Trying to be a credit to my team, but...

nonboxed · 05-15-2012, 08:15 PM

So I've just started playing medic (I main soldier), and I absolutely love it. I'm having a great time with it and consistently scoring in the top 3. Question though for you pro medics:

I've read a lot about how pocketing one player is detrimental to your team, and I get why in theory. However, my experience has been that pocketing the best player on the team if they are demo/heavy/soldier/sometimes pyro has lead to the best results for the team. This is because I have really begun to realize just how idiotic most TF2 players are: I Uber, they run AWAY from everything, soldiers rocket jumping out of an Uber, being on a 5 sniper 5 spy team, players that refuse to go towards the cart/point/whatever, and so many more things that I'm sure you're all aware of.

I have had the best results from overhealing everyone at the beginning, pocketing the best heavy/demo/soldier, and healing/overhealing anyone else who comes near or is about to die and I can get to them. Thoughts on this practice from more experienced medics?

BTW, I always make sure to overheal soldiers and demos for jumping because as a soldier, I am sick of medics who ONLY heal heavies and don't overheal me for rocket jumps.

Stormbolt · 05-15-2012, 08:27 PM

I've found that the best thing to do is pocket a group. Flash heal everyone you walk past, but stick to a group of players that you know won't get you killed. It sounds like you're already doing a pretty decent job for a new medic. You're not obligated to follow people that you know are going to get you killed and waste your precious uber. Heal the people that are going to be useful.

Dax77 · 05-15-2012, 08:44 PM

Soldier is assaulting a nest/group of enemies alone? By all means pocket him.
Tons of hurt allies near frontlines? Heal them all, pocket the ones that are pushing/need the most assistance.
Allies hurt but running away from the action? Don't waste time on them, heal the ones that are at the action.

Pocketing in itself isn't bad, but being glued to one man the whole damn game is (Aka heavy-medic Bff's with matching clan tags).

Rologton · 05-15-2012, 08:53 PM

There's a difference between pocketing and having a pocket. If you want to stick with one player and give him your Ubers because he's good, than that's good. If nothing else, it keeps a really good player healthy and gives you someone to switch back to when you're done healing others so you're constantly building Uber. If you never switch away from that guy, than you're a ♥♥♥♥ and should be playing a different class.

The best team is one that has multiple players that you can feel confident will protect you if you're under attack or use your Uber to its full effect if you give it to them. If there's just one, than sticking with him is fine, as long as you heal everyone else as well.

Johann · 05-15-2012, 09:13 PM

there's pocketing with blinders on, and pocketing as you describe it... big difference IMHO.

it's fun to team up with someone who knows what they're doing, for sure. and when loosing I wouldn't feel bad about it either. but otherwise, generally, for me it's also fun to watch the back of newbies who appreciate it.

and that (their character if you will) is actually more important for me than wether they're good. I can't stand players who expect to be pocketed, (unless it's because they're trying to do something and know the rest of the team isn't up to the task)... e.g. if someone keeps yelling medic even though I'm already healing them, no matter how good they are, I'm off to heal the sniper(s). there's sooo much more to playing games (for me) than winning them ^^

SgtFrog · 05-16-2012, 07:10 AM

Medic is extremely rewarding if you do it right. Kudos to you for healing the entire team and not gluing yourself to the nearest Heavy's backside!

First off, get a headset. Communication is vital.

As a Medic, you have to set priorities: You always heal teammates in the red first. This goes double if they're on fire. You do not need to fully overheal EVERYONE, this just wastes time (If you have a few seconds to spare, then go ahead and overheal as many teammates as you can) Full health plus a little overheal should be sufficient for everyone except rocket-jumping Soldiers, sticky-jumping Demomen, and Heavies who will likely be taking the majority of the hits. If there's another Medic on the team, overheal him too.

Keep moving at all times. You are a prime target for Snipers and Spies. The Overdose's speed boost can help with this (being faster than normal can occasionally screw up a Sniper's aim).

You are no good to your team if you are dead. If you turn around and see behind you an incoming Spy or Pyro, call out to your teammate and stop healing and start needling. Spy: Circlestrafe! Call out to your nearby teammate! Pyro: Backpedal! You are faster than s/he is (except if s/he is a Gas Jockey. But syringes do more damage due to them being classified as "bullet damage"). HOWEVER! Your team comes first, and the person you're healing should at least be out of the red before you engage in combat.

