Combat Medic Archive

One current idea bouncing around the forum (which I may or may not agree with) is to limit healing while engaged in combat, however you define that, to combat medics. All other medics and doctors would either incur a penality to healing, or not be able to heal at all.

However, does this really address the underlying problem? When I think back to being a intermediate level medic in a mid level hunting group, in no way was I nearly as effective as a combat medic. Due to the 6m healing limit (and problems with server lag), needing to chase down the target or having the target come to me, and only being able to heal people one at a time, it was all around inefficient. Doctors, although they can heal for more, they still have problems of having to do it one at a time, and needing to be close to the target.

For me at least, the problem isn't that combat medics are overshadowed by medics or doctors on the battle field. Despite the fact that doctors can cure states, I still think I can heal better then them in active combat (especially with healmind). I have yet to go into combat and be one-upped by anymedic or doctor. (Note, this is PvE combat, not PvP.) Personally, I thinkthe problem about combat medics being "underpowered healers in combat" isn't a balance issue with the classes,it isan issue with people being able to heal themselves with +400 strength stim B's.

Removing or seriously nerfing the ability for non-combat medics to heal in combat is comparable to giving all poisons a 75% damage reduction in PvP combat. It works and solves the symptoms, but it's overkill which doesn't really address the underlying problem and it will make a lot of people very angry.

If stim B's were nerfed somehow (making it a base of 16 med use, making advanced liquid suspensions only have half effectiveness in it, etc), I think this would go a long way to making combat medics more necessary in combat. Even something more esoteric, like making people have a 50% effectiveness reduction for healing themselves (can you bandage your own arm better than somebody else doing it) would give combat medics (and normal medics, and doctors) more of a place as a healer on the battle field. Basically, by making it so people can buy almost-master medic for 15 SP, and medics of all types will become more valuable in combat...