UPDATE TO THE TOPIC: Changes to the topic are in YELLOW, RED, and GREEN.
I noticed yesterday while playing in a Suicidal server that 5/6 of the people on there were rank 5 medics, then I saw why.
I usually play a Berserker, simply because I love the fire axe and the chainsaw and feel that melee in a zombie game is the most fun. However, I noticed something about the Field Medic that just doesn't seem to fit:
They have the absolute fastest run speed in the game (30% increase at rank 5, and the speed is not weapon specific).
Now, I understand that the Medic needs to be able to run faster than most of his squad mates. However, I feel that the run speed bonus the Medic gets is just way too fast. I think the reason that the Field Medic receives this much run speed is because of how terrible the Syringe hitbox is (which is getting fixed next patch: http://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/showthread.php?t=33626 ) . The only other Perk that gets a movement speed increase is the Berserker, which is at 15% and is melee weapon specific; you do not get the run speed bonus when wielding a handcannon/9mm/other gun.
To put it bluntly, a rank 5 Field Medic with a L.A.W. can keep pace with a rank 5 Berserker with a Knife. It just doesn't make much sense at all to have the run speed bonus apply to every weapon. It just seems that with the already amazing survivability of the Field Medic due to the body armor and the fast syringe recharge that they aren't as apt to do the healing/support role as much as they do a "tank the monster and run and gun" role. People might think I'm just crying here because the Berserker at rank 5 gets a 20% damage resistsance to all sources of damage. To them I say this: Play on suicidal and tell me how much that 20% really affects you when you have Crawlers that leap on you at the speed of sound while you watch the rank 5 medics backpedal faster than them with a shotgun or other 8 weight block weapon out.
My main issues with the Medic are the following. These may not apply to all, since the majority of you who post on this forum are in clans. This applies primarily to pubs and randoms (who make up the majority of the KF player base, mind you):
1. Run speed encourages them to run and gun instead of sticking with the team and fulfilling a supporting role.
Update: Medics no longer have "The Flash" style run speed! Thanks TWI!
2. Body armor bonus mixed with the fast syringe recharge means they can soak incredible amounts of damage with a much lower risk than any other Perk. The Medic isn't as much of a support as it is a damage Tank.
With the changes to the Scrakes, Gorefasts, and medic run speed, this is no longer an issue.Medics die just like everyone else now
3. There is no unique weapon bonus, aside from the syringe that everyone has, that sets the medic apart from the crowd. People pick Medic not to heal, but to have a character that is difficult to kill and can outrun everyone else on the team.
I still think the Medic could use some form of unique mechanic, although they're definitely encouraged to heal a lot more than they previously were. I think the Perk balance is just about evened out now.
With that said, I propose the following changes to the Medic:
1. Make the run speed bonus apply to the Field Medic ONLY when the syringe is out. They keep the body armor bonuses because they should have some form of survivability stat.
Done! Not in this sense, but an overall run speed nerf brought the medic's survivability down to the other perks level.
2. Slightly increase the syringe recharge time on every Perk BUT the medic. This will encourage the Medics to heal their squad mates rather than run and gun once they realize that their team is dying and they're the ones with the good syringes.
No need anymore, the Scrakes and Gorefasts are more than enough encouragement for medics to heal their team now that they can't run away forever.
3. Add in a unique mechanic that sets the Field Medic apart from the other Perks that fulfils a supportive role rather than an offensive one.
I still think Combat Drugs would be amazing, and really be a help to the team. With the changes to the Fleshpounds, Scrakes, and Gorefasts perhaps an adrenaline shot that increases friendly players run speed temporarily (and shares a cooldown with the medic syringe so the old run and kite tactics won't re-emerge) would be cool to implement.
Number 3 is a bit vague, but there are 2 other topics here that I have posted in that have a great idea for a unique mechanic. That mechanic is none other than COMBAT DRUGS!
Here's the basic premise of the combat drug ideas that I and some others have tossed around:
1. Add a unique combat syringe to the trader. The weapon model can stay the same as the starting syringe, but just do a palette swap (maybe make it blue or green or something). It should weigh between 2 to 4 weight blocks and cost ₤1000 initially to coincide with other "Special" weapons.
2. This syringe, when used, applies a Perk specific buff to the other squad members. It is self usable as well, but when used by anyone but a Field Medic the buff uptime : syringe recharge downtime ratio should be 1 : 2. I think a reasonable buff uptime would be 15 seconds, and the recharge time be 30 seconds.
