what Demolition Engineers do! Engineers should operate all specialty weapons, because that's what Engineers do! Let's just dump everything on the Engineer because reasons! Back to giving the Medic a shield-wall. On the Engineer it's just another option, on the Medic it's a true enhancement of the playstyle. You can offer yourself and allies impromptu cover from which you can heal and revive (assuming it gets that teeny bit extra height so you can actually hide behind it), which fits perfectly with everything the Medic already does. And adding other stuff to the Medic would only be good. That FS for example is a great idea. It reduces the workload of Medics that don't have to personally attent every death and it adds to the Meta where Medics can be vital in keeping the frontlines from moving (and providing alternative spawn options if you are being spawncamped), and classes that have an easier time hunting down these FS's become more important compared to the "Heavy can do just about anything" meta we have now. The current FS doesn't have the shield regen effect anymore as far as I'm aware. At first it did because it literally took the ability slot of the regen device. It's been moved to the utility slot. Health pack box: As long as it is what you say, a weaker form of medkits, it could work. Although I would prefer simply having the health pack box do a small AOE heal every X seconds. Hardlight Barrier. Completely likely. It's ridiculous it ever got to the Engineer. It fits the Medic more and could have offered a far better use of Medics on the field, both for themselves and in teamplay combat.
My whole thing on the Engineer vs Medic debate is this: there are a bunch of different builds for the Engineer using different Explosive, Deployable, and Suit Combos. The Medics choices for diversity are basically these: Nano Weave vs Grenade Bandolier AOE Heal vs Shield Device C4 or Health Pack IMO this makes the medic a rather boring and predictable class. I am not saying make it better or buff it, simply give it more options to do the things it is good at. Promote diverse loadouts. And give medics more things to sink certs into. Maybe the F key ability shouldn't be an AOE Heal. Maybe that should be a deployable like TheSunlikeOne suggested. I am not 100% sure the most balanced way to do it, but I think making Medics and Engineers both have a permanent F key Ability, plus a Deployable in the 5 slot would be an improvement. They are the 2 support classes, why not make them have a similar interface? This would also, IMO, make it easier for new players to learn the classes. Oh and the argument that only Engineers get Deployables is nonsense. Only class to get turrets for sure. Even have options to be better at Demolitions is fine with me. But deployables are good for the game. They promote teamwork without having to follow people around like a puppy. In my opinion Infiltrator could also get more deployables, but that's an argument for a different post. Again, just my two cents.
Read the post again. I don't think nerfing autoheal will bring more players. In fact, it will do the opposite. Because deployables can easily be detrimental to your team. It was very frustrating back in a day when you were shooting enemies, that didn't see you and all of the sudden some medic decided to "help" you with shield bubble, illuminating you and causing your death. Same thing to a less extend happens now with hardlight barrier, that prevents you from escaping and causing your death. As main medic I would definitely like some new toys, but not the ones, that can hurt your team more, than help, if used inappropriately. I'd like to see: - Lower shield recharging delay thing (don't know how it is called) that engi has. - F-key revive aura. The same thing as revive nade, but works near medic him/herself and requires to stay near fallen teammates for N seconds. If medic dies in a process, then reviving doesn't happen. - Medbag, instead of healing nade (like I've already mentioned). - Reverting AR minimum damage changes. ARs aren't carbines, so their damage shouldn't fall as low as carbines'. - Revive tool that instantly revives your teammate, but has a cooldown, before it can be used again.