If you are being pocketed by a Medic, you have two choices about whether or not to take that healthpack. If you're in the red and under fire, take it, even if you're being healed. The Medic can't heal you if you died from a rocket to the face! HOWEVER! If the Medic healing you is low on health/on fire, please please please save the medkit for the Medic!

---

From personal experience, I've never had an Uber target run away from enemies while Ubered. There's something about an Ubercharge that says "YOU'RE INVINCIBLE! GO GO GO!" and go they do!

the brofist · 05-16-2012, 03:32 PM

I'm not a very experienced medic but in my opinion these strategies work a lot.

Jumping (in a controlled) spastic manner will easily throw off snipers as well as nearby shotgun users. Move around as erratically as you can, even taking advantage of halting movement. Say a soldier fires a rocket ahead of you, you stop and then a moment later, fake out going right so that he wastes another rocket attempting to lead you.

In the vein of above, try and find a pocket that's very good at avoiding damage, even heavies can do that by not getting in over there heads. The less damage they take means you can safely concentrate on the team.

If you find that one person on your team is being too reckless or horrendously bad at avoiding damage, try to avoid healing them (as much as I hate to say it), if they are heading towards sentries/miniguns then even a medic won't save them and you'd be better off healing someone more effective. However these people can be good to build uber on and this isn't to say you should never heal them.

As more of a general/basic movement related strategy, try and make your crossings when you hear an enemy sniper fire, odds are they won't be able to quickly headshot you and will rely on full charge to get you.

Try and stick near someone that is very defensive of the medics on their team, even if they are not necessarily the main heal target, pyros are good for this, but in a pinch, a scout could eat a rocket by heroically jumping in the way.

Admittedly this post became more of a general medic strategy post.

05-15-2012, 08:15 PM	#1
nonboxed Join Date: Sep 2011 Reputation: 0 Posts: 6	Trying to be a credit to my team, but... So I've just started playing medic (I main soldier), and I absolutely love it. I'm having a great time with it and consistently scoring in the top 3. Question though for you pro medics: I've read a lot about how pocketing one player is detrimental to your team, and I get why in theory. However, my experience has been that pocketing the best player on the team if they are demo/heavy/soldier/sometimes pyro has lead to the best results for the team. This is because I have really begun to realize just how idiotic most TF2 players are: I Uber, they run AWAY from everything, soldiers rocket jumping out of an Uber, being on a 5 sniper 5 spy team, players that refuse to go towards the cart/point/whatever, and so many more things that I'm sure you're all aware of. I have had the best results from overhealing everyone at the beginning, pocketing the best heavy/demo/soldier, and healing/overhealing anyone else who comes near or is about to die and I can get to them. Thoughts on this practice from more experienced medics? BTW, I always make sure to overheal soldiers and demos for jumping because as a soldier, I am sick of medics who ONLY heal heavies and don't overheal me for rocket jumps.

05-16-2012, 07:10 AM	#6
SgtFrog Join Date: Jun 2011 Reputation: 258 Posts: 1,815	Medic is extremely rewarding if you do it right. Kudos to you for healing the entire team and not gluing yourself to the nearest Heavy's backside! First off, get a headset. Communication is vital. As a Medic, you have to set priorities: You always heal teammates in the red first. This goes double if they're on fire. You do not need to fully overheal EVERYONE, this just wastes time (If you have a few seconds to spare, then go ahead and overheal as many teammates as you can) Full health plus a little overheal should be sufficient for everyone except rocket-jumping Soldiers, sticky-jumping Demomen, and Heavies who will likely be taking the majority of the hits. If there's another Medic on the team, overheal him too. Keep moving at all times. You are a prime target for Snipers and Spies. The Overdose's speed boost can help with this (being faster than normal can occasionally screw up a Sniper's aim). You are no good to your team if you are dead. If you turn around and see behind you an incoming Spy or Pyro, call out to your teammate and stop healing and start needling. Spy: Circlestrafe! Call out to your nearby teammate! Pyro: Backpedal! You are faster than s/he is (except if s/he is a Gas Jockey. But syringes do more damage due to them being classified as "bullet damage"). HOWEVER! Your team comes first, and the person you're healing should at least be out of the red before you engage in combat. If you are being pocketed by a Medic, you have two