Where have the medics gone?

[caleeb101]

I've noticed a severe lack of medics lately. After I died from.. simple wounds (aka being slashed a few times and just not being able to be treated each time due to the SEVERE lack of medics..) I had to wonder 'what the actual hell is going on here, I see literally two medics to about 40 marines'. There were so many people downed that if you died RIGHT NEXT to the medic, they wouldn't even bother with you. So what's wrong? Is it because the storage nerf? Is it because medic simply is just too boring/unrewarding/tedious to play? Why did people stop healing my stomped, crushed, memed body?

[Jay Burns]

I stopped playing medic due to always dying trying to help a baldie, let me give an example, Baldie is being dragged away by a crusher, I run in grab the baldie and pull em away and shake him up, crusher comes and he tackles me and I start getting dragged away, baldie runs to safety, I get infected/die; moments like that just make it insufferable to play medic.

Oh also a few robust medics like kyomi have stopped playing medic due to the update.

[Imperator_Titan]

Yeah, I reckon that the lack of competent medics is mainly due to the recent update.

[Casany]

The reason not a lotta people play medic is it's a very high stress job with basically no reward. You're still called shit and horrible no matter what you do if you can't heal everyone. It's a hard role that takes time and dedication, and you get nothing from it in return.

I play medic rarely, but there are times when it just isn't worth it. like when you save a man from a boiler cloud for him to run back in to grab his gun and die. Or when you're attempting to defib a dead marine and some baldie pushes you for 5 burn damage.

[Jesstreeter]

Not really a lack of medics as much as it is a lack of decent/non-bald medics.

[SecretStamos (Joshuu)]

there is no reason to be alarmed citizens

everything is fine(tm)

[Casany]

Not really a lack of medics as much as it is a lack of decent/non-bald medics.

This is also true, I've seen people join as medic and not even go into their prep

[caleeb101]

Not really a lack of medics as much as it is a lack of decent/non-bald medics.

I feel like this is untrue. Most people I see play medic are competent. It's just a lack of them. 2 medics to roughly 40 marines is unacceptable. This is why I accept my fate when a medic can't get to me because I know they're already straining themselves. But I can't play medic myself because having a 3x3 box of people all around me whining at me when I'm the one picking their asses up off the ground, I would go SSD straight away. On top of that, there are a bunch of scumbag hunters and runners that just run in and start slashing the injured. And shotguns seem to not be enough to reject them.

[borrjay]

This is my first post but I figure I better get it out there eventually.

I think the lack of medics also comes from the fact that new players, such as myself, never want to play a medic for fear of being called a "baldie" or a "boot" because we're new. I'd love to play a medic but I know damn well I will be awful at it the first couple rounds, just like I was in being a squad marine. Sucks though, because I'm sure a lot of other people might eventually be good enough to be a contribution to the round but jeez... I can already hear the complaints when I fuck up a defib or use the wrong meds.

[Jesstreeter]

I feel like this is untrue. Most people I see play medic are competent. It's just a lack of them. 2 medics to roughly 40 marines is unacceptable. This is why I accept my fate when a medic can't get to me because I know they're already straining themselves. But I can't play medic myself because having a 3x3 box of people all around me whining at me when I'm the one picking their asses up off the ground, I would go SSD straight away. On top of that, there are a bunch of scumbag hunters and runners that just run in and start slashing the injured. And shotguns seem to not be enough to reject them.

There's 6-8 medics pretty much every round. Including this one that just passed. Most of them were just incompetent.

Not counting low-pop of course, but that's when there's ~40 people on, it's to be expected.

[CrimsonAerospace]

I'd like to point out that the current update, if anything..buffed medics a fair bit. Sure, they've a bit less storage space now, but they also still have their uber-belts, and now, their pockets even, can hold more shit.

I've found that the current update is great for Engineer, at least. I can just store all my materials in my pocket, and now I have plenty of room in my bag for things I could never bring before.

[completelynewguy]

I used to be a medic main. but then I took a Xeno "host preference" to my knee.

Sorry for that dead meme, but the current update and the recent quality of the marines have kept me from playing as medic. I can't expect to perform well with the stress of being a medic if my teammates can't cover me or understand what to do. And the limited capacity presented by the update likely prevents me from providing covering fire nor any capability of defending myself effectively. So now I just stick around as a Smartgunner and hope for the best.

[Chaznoodles]

I used to be a medic main. but then I took a Xeno "host preference" to my knee.

Sorry for that dead meme, but the current update and the recent quality of the marines have kept me from playing as medic. I can't expect to perform well with the stress of being a medic if my teammates can't cover me or understand what to do. And the limited capacity presented by the update likely prevents me from providing covering fire nor any capability of defending myself effectively. So now I just stick around as a Squad Leader and hope for the best.

[Steelpoint]

Medic prep would go a hell lot faster if the Medic Prep Rooms started with a lot more essential equipment, a good medic has no choice but to get to Medbay to get the second half of their gear set up.

