I think the current tool for Medics is the equivalent of running around with a gas nozzle while being shot at. Medics should be able to fire a health inject onto an allied target with Heal Over Time effect and switch back into sustained healing if they wish. I think this would allow medics more versatility on the field. Light assault in a tree (pew inject)... Heavy Assault taking cover a few crates over (pew inject)... your team mate runs up a rock face and you just can't reach em (pew inject) Second would be deploy-able health stations, shielding is an engineers task period.
I disagree with pretty much all you've suggested. Medics (and, for that matter, engineers) are primarily designed (correctly so, imo) as combat classes. They're not pure support. They should be IN the action, not camped out far behind the lines (or worse... behind the spawn shields) pew'ing healing and repairs at whoever needs it. If the LA up the tree needs healing, let him come down. If the HA behind the boxes needs health, you go to him - or he comes to you. If a dude gets caught out in the open and dies in front of the enemy, well... that's a positioning fail and should lead to a respawn, not a long-range resurrect (which would still leave him a free kill for the enemy). Rez 'nades are enough. If you have to have a ranged heal, take a healing nade. While I've got nothing particularly against the idea of giving a medic a healing field and passing the shield bubble over to Engies, I've got a couple of issues: 1) Engies are already swimming in options. They don't really need another one. 2) You'd have to rework Medic directives and compensate those that have already finished it etc. because the directive includes shield stuff. 3) Giving a medic a healing bubble would significantly devalue the nanite regen ability which would have to be reworked into something else probably. 4) Giving a medic a healing bubble would also devalue the med-tool, making the decision between healing and shooting much easier (the answer's shooting, if you were wondering). All in all, I see a lot of complexity and unintended consequences with no real benefits for such a minor change that I simply can't consider this a good idea.
I agree with BrbImAFK Combat medic is for combat as well as support. They have the same armour options as an LA plus auto heal, and an AR that is at least as good as a LMG (better than many, in fact). I use rezz nades for supporting at a distance - OK they bounce around but they detonate with an area effect. You can get healing nades as well although I hear they are pretty pants and so I've never tried one. The nanite auto heal ability will heal nearby allies as well as the medic (not sure how far away it works though). IIRC the medic shield bubble does also give some healing effect but I could be wrong about that. And I hear engies are possibly going to get a deployable shield of their own sometime - is it on PTS atm? Now, if you gave medics a field dressing pack they could drop, which worked like the engie ammo pack but dealing out healing instead of ammo...........but I'm just being greedy for certs there.
In comparison, the revive grenades have a much bigger impact, I feel. Healing Grenades Are kinda comparible to 'toss your normal AoE Heal ova der.' Heal Nade heals 100 health per second in a 10 meter radius for 10 seconds, but your nano-regen at max rank heals 70hp/s for 8 seconds in an 8 meter radius and has unlimited uses. Basically, Heal Nade is for when you don't wanna stand next to the guys you wanna keep alive. Otherwise, get in there and actually do keep people alive. The Shield Recharging Field is just that: Medics can replace their AoE Heal Ability to plop down a little emitter that recharges the shields of any ally that stands in it faster. Starts with a 4.5m radius, works its way up to 7 meters. The Engie Deployable Shield iirc is called the 'Hardlight Barrier' or something. Think of the little shields on the AI Turrets, except as a little chest-high wall. That, maybe. Would need some serious tweaking to keep it balanced, but I like the idea.