3. Add to the Field Medic perk the following bonuses:
Rank 2
Combat drug syringe discount 15%
Rank 3
Combat drug uptime increased by 5 seconds (20 second buffs: 30 recharge)
Combat drug syringe discount 35%
Rank 4
Combat drug uptime increased by 10 seconds (25 second buff: 30 recharge)
Combat drug syringe discount 50%
Rank 5
Combat drug uptime increased by 15 seconds (30 second buff, 30 second recharge)
Combat drug syringe discount 60%
Spawn with combat drug syringe (replaces spawn with body armor, medic still retains the body armor discount)
4. The specific buffs per perk would be as follows:
Berserker: Gains 15% additional swing speed and melee damage for 15 seconds. During this effect, the screen gets tinted slightly red symbolizing the feeling of invincibility (ala berserker packs from DOOM.)
Commando: Firing rate increased by 35%, and gains temporary night vision (Able to see in the super dark places like the stairways in Office and the basement in the police station). Reload speed is increased by 5% as well. Effect lasts 15 seconds.
Firebug: Run speed increased by 25% and recoil reduced by 30% for 15 seconds. This allows the Firebug to do hit and run attacks more effectively.
Medic: Medics who heal other medics give them a Morphine shot. All damage received by the Medic is reduced by 15% for 15 seconds. Run speed bonus reduced by 5% due to the effects of a sedative.
Sharpshooter: Gains intense focus. Iron sights on the Handcannon now zoom in like the crossbow and enemy heads glow that bright red color that stalkers glow when commandos look at them, allowing for easier headshots. Effect lasts 15 seconds. (Removed the iron sight zoom in from the Lever Action due to a discussion with a friend of mine that made me realize how it could be detrimental)
Support: Strong enough class already. Run speed increased by 10% for 15 seconds.
I feel that if this mechanic were added in the game, it would encourage Field Medics to work with their team and jack them up on drugs to fight better. The run speed bonus would still be there, but only when the syringe is the active weapon. Perhaps it should be toned down to match the Berserker run speed, or be 5% faster than the Berserker (rather than 15%) to allow the Medic to reach the squad mates in a timely manner.
I have edited some of these buffs since the last few posts I made within other topics. If you see anything that doesn't quite fit, love/hate the idea of combat drugs, or just have some general commentary post in this topic.
I noticed yesterday while playing in a Suicidal server that 5/6 of the people on there were rank 5 medics, then I saw why.
I usually play a Berserker, simply because I love the fire axe and the chainsaw and feel that melee in a zombie game is the most fun. However, I noticed something about the Field Medic that just doesn't seem to fit:
They have the absolute fastest run speed in the game (30% increase at rank 5, and the speed is not weapon specific).
Now, I understand that the Medic needs to be able to run faster than most of his squad mates. However, I feel that the run speed bonus the Medic gets is just way too fast. I think the reason that the Field Medic receives this much run speed is because of how terrible the Syringe hitbox is (which is getting fixed next patch: http://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/showthread.php?t=33626 ) . The only other Perk that gets a movement speed increase is the Berserker, which is at 15% and is melee weapon specific; you do not get the run speed bonus when wielding a handcannon/9mm/other gun.
To put it bluntly, a rank 5 Field Medic with a L.A.W. can keep pace with a rank 5 Berserker with a Knife. It just doesn't make much sense at all to have the run speed bonus apply to every weapon. It just seems that with the already amazing survivability of the Field Medic due to the body armor and the fast syringe recharge that they aren't as apt to do the healing/support role as much as they do a "tank the monster and run and gun" role. People might think I'm just crying here because the Berserker at rank 5 gets a 20% damage resistsance to all sources of damage. To them I say this: Play on suicidal and tell me how much that 20% really affects you when you have Crawlers that leap on you at the speed of sound while you watch the rank 5 medics backpedal faster than them with a shotgun or other 8 weight block weapon out.
My main issues with the Medic are the following. These may not apply to all, since the majority of you who post on this forum are in clans. This applies primarily to pubs and randoms (who make up the majority of the KF player base, mind you):
1. Run speed encourages them to run and gun instead of sticking with the team and fulfilling a supporting role.
Update: Medics no longer have "The Flash" style run speed! Thanks TWI!
2. Body armor bonus mixed with the fast syringe recharge means they can soak incredible amounts of damage with a much lower risk than any other Perk. The Medic isn't as much of a support as it is a damage Tank.
