Medical Evac Shuttle

[Infernus]

Summary:
A small shuttle capable of recovering up to 3 injured marines from anywhere in in battlefield. Must be manned by a doctor, and "summoned" by squad medic with appropriate beacon.


Benefits:
Ability to recover severely injured marines from anywhere in the battlefield without need to drag every marine with broken chest or head to the shuttle, and then go all the way back. Since most of the injuries are from FF, this will reduce the amount of time they need to wait to evac by at least 10-20 minutes, personnel needed to drag the injured to the drop ship and they are assured that they still fight without worrying about the injured on the ground.


Details:
Once a medic gets overwhelmed by injured marines in the battlefield (Specifically broken bones in chest, skull, missing limbs), he can stabilize them and activate the medical evac beacon. There are 6 evac beacons in each medical vendor for them which can also be ordered from RO.

A doctor (on sulaco) will enter the med shuttle and turn on the autopilot. The shuttle is equipped with 3 roller beds, one IV, special medical vendor on the wall, and an machine that will lift the injured marines up from the battlefield (Basically, a very small, tight shuttle with one doctor).

The medical shuttle will proceed to the location where the beacon is set and hover above the beacon (more info in section below). Once in position, the machine will automatically drop down the line where a bed is attached to it, where a squad medic must secure the injured guy to the bed on the surface. Doctor then activates the switch and the guy gets teleported up.

(Think of it like this, but a bed instead of that man on the line, and a squad medic securing the injured marine to it. And of course, land instead of sea, and shuttle instead of the helicopter... .-.)




Implementation:
It is quite easy actually. The only thing that requires (little) actual coding is the machine/bed.

Make a new shuttle in the hangar with it's own shuttle areas. One shuttle area in the hangar, second in the Centcomm transition space, and the third one also in the Centcomm space, but with blue tiles representing that you are above the surface of a planet.

A medical beacon is nothing more than a location where the machine will spawn/drop the bed.
Once the marine is secured to the bed, a doctor activates the switch from the inside and it pulls the marine up. He unsecures him and moves him to the roller bed. He sends the bed down again.

For balancing, if there are 4 humans (includes the doctor) on the shuttle, code will prevent any more from climbing up with that bed. Tier 1 aliens can climb up to the shuttle by clicking on the line/bed (also no more than 4 aliens on top), and the shuttle is auto recalled after 2(?) minutes after it stars hovering above the surface (Has to refuel?).
Beacon cannot be activated in the caves or on the space station.

For simplicity reasons, the line/bed/machine is unacidable, c4 proof and explosion proof.

Once it docks back, it starts refueling and takes about the same time as drop shuttle for each trip.

Simple, balanced, useful.

[Seehund]

I like this, I like it a lot.

Not much to say, +1, I'd like to see it implemented exactly as described.

[Gandalf]

So long as it's a 2x2 and we specifically disallow rest-stacking I'd call this fair.

Codewise sounds like the Nuke Ops assault pod. I like it.

[Wesmas]

This sounds fantastic. I swear there are times where there are people medical could save, but they get ignored because of the effort required for transporting them. Making it so you can spam fill it would be important, but otherwise this would be a very fair system.

[Tub]

Easily a +1 for me

[Grypho]

This is needed for faster marine regeneration, aliens can regenerate in 10 secs just by standing on weeds.

+Support

[KittyLava]

It would expand Medbay's work by a certain margin but also increases the marine's job as they have to get the patients up whilst guarding the hovering shuttle till departure unless it can be recalled back quickly from the cockpit of the craft. Then again the doctor can be quite occupied keeping all patients stabilized in transit/recovery.

In the best situation, probably 2 doctors on standby in ORs or nearby for unloading the marines safely. CMO could be on standby monitoring vitals if not already treating injuries due to back-order on surgery by number. Researcher, well I'd assume they're on triage duty to cloning and stabilizing; likely scanning and relaying who'll be the next patient or how severe the scan reports. Unless there's projects the researcher needs to finish up.

