Suicidal medics: a solution?
There maybe another solution and that is to get rid of all the default macros and create custom ones so instead of attack aggressive. You set everyone bar the medice to aggressive attack and have the medic as defensive follow. This would mean that you keep the majority of the damage output but have the medic lasting longer and therefore keeping the other guys on their feet longer. It would also give you a last line of defense in that if something nasty gets with HTH range the medic can start blasting away covering either your retreat or helping protect the main combat dealers.
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There maybe another solution and that is to get rid of all the default macros and create custom ones so instead of attack aggressive. You set everyone bar the medice to aggressive attack and have the medic as defensive follow. This would mean that you keep the majority of the damage output but have the medic lasting longer and therefore keeping the other guys on their feet longer. It would also give you a last line of defense in that if something nasty gets with HTH range the medic can start blasting away covering either your retreat or helping protect the main combat dealers.
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This wouldn't, alas, work as the moment another henchman is struck the Medic will open fire and assist. Worse, in a team if any teammate is hit the Medic will go haring off.
The range idea is an interesting one, and may have merits. Worth testing.
Of course, the proper fix would be to sort out the AI.
Putting doc on defensive: I am a cutting (a very little chucnk of) my damage doing that. Also I have readen that putting doc on defensive prevents him healing (or was it passive?). I never used defensive, but is he attacking when anyone is hit in the group? Or is it just when he is hit?
I will try changing my attack macro (yes i concentrate fire on one enemy, so i do not have the entire num pad bound) to have all on attack aggressive but the doc.
Master_Zaprobo, I have never seen the medic to heal any of my team mates but me and minions. Does he?
Of course, being my self an AI programmer, I would love to have a script language for the minions (there was a game a while ago allowing to do that on followers... Baldur's Gate?). The problem is it will allow some easy macroing for MMs.
Because, what would be the "proper fix". It is quite hard to make everyone happy. Wha t you would like the medic to do is maybe not what I would
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Master_Zaprobo, I have never seen the medic to heal any of my team mates but me and minions. Does he?
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They used to in beta! You used to be able to select a teammate and issue the "Attack My Target" command and they'd (almost) buff on command.
Now, buffs/heals are limited to any henchmen (your and teammates) and yourself but not other teammates.
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Of course, being my self an AI programmer, I would love to have a script language for the minions (there was a game a while ago allowing to do that on followers... Baldur's Gate?). The problem is it will allow some easy macroing for MMs.
Because, what would be the "proper fix". It is quite hard to make everyone happy. Wha t you would like the medic to do is maybe not what I would
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The "proper fix" I'd like to see is tying in to the Aggressive/Defensive/Passive control set we have now. Aggressive would see henchmen concentrating on attacks, Defensive on buffs and Passive on doing nothing.
I appreciate that there is no right way about doing things in these matters as everyone has differing tactics, but the above would allow for some minimal control in a Medics/Protector Bots (the only two buffing henchmen) behaviour.
Hmmm... Can you slot henchmen for range? And would it really increase their attacks' range or just the range of the summoning?
AFAIK it increase the range of attacks. All the enhances affect the henchmen not the power which is why there is no recharge rate option.
Master_Zaprobo: Ok, they heal/buff my minions but not my (human) teammates (that is what I meant )
Although, I tried a mn ago with a SG mate to heal him, nothing :P Pity
Try controlling your medic seperately.
I use lshift+button 1 to send every soldier but the medic as "goto aggressive" Then use lshift+button 2 to send my medic to a slightly staggered position set to defensive.#
The range on heals is pretty good so he can be a long way behind the rest of the mercs and still heal. He also defends you if you get attacked.
Master_Zaprobo: Ordering the medic to attack a minion (for example one of the wounded soldier) does not make the medic to heal him. I tried it a lot, and nothing happened... unless i do it bad
Mr_Cuddles: Yes, that is what BrainDamage suggested. My problem is that it is cutting some of my damage (even if Medic not the biggest damage dealer), and as soon as I am attacked, he will go back to fight, and be in first line.
On my side, I will try to make some screen shots of the range buff results as soon as i do it (is it easy to post screen shots on this forum?)
Yea, he does tend to run into the fight after attacking but I have another bind which is goto passive and i drag him back behind me.
I always try and keep him alive because he really reduces down time. (being traps I dont have a direct heal)
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Master_Zaprobo: Ordering the medic to attack a minion (for example one of the wounded soldier) does not make the medic to heal him. I tried it a lot, and nothing happened... unless i do it bad
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I know - like I said, you used to be able to in beta. It was "fixed"
I play FF/Merc without stamina and no attack powers. Without boring you to much, I can run all leadership toggles and dispersion shield and still have a little spare End, which generally goes on medicine pool heals to keep going. I havent got enough end to constantly use deflection and insulation shield on all 6 minions (always do it before a big boss fight tho).
Which is where a suicidal medic comes in handy! i just buff him, as he seems to take an inordinate slice of the aggro cake.
Every grey cloud etc etc...
I have been reading a lot about this, and yes i saw them being the first meat shield too
So I tried to send first the commando attacking so he takes the alpha strike, and then the other ones are attacking. The problem is then commando and medic/soldiers have more or less the same range, so as soon as you have an area attack (Longbow flamethrowers, I hate you), they get hit a lot.
For now i have 5 slotted all my minions (2 acc, 3 damage), since I am not convinced that adding a heal is worth it (110 heal at lvl 33 every mn or so, upgraded to 140?... come on). So instead i was wondering about adding a range upgrade slot in any but the commando, this way they will all stay behind him and (should) not die that often.
Did any test this already?
Note: a lot say they (medic+soldier) are meat shields... well for me they are just a small % of damage with not a lot of health at all, and I do not want them to die that much (otherwise it is cutting damage, even a small%). The commando is the meat shield, not them. For me they should be a layer between the commando and the spec Ops. IMO
EDIT: changed title
*salutes*