Development Cycle Archive
Thread: IC 1-4: Combat Roles; Combat Medic
In a galaxy far, far away, it is a time of civil war. The Empire has taken control over the galaxy and attempted to build the ultimate battle station to enforce the will of the Emperor. The rebellion destroyed the fearsome Death Star and this galactic conflict is at its peak.
In Massively Multiplayer combat, each profession should have a distinct role. Each role should help define the profession and have a relationship with its abilities in combat. In popular fantasy games, wizards cast ranged spells, warriors are “tanks”, and clerics “heal”. Each archetype has a specific role in combat and they all depend on each other for success. Additionally, each role gives any particular player group a unique feel depending on how many of each type is involved in a group and the role they play when combat gets tough.
In a science-fiction oriented game, those traditional roles aren’t so clear cut. Most skills and abilities are redundant because of balance issues, which take away from the unique feel of the profession. Many players have stated that they would like to see SWG professions have a more unique feel to them and we would like to know what your thoughts are.
Some basic balance considerations are:
* Ranged and Melee Professions
In SWG, a key thing to consider about each profession and its role in combat is that there are many ranged combat classes and many melee combat classes. Each ranged combat profession should have a unique aspect to their “ranged” abilities that helps distinguish them from other ranged combat professions, and likewise, each melee combat profession should have a unique aspect to their “tanking” or melee abilities that helps distinguish them from other melee professions.
* Redundant vs. Unique Abilities
There are two basic set of combat skills any profession should have. The first are Redundant Abilities. These are abilities that either most or all combat professions posses, in other words, “everyman combat skills”. The second set of combat skills a profession should posses are Unique Abilities. Unique abilities are the abilities that give a profession its unique feel in combat. In other words, it defines the profession and its role in combat.
* Game Space
Another basic concept to keep in mind when thinking about combat professions and their role in combat is Game Space. The next big consideration for assessing combat abilities is where the combat takes place. There are indoor spaces and outdoors spaces. Indoor spaces would be dungeons, bases and the like and outdoor spaces would be wilderness and/or city spaces.
* PvP and PvE
In SWG, players can choose between PvE and PvP playstyles and even shift back and forth to play in elements of both. PvE is “Player versus Environment” and basically deals with fighting computer controlled enemies in combat. PvP is “Player versus Player” and is real players fighting real players and tends to be very tricky because anytime something in game is at stake (like faction equipment, etc), it is important to keep things fair and balanced, but also fun.
* Profession Lifespan
What is the profession’s role in its novice state and how should the skill progress over the course of a player’s time investment in the profession? At all times any given profession should have a distinct role and value in combat. As a player progresses from Novice to Master, the profession should reflect something special about the profession and also be fun to play.
Given the basic considerations listed above, please answer the following questions:
What defines theCombat Medicrole in combat?
What basic combat elements should they possess?
What offensive abilities?
What defensive abilities?
What unique abilities?
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
How could/should they interact with other professions?
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Request For Comments:
The community is invited to make commentsthrough April. At that time, the thread will be closed to further comments. Feel free to comment on any or all of the above items. Please stay on topic.
You really don't get it do you. CMs need to be balanced not nerfed. There posions should have shorter lifespan and be reducted by 75%. Not everything has to be nerfed you know.
Combat Medicswill say that the poison output on a CM is too low/just right. Most everyone else will disagree.
The role of the combat medic should be to keep players alive *DURING COMBAT*. Currently, the only use of the CM is to apply poison and then wait for the group's mind to go to 1.
When you have two groups of 20 players fighting each other, and then one group has a CM to use an Area of Effect poison, the fight is over. It's unbalancing.
Now, any group knows to bring a doctor with them, but the problem is doctor's can hardly heal their own poison before getting killed. Let alone a group of 19 others. If a group has to have 5 doctors with them just to counter *one* combat medic, it's out of balance.