With the changes to the Scrakes, Gorefasts, and medic run speed, this is no longer an issue.Medics die just like everyone else now
3. There is no unique weapon bonus, aside from the syringe that everyone has, that sets the medic apart from the crowd. People pick Medic not to heal, but to have a character that is difficult to kill and can outrun everyone else on the team.
I still think the Medic could use some form of unique mechanic, although they're definitely encouraged to heal a lot more than they previously were. I think the Perk balance is just about evened out now.
With that said, I propose the following changes to the Medic:
1. Make the run speed bonus apply to the Field Medic ONLY when the syringe is out. They keep the body armor bonuses because they should have some form of survivability stat.
Done! Not in this sense, but an overall run speed nerf brought the medic's survivability down to the other perks level.
2. Slightly increase the syringe recharge time on every Perk BUT the medic. This will encourage the Medics to heal their squad mates rather than run and gun once they realize that their team is dying and they're the ones with the good syringes.
No need anymore, the Scrakes and Gorefasts are more than enough encouragement for medics to heal their team now that they can't run away forever.
3. Add in a unique mechanic that sets the Field Medic apart from the other Perks that fulfils a supportive role rather than an offensive one.
I still think Combat Drugs would be amazing, and really be a help to the team. With the changes to the Fleshpounds, Scrakes, and Gorefasts perhaps an adrenaline shot that increases friendly players run speed temporarily (and shares a cooldown with the medic syringe so the old run and kite tactics won't re-emerge) would be cool to implement.
Number 3 is a bit vague, but there are 2 other topics here that I have posted in that have a great idea for a unique mechanic. That mechanic is none other than COMBAT DRUGS!
Here's the basic premise of the combat drug ideas that I and some others have tossed around:
1. Add a unique combat syringe to the trader. The weapon model can stay the same as the starting syringe, but just do a palette swap (maybe make it blue or green or something). It should weigh between 2 to 4 weight blocks and cost ₤1000 initially to coincide with other "Special" weapons.
2. This syringe, when used, applies a Perk specific buff to the other squad members. It is self usable as well, but when used by anyone but a Field Medic the buff uptime : syringe recharge downtime ratio should be 1 : 2. I think a reasonable buff uptime would be 15 seconds, and the recharge time be 30 seconds.
3. Add to the Field Medic perk the following bonuses:
Rank 2
Combat drug syringe discount 15%
Rank 3
Combat drug uptime increased by 5 seconds (20 second buffs: 30 recharge)
Combat drug syringe discount 35%
Rank 4
Combat drug uptime increased by 10 seconds (25 second buff: 30 recharge)
Combat drug syringe discount 50%
Rank 5
Combat drug uptime increased by 15 seconds (30 second buff, 30 second recharge)
Combat drug syringe discount 60%
Spawn with combat drug syringe (replaces spawn with body armor, medic still retains the body armor discount)
4. The specific buffs per perk would be as follows:
Berserker: Gains 15% additional swing speed and melee damage for 15 seconds. During this effect, the screen gets tinted slightly red symbolizing the feeling of invincibility (ala berserker packs from DOOM.)
Commando: Firing rate increased by 35%, and gains temporary night vision (Able to see in the super dark places like the stairways in Office and the basement in the police station). Reload speed is increased by 5% as well. Effect lasts 15 seconds.
Firebug: Run speed increased by 25% and recoil reduced by 30% for 15 seconds. This allows the Firebug to do hit and run attacks more effectively.
Medic: Medics who heal other medics give them a Morphine shot. All damage received by the Medic is reduced by 15% for 15 seconds. Run speed bonus reduced by 5% due to the effects of a sedative.
Sharpshooter: Gains intense focus. Iron sights on the Handcannon now zoom in like the crossbow and enemy heads glow that bright red color that stalkers glow when commandos look at them, allowing for easier headshots. Effect lasts 15 seconds. (Removed the iron sight zoom in from the Lever Action due to a discussion with a friend of mine that made me realize how it could be detrimental)
Support: Strong enough class already. Run speed increased by 10% for 15 seconds.
I feel that if this mechanic were added in the game, it would encourage Field Medics to work with their team and jack them up on drugs to fight better. The run speed bonus would still be there, but only when the syringe is the active weapon. Perhaps it should be toned down to match the Berserker run speed, or be 5% faster than the Berserker (rather than 15%) to allow the Medic to reach the squad mates in a timely manner.
I have edited some of these buffs since the last few posts I made within other topics. If you see anything that doesn't quite fit, love/hate the idea of combat drugs, or just have some general commentary post in this topic.
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