Though don't believe there's a downside if there's a full staff of medical up, not being too over worked. If they're unable, could radio in they're currently unable to spare the transport due to whatever reasons. Yet they're able to coordinate with their radio frequencies now at-least. Increases doctor to field medic/marine interactions to an extent.

[Disco Dalek]

Definitely a +1. I love everything about this idea.

[Boltersam]

It would expand Medbay's work by a certain margin but also increases the marine's job as they have to get the patients up whilst guarding the hovering shuttle till departure unless it can be recalled back quickly from the cockpit of the craft. Then again the doctor can be quite occupied keeping all patients stabilized in transit/recovery.

In the best situation, probably 2 doctors on standby in ORs or nearby for unloading the marines safely. CMO could be on standby monitoring vitals if not already treating injuries due to back-order on surgery by number. Researcher, well I'd assume they're on triage duty to cloning and stabilizing; likely scanning and relaying who'll be the next patient or how severe the scan reports. Unless there's projects the researcher needs to finish up.

Though don't believe there's a downside if there's a full staff of medical up, not being too over worked. If they're unable, could radio in they're currently unable to spare the transport due to whatever reasons. Yet they're able to coordinate with their radio frequencies now at-least. Increases doctor to field medic/marine interactions to an extent.

We're bored 75% of the round. Being alleviated of this boredom would greatly improve our experience of our side of the game.
Field medics usually aren't able to stabilise the marines with severe wounds, if I'm to be honest, so if they can coordinate medivacs with us, and keep the marines alive until they can be medivaced, they've done their job better than before the medivac is introduced.
+1 for the above reasons.

[Edgelord]

I wasn't sure at first but after reading the post it's a def +1 from me.

I just hope it wouldn't unbalance the game.

[Egorkor]

hot damn this looks so nice and sexy, besides, people said everything I could say above.
+1.

[RhMoore]

+1, but don't unbalance the game, and make sure the code is very clear because I see this idea getting a "no can do because of coding", the staff are already overworked as it is.

[RhMoore]

WAIT I just realized, people will use this as their own personal space van, and marines will use them for quick evac, or when there are no command staff.

[ZDashe]

+1 as long as game balance is preserved and rules are added to prevent powergaming.

[Azmodan412]

And not landing in the caves. >.<

[Hycinth]

+1, love it

[The Ultimate Chimera]

+1

[Infernus]

...and make sure the code is very clear because I see this idea getting a "no can do because of coding"...

I -think- this idea got denied long ago since they wanted it to actually land anywhere on the map, and that is the problem with coding it had.

[Logi99]

-1 I'm sorry but no. People will abuse this in order to save themselves from xenos. Plus we have 2 medics each squad that's like 8 beacons. I mean I can see where you're going with this idea but it's seriously gonna be abused. In my opinion I would get pissed if this happens. Dropship and droppod are enough and this can possibly ruin the balance. Xenos will start losing more than marines if every time: SPIT, SLASH HUG and then get saved then call the evacuation medic copter. It's hard to protect marines in nests if they shoot nades or some shit. So sorry, just my opinion.

[KittyLava]

We're bored 75% of the round. Being alleviated of this boredom would greatly improve our experience of our side of the game.
Field medics usually aren't able to stabilise the marines with severe wounds, if I'm to be honest, so if they can coordinate medivacs with us, and keep the marines alive until they can be medivaced, they've done their job better than before the medivac is introduced.
+1 for the above reasons.

To be fair, can relate there being a doctor at times, though at times also have SSD doctors yet can't put them in cryo due to heavy surgery back-orders appearing. Although getting to the mention below, not only is that a valid concern but get the feeling it may be attempted for a quick evac by some marines.

WAIT I just realized, people will use this as their own personal space van, and marines will use them for quick evac, or when there are no command staff.

This can be treated as an IC problem, where the Medic's credibility for that round might be reduced for the doctors, debating if that's an actual medical evacutation or false one. Perhaps notification is given to the acting CO/MP to handle the matter, likely MP as they're enforcing marine law. Though I'm pretty sure we always should have an acting CO going by the chain of command. Now if that means the SL from Alpha has to take charge, they'll likely be bound to bridge until you get a higher ranking officer on deck and reporting in, given a sit rep alongside time to prepare accordingly, so that the SL may resume duty on the ground with their squad, picking up after the Specialist or field medics/engineers.