What combat medics are currently useful for:
- Poisons
- Diseases
That's it. No one needs them for healing anymore because, frankly, why get healed when you have 4500points of health buffsand a full suit of 80% composite?
The role of the Combat medic should focus less on poisons, and more on healing. Here you have the mind issue.
Since mind is currently the #1 killer in PVP, it's only natural that combat medics will seem to be overpowered. They can target the mind with a substance that no-one has any defense against.
Thunderheart wrote:
What defines theCombat Medicrole in combat?
Healing. The difference between this healing and Doctor healing should be the range, and the fact that combat medics are healing *in combat.* A doctor should not have to enter combat just to heal the poisons of the other players.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
Poisons and diseases. Like they currently do. However, it's been suggested that they get the 75% reduction in PVP that other DOT's get. It would still add to the damage of the group as a whole, but the one CM wouldn't be a "party pooper" so to speak.
What offensive abilities?
Minor Damage Over Time with poisons and diseases.
What defensive abilities?
Ranged healing and AOE heals.
Mind healing should be made much much much much more practical. It shouldn't be suicide for a combat MEDIC to kill himself just to heal the most damaged pool in PVP.
What unique abilities?
Poisons and diseases.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
They should add more centralized healing while in combat. But instead, when people are fully buffed, they dont need heals. Their mind is the only targetable pool.
They should add damage to the group through the use of poisons and disesase, but they should not RELY on these to be the #1 damage dealer in any group.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
By making ranged/medic stims to sell to other players and medics. Also, by healing.
If given the option to heal poisons (Not to take away from doctor but hey, they work with them, why can't they heal them) it will no longer be unbalancing to have one CM be the most structured unit of a group.
Request For Comments:
The community is invited to make commentsthrough April. At that time, the thread will be closed to further comments. Feel free to comment on any or all of the above items. Please stay on topic.
I just master CM. Dont we-all just love Holocrons? lol Anyway I was very surprised not seeing any /commands for range heals and the DoTs. I really hate messing with my hotbar until I have too.
What defines theCombat Medicrole in combat?
The combat medic should be a single part of a good healing team.
Ideally, the doctor should be in the very back (perhaps in a recon camp or medical tent of some sort), far behind the line of fire, healing wounds, curing poisons and disease, and reviving people while safe from harm.
Regular medics should be righ tin the thick of battle with the meleers, healing them with their short range stims.
Combat medics, on the other hand, should be the "link." In an organized fight, the combat medic would exist somewhere in the middle. From there, he/she can use ranged stimpacks to easily heal any members of the party not helped by the regular medics. Combat medics should also have some ranged stim that temporarily stops wounds ("coaligent-enhancing gas"), disease, poison, etc, to keep the person alive long enough that they can make their way back to the healing tent. In exchange, poisons and disease should be brought into line with the other dots (i.e. bleeds) so that they aren't practically instalkill.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
Combat medics should be medics that excel in combat situations, bu tthey should not be combatants in any other way then defending themselves while they do their work.
What offensive abilities?
Any offensive abilities gained by the combat medic shouldn't really directly effect combat. They should be, in effect, things that help the combat medic support the team. For example, combat medics should be able to use a "startling shot" of some sort to cause an NPC to change targets, allowing someone to be healed or saved from deathblow. High-level combat medics shoudld be able to somehow shoot and distract a mob into attacking another player (in case the CM is targetted - they are not meant for fighting).
What defensive abilities?
I would think that the CM's would be best suited for providing temporary buffs (i.e.one fight), positive status changes such as adrenaline, and temporary defensive boosts to other players. The CM should be weak himself.
What unique abilities?
I think the combat medic should be able to throw an incapped/slain person over his shoulder and carry him (at slower speed) away from battle. This could effectively make the CM a middleman between the line of combat and the doctor (who should ne near, but not in, the battle). As I mentioned earlier, combat medics should have support abilities that distract monsters from attacking certain players or themselves.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
Could hold their own in a fight (better than a standard medic or doctor), but like any valued healer, wouldn't be able to come under attack for long. Would be the middleman in the doctor/battlefield relationship. Would be able to cause temporary buffs, status changes, and defensive bonuses. Would be most effective of the three healer classes ina fightas far as adaptability goes.