No one said the deployables had to illuminate or draw attention to allies near it. And I only think the Heal Aura needs a nerf if Medics have it AND a deployable at the same time. I don't think anyone would argue that the Heal Aura is much stronger than the Ammo Box. I am also not saying that the Medics F key has to be the Heal Aura. There could be a Heal Box deployable, and then some other weak ability for the F key. I could see the Heal Grenade being removed in favor of a Heal Deployable. I do not think any extra Revive effects should be added. The main tool takes 1 second to Revive, that is close enough to instant without being OP. And Rez Grenades already make the medic a necromancer. Weapon Damage changes are outside the scope of this post. After reading some of your thoughts, I am thinking something like this for deployables: AOE Heal Box Shield Recharge Device (basically as is in game) Forward Spawn (very limited time, range, and placement) Hardlight Barrier And then give the Engies more deployables, I am fine with them having More than the medic, just so long as the medic has more options than its current ones. AOE Repair deployable seems like an obvious thing, maybe the devs feel it would be OP? How bout a deployable Lift (the yellow beam thing) Engineers can do basically anything with there deployables, I would like to see Healling and damage prevention stay in the medic wheel house though
It doesn't really matter, the final result is the same: Engineer "needs" more deployables 'cus it's an Engineer. And that's just a ridiculous way to go forwards. "omg, we added some deployables to the Medic, now we need to add more to the Engineer so he keeps having more deployables, because that's what an Engineer is about!". Well actually you have an even worse standpoint: "The Medic isn't allowed more deployables because the Engineer should have more deployables". Who said anything about auto-heal or nerfing? Healing is the least of the Medics duties. It's primary duty right now is reviving people and providing support as a medium assault unit. Healing hasn't ever been it's primary role, nor the role people should focus on with the Medic. And as my post already alluded to, I want the Medic improved by adding things to it's resume. Things like damage prevention or damage reduction and new ways to keep people in the fight (Forwards Station). Nothing about auto-heal on the Medic or on other people, nothing about making healing better. Because frankly, why would you want healing to be better? There's little reason for Medics to heal in the field most of the time. It's basically a nice bonus thrown in next to being the resident necromancer. "We shouldn't do this because a total of 2 deployables in the game have had negative consequences (one of which has already been fixed btw)". The hardlight barrier should never have blocked anything but bullets and explosives. It should have been possible to walk/drive through it with ease. The shield regenerator shouldn't ever have highlighted people, and it in all likelyhood was an unfortunate effect of the graphics rather than an intentional code to highlight people inside it. They fixed this now, and voila! We have a nice deployable without downsides again! So don't go assuming 100% of the deployables added would instantly have a negative side. For example the Forwards Station deployable doesn't instantly have a negative side does it? So why would you shoot that idea down? No idea how the Medbag works, but the rest sounds reasonable. Although I wouldn't have a single use for an instant revive-tool unless it could do that to MAX's, which would be a tad OP. And if it can't do it to MAX's then I don't really see much reason to use it at all, at max rank your revive tool already goes like the blazes. Also the F-key revive aura shouldn't be too big, say 5m or so would be more than enough. That's the same AOE as parking a Sunderer on top of you and then the front and back would be the fartest away from you.
Lowering Shield-Recharge delay for what reason exactly? A revive aura. For when you want to revive an entire room without losing a Grenade or firearm, and to do so near instantly. Aka hell no... Hide behind wall or cover, revive entire groups without even using a grenade. Don't see a point in the medbag, at all. Assault Rifles were tuned down for a reason. Revive tool already exists in multiple forms: You really don't need an true instant one on a cooldown.
I don't know how many here remember this, but DoT Medic ability was actually there in the certification panel during beta. Unfortunately it never made it to live. Personally I would love a DoT deployable.
Immunization: Ability slot, reduces the duration of the effect from concussion & flash-bangs plus stacks with relevant implants (max rank of both being 99% reduction aka effectively immune) while in the area. Steroid Booster: Ability slot. When activated gives a substantial boost to running speed and jump height (stacks with all other increases) to all troops in a given radius for 30 seconds. Good for those times you have to run from spawn to control point through a hail of shells. Aid Station: Utility slot. Sets up an aid station (about the size of a spitfire) that other players can interact with that has 2 modes of operation. Manual allows other players to interact with it to be fully healed (ala med kit), automatic pulses at regular intervals to heal friendlies within the area for 33% of their health. Stretcher: Ability slot, tertiary ability on med tool, or just a cert that works automatically when reviving players in a certain range. Ability to target a players body and drag them to the medics location before actually reviving them. In other words - finally a way to put an end to the whole "revive, die, revive, die" cycle.