Considering the nerfs and restrictions placed on Marine medcs, such as...

• Most Commanders deny usage of drugs like Peri at round start
• New shutters make it much harder for medics to get to Medical pre-briefing
• CMPs have started to issue orders to detain marines outside of briefing/cargo/prep before the briefing starts.
• Medics either have to rush cargo to get their attachments first, or forfeit a good chance of getting good attachments.
• Half of the needed medical equipment is in medbay, no other role has that restriction.
• The medical prep room barely has enough equipment to equip one medic let alone two.

I've also heard rumors of further medic changes like restricting medic access to certain areas of Medbay and similar.

------

Medic is a high stress role that demands a lot out of the player, but a good group of medics can make or break a game for Marines.

In my opinion, medics should not have to leave their Prep room to get all the equipment they will need for their first drop (amusingly Engineer also suffers from this issue, even more so than medics). The medic prep room should get a buff to the items it holds, include far more brute/burn kits, double the amount of pill bottles, place two hyposprays in the vending machine, add toxin and burn kits to the medic vendor, issue two peri pill bottles to the individual prep rooms OR make peri a standard issue drug that does not require commander authorisation (forcing the acting CO to authorise Peri is like needing the CO to authorise Engineers to carry tool belts, or for standards to carry a backpack, you can live without it but its a massive impediment without access to the item).

Medics should be able to get geared up in their own prep room, not be forced to rush to medbay, and likely miss the briefing or risk being arrested, to get fully geared.

Give the tired and stressed Medics a break.

[Snypehunter007]

Medic prep would go a hell lot faster if the Medic Prep Rooms started with a lot more essential equipment, a good medic has no choice but to get to Medbay to get the second half of their gear set up.

Considering the nerfs and restrictions placed on Marine medcs, such as...

• Most Commanders deny usage of drugs like Peri at round start
• New shutters make it much harder for medics to get to Medical pre-briefing
• CMPs have started to issue orders to detain marines outside of briefing/cargo/prep before the briefing starts.
• Medics either have to rush cargo to get their attachments first, or forfeit a good chance of getting good attachments.
• Half of the needed medical equipment is in medbay, no other role has that restriction.
• The medical prep room barely has enough equipment to equip one medic let alone two.

I've also heard rumors of further medic changes like restricting medic access to certain areas of Medbay and similar.

On the subject of the new shutters, that is the entire point of them. Marines on a mass scale would just ignore orders to not stay in briefing.
As a support role, you can skip out on attachments, it won't make a huge difference.
Unless some stuff got moved, you can go with gear in preps and do pretty well.

It is also not a rumor that medics are going to have access to medical storage restricted. We have an accepted suggestion about it.

[Swagile]

an effective medic requires a whole marinemed's basic pill bottles OR a really good chemist who poops out pills like no tomorrow

without either or, you tend to run out of supplies QUICK, and you drop late if you don't try to get supplies from medbay before briefing

all in all, unfun as fuck (prep time), and very stressful + unrewarding job with a LOT of danger involved (good xenos target you IMMEDIATELY, since no medic = gg)

[Peachy2912]

Sorry for that dead meme, but the current update and the recent quality of the marines have kept me from playing as medic. I can't expect to perform well with the stress of being a medic if my teammates can't cover me or understand what to do. And the limited capacity presented by the update likely prevents me from providing covering fire nor any capability of defending myself effectively. So now I just stick around as a Smartgunner and hope for the best.

Basically this, playing medic is very demanding and it doesn't help that you can get destroyed in about 2 seconds flat if a hunter pounces you and then scoots off into the night. All it takes is one broken hand and all that prep time was for nothing.

[Chuckachu]

Very true. Marine lifespan versus setup time is the main reason I don't play as one. I late joined at 13:05 at 13:18 I was ripped apart inside the Nexus and left to die as they had killed all the medics.

[Heckenshutze]

Desesperate times calls for desesperate actions. I went medic just to give a try and it was absoluting nightmarish but my stubborn PFC main personality helped me go through it, I just told the baldies that were bumping me for minor wounds to fuck off and die in silence, patching the ones that really needed it. Also, didn't wasted that much of supplies because I went fully ghetto. Bandage, tramadol and splints and good to go. All my patients weren't fully healed but ready to keep shooting and provide cover.

I'm the type of corpsman that will put you back on the trigger but don't expect for get fully threated. We have doctors for that

[Sleepy Retard]

Here are the reasons why people are stopping to play medic:

Backpack changes loadouts drastically and generally not for the best
Prep vendors have enough supplies for...1.5 medics, not enough for both.
Access to Medical has been severely limited so we don't get enough supplies
Most Commanders think roleplay is denying all drugs because "roleplay" (while in reality denying explosives is the better option)
Pills we get are half full, or 75% full so we have to share 3 pill bottles between two people who need two pill bottles.
Deployment is getting sooner and sooner, leaving less time for us to get setup
And that's just on the Almayer, when you get to the planet? Eh.

