Medic Archive

Thought I posted this in the GCW forum, thisthread is very pertinent to the medic class. I would encourage everyone to check it outat:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/board/message?board.id=GCW&message.id=17550

Text reproduced here:

Support personnel are a vital addition to any large-scale military organization. This statement, which is generally undisputed, applies to in-game professions ranging from crafters, to entertainers, to medics. While the proposals herein will use medics as a focus, some of the results may also apply to other support personnel.

In an acknowledgement of the important role of the medic in a combat engagement, the SWG developers have recently given medics a combat experience reward for healing others during a fight. I would like to propose that this system be expanded to award Faction Points (FP) based upon a medic’s actions during a combat engagement, not just upon the damage that (s)he deals.

As I see it, FP are a mixture between an experience reward and a form of currency. They are used for requisitions, and they are used to represent enough standing and merit within the military to earn a new rank. Now, this type of standing would be achieved by performing your military duties to the fullest of your abilities, or by going above and beyond the call of duty. For a medic, your duties are to tend the wounded during combat. However, as you don’t deal damage, you don’t get FP. I’m hoping that this is an oversight, and that it can be easily repaired with the same fixes that were made for combat exp. I’ve tried out quite a few classes, including rifleman, pistoleer, smuggler, weaponsmith, and now medic. As such, I can say from experience that further incentives and rewards for medics to join factional engagements would be greatly appreciated by all parties involved.

This concept of extending the award of faction points beyond direst damage dealt (or delivery missions which aren’t a representation of a person’s true duties within the military) applies to other professions as well. A defence scientist that is a member of the army is not expected to go kill enemies, but is instead supposed to perform research and development, and is rewarded accordingly. For these types of professions, it would be nice to see some of the new types of mission terminals with a factional alignment. Alternatively (or preferably additionally) since FP can be likened to a form of currency, perhaps the ability for the transfer of FP from one individual to another would be possible. This could be a /cite that would work similar to /tip. If you look at FP as being standing, it would be a citation or a good report, indicating that this member played as much of a role as you did and that you will split all the credit with him/her. Some example uses are if a medic was particularly valorous on a field, saving many lives, those saved might decide to give a little extra bonus. A unit (eg: PA) together performs outstandingly. Their leaders may receive promotions more quickly, and they may be granted additional abilities to requisition personnel, supplies, and even the authority to establish a base.

In conclusion, I think that extending FP to non-damage / delivery missions, and further acknowledging the combat roles of classes such as medics would be a strong step forward in promoting/facilitating group dynamics in an MMORPG.