Speaking as amastercombat medic, I think poisons and diseases should definitely be deempasized. I hate DOT's, eespecially those that are craftable, because they ALWAYS end up being cheap. Give us constructive abilities, not destructive ones. If it's so important for us to use bioweapons, then make them craftable only by bioengineers.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
Possibly have them buy their bioweapons from bioengineers (makes sense, no?). Should be able to give temp-buffs, cure status ailments and add positive ones, and improve defensive bonuses for a fight. Doctor buffs would still be helpful, because they would last MUCH longer and be more stronger than CM ones. Obviously, CM's would still need to interact with artisans to get the materials they need for crafting their toys.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
Combat medics should need help from everyone. They are a powerful ally, but they are hardly a force by themselves. The combat medic should not be feared in a 1v1 fight - but he should be feared when surrounded by 4 capable and buffed attackers.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
These guys would be the ultimate battlefield healers, and the link between the medroom/tent and the front line. They would not be feared as capable fighters, but rather as capable supporters.
TheLonelyCombatMedic wrote:
They would not be feared as capable fighters, but rather as capable supporters.
Unfortunately, (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it) this is not the case as it stands. Any PVPer knows/went CM solely on the poisons.
Duh. But this is how I feel the combat medic should be. I could care less if all the current poison monkeys dropped off and moved on to the TKA/riflemen gank combo. When I bought this game, I wanted to be a combat medic - not to kick arse, but to be the best support class to have in a fight. That ideal was lost by the wayside a long, long time ago.
StrikerNI wrote:
Unfortunately, (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it) this is not the case as it stands. Any PVPer knows/went CM solely on the poisons.
TheLonelyCombatMedic wrote:
Duh. But this is how I feel the combat medic should be. I could care less if all the current poison monkeys dropped off and moved on to the TKA/riflemen gank combo. When I bought this game, I wanted to be a combat medic - not to kick arse, but to be the best support class to have in a fight. That ideal was lost by the wayside a long, long time ago.
StrikerNI wrote:
Unfortunately, (or fortunately, whichever way you look at it) this is not the case as it stands. Any PVPer knows/went CM solely on the poisons.
Agreed. I bought this game because it was Star Wars. It hasn't felt like Star Wars since the first time I saw the opening movie. And even then, James Bond seemed more Star Warsy. Kicking arse is only a second motive.
IForgotMyName wrote:
You really don't get it do you. CMs need to be balanced not nerfed. There posions should have shorter lifespan and be reducted by 75%. Not everything has to be nerfed you know.
lmfao and that isn't a nerf? bloody hell you people are stupid.
What defines theCombat Medicrole in combat?
- Our ability to suppress groups of unprepared people. End of story, Our stims need to be better and they need to heal mind too if we are to become the healers everyone wants us to be.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
- The ability to area cure poison/disease, I really feel since our mind heal is a complete joke that we should deserve this instead (or as well as), people want area cures, then give them to them, but give us the skill to craft and use them (none of that no medicine/wound bull that you gave us with the mind heal either...this should be just like a ranged stim!).
What offensive abilities?
- Well our offence comes from our poisons, I suggest keeping the damage of them the same as they are now (since unless you use the extremely rare resources for adv components the poisons will suck), but increase the ticking timer from 6 seconds per tick to 8 or 10 seconds(the same as diseases)
What defensive abilities?
- Sort of what I said above, I'd love for us to either get ranged stims that heal mind as well as action and health (can't be used on ourselves though), or the area poison/disease cures. Both of these would make our class worthwhile to play as, especially if we're looking at our poisons going to be resisted a lot more in the near future, we'll need to be competitive healers on par with docs (maybe even better then docs, especially at healing damage)