Marines pushing you and demanding treatment for things that aren't putting them in pain crit
Constantly targetted by aliens - and there isn't a way to prevent that.
With the new pouch update you run out of supplies quickly, and restocking is pretty hard considering everyone else is also pushing to restock
A lot of stress for little reward. It's not rewarding to play anymore and the pouch update doesn't really help, having to sift through a lot of menus to get what you need
Unlike other roles, as soon as you die - you're probably not going to get up, and you'll most likely get dragged away.

There's a lot more minor things that are painful but I can't list them off the top of my head at the moment. Medic isn't fun to play anymore, it's just a chore - it sorta feels like a lot of things are put in place to drive people away from playing them.

[Casany]

There's a lot more minor things that are painful but I can't list them off the top of my head at the moment. Medic isn't fun to play anymore, it's just a chore - it sorta feels like a lot of things are put in place to drive people away from playing them.

[Challenger]

Medic is only fun to play now if you just unironically play the way devs intend you to and RP your way through being a regular retarded corporal who doesn't metagame. Everything else is unnecessary hassle and stress.

Don't go to medbay roundstart. Don't take anything out of your first aid kits or belt. Just take a few pill bottles from your vendor and a few stasis bags, and then a shit ton of ammo and call it a day.

If someone's dead defib them then immediately put them in a stasis bag and yell at a PFC to take them to the dropship.

If someone really wounded just use gauze and inaprovaline and yell at a PFC to take them to the dropship.

If someone's moderately wounded just give them only tramadol and yell at them to use their first aid kit and evac through the dropship.

If someone's mildly wounded just yell at them to use their first aid kit.

If you've already "treated" everyone around you in the above fashion take your gun and go to the front lines and fight.

Basically be a PFC who keeps people alive enough to just barely evac. In general, RP instead of going through the powergaming song and dance. For example, while playing as a medic I saw someone get run over by a crusher right in front of me. If I spent a bunch of time on him he probably only would've needed a few splints, pills, and gauze, but instead I just dropped a stasis bag on him and yelled at a PFC to take him to the dropship while RPing about how I just saw a guy get stomped flat and have no idea how to unsquish his organs.

[Jesstreeter]

Medic is only fun to play now if you just unironically play the way devs intend you to and RP your way through being a regular retarded corporal who doesn't metagame. Everything else is unnecessary hassle and stress.

Don't go to medbay roundstart. Don't take anything out of your first aid kits or belt. Just take a few pill bottles from your vendor and a few stasis bags, and then a shit ton of ammo and call it a day.

If someone's dead defib them then immediately put them in a stasis bag and yell at a PFC to take them to the dropship.

If someone really wounded just use gauze and inaprovaline and yell at a PFC to take them to the dropship.

If someone's moderately wounded just give them only tramadol and yell at them to use their first aid kit and evac through the dropship.

If someone's mildly wounded just yell at them to use their first aid kit.

If you've already "treated" everyone around you in the above fashion take your gun and go to the front lines and fight.

Basically be a PFC who keeps people alive enough to just barely evac. In general, RP instead of going through the powergaming song and dance. For example, while playing as a medic I saw someone get run over by a crusher right in front of me. If I spent a bunch of time on him he probably only would've needed a few splints, pills, and gauze, but instead I just dropped a stasis bag on him and yelled at a PFC to take him to the dropship while RPing about how I just saw a guy get stomped flat and have no idea how to unsquish his organs.

This is the best way to end up with people who cannot be defibbed. Bravo.

This isn't even being a medic, or anything even close to it. This is literally being a PFC with a FAK. You literally don't need to even play a medic to fulfill the role you just stated.

[Challenger]

You do need to be a medic to defib people, put them in stasis bags, and give people the drugs necessary to keep them alive on their way to the medbay.

But outside of that why worry about being asclepius in his mortal form? You're just a dumbass corpsman. Just shoot and keep people alive. Preparing optimal chemical mixes, hyposprays, getting pills from doctors, etc before first drop is borderline meta/powergaming anyway and comes with a ton of hassle and time. This is an RP game anyway, should you really be focusing on getting some dead guy whose head is hanging onto his torso by a thread into a fully healthy marine with a single splint, instead of doing the realistic thing and sending him to the professional doctors?

[NoahKirchner]

This is my first post but I figure I better get it out there eventually.

I think the lack of medics also comes from the fact that new players, such as myself, never want to play a medic for fear of being called a "baldie" or a "boot" because we're new. I'd love to play a medic but I know damn well I will be awful at it the first couple rounds, just like I was in being a squad marine. Sucks though, because I'm sure a lot of other people might eventually be good enough to be a contribution to the round but jeez... I can already hear the complaints when I fuck up a defib or use the wrong meds.

Tbh, fuck 'em. Be terrible your first few rounds, it's a game and you don't owe them any more than they owe you. Read the wiki first, and don't grief on purpose, but don't let people callin' you baldie or whatever get you down. Only one way to learn.