The OOC situation likely would be under the game rules for the field medics and partly doctors or marines in general, depending on how they word that rule. Mostly for the medics as they're having to call in the location by beacon set up for this transport to arrive, adding in everything else they're carrying only perhaps 1-2 beacons might be taken by each medic, partly dependent upon them coordinating. ICly I'd expect the field medics to try coordinating with the doctors first before deploying, as it's not hard to stabilize a marine or two down there, but have to pick and choose things carefully.

[SecretStamos (Joshuu)]

Is this even possible?


Even so, I'm worried it will be used for the wrong reasons. Deploying marines behind enemy lines, landing on things, kidnapping the queen, ect..

[forwardslashN]

+1 Doesn't sound so bad. Could work.

Two points to make:
Med-evac is nice and all, but what's the point of dragging your comrades to the safety of the shuttle/pod as hordes of wailing aliens chase you all the way to the landing zone? Helping your buddies in the field is what makes an interesting story.
Actually getting a doctor, who should be doing surgery on the Sulaco, to fly this thing would be a logistical nightmare. It is already difficult to get reliable supply drops to the squad beacons, or even half-competent medical staff.
This would be impossible to code with the way shuttles are set up now. It can go one way, but don't expect it to come back. I have some ideas on variable landing zones given what tgstation updated to, but even then it would be very difficult to implement.

[Infernus]

-1 for three reasons.
Med-evac is nice and all, but what's the point of dragging your comrades to the safety of the shuttle/pod as hordes of wailing aliens chase you all the way to the landing zone? Helping your buddies in the field is what makes an interesting story.

This would be impossible to code with the way shuttles are set up now. It can go one way, but don't expect it to come back. I have some ideas on variable landing zones given what tgstation updated to, but even then it would be very difficult to implement.

You missed my entire section explaining how easy it is to implement, and how it would work... :I
There is no landing pad, the shuttle simply stays in the centcomm space and teleports the bed (which acts as a teleporter itself) near the beacon. Squad medic secures the guy to the bed and tells the doctor to rise him up.

The whole point of this is to -not- drag marines with broken chest (For those who dont know, medic cant do shit about it, and he will die if he moves) to the nexus, and then going all the way back to the battlefields, in which that time 10 other marines died due to no medics nearby. Medics can still heal marines in the battlefield, but it will save them HUGE time not needing to drag them from the caves to the nexus for seriously injured ones.

Code: Select all

Actually getting a doctor, who should be doing surgery on the Sulaco, to fly this thing would be a logistical nightmare. It is already difficult to get reliable supply drops to the squad beacons, or even half-competent medical staff.

True. However, the current problem with the doctors is that they have nothing to do at the beginning, mostly due to the long time needed to transport injured from the caves to the nexus.

Is this even possible?
Even so, I'm worried it will be used for the wrong reasons. Deploying marines behind enemy lines, landing on things, kidnapping the queen, ect..

Yes, very easy to implement.
This can all be prevented with code.
<No transporting from the shuttle to the ground
<Not being able to secure aliens on the bed
<landing on things? Read the implementation section :I

[forwardslashN]

You are right, I might have skimmed the explanation. It is relatively easy to do with the implementation presented. That said, without the shuttle actually landing, this thing would be impossible to use on the prison station (I mean, for the same reason as the caves, not because it couldn't be done in the code). But the prison already has a bunch of stuff that marines can't use, so I'm unsure. I'll change to a +1 for the time being.

[Releasing]

+1, for reasons stated above. It would be very nice to be able to get someone medevaced in less than 2 minutes, rather than waiting 10-15 minutes like I had to just last night for someone to send the shuttle up. So long as this doesn't get abused or there'll be some sort of OOC punishment/IC punishment for abusing it, I see no reason why this shouldn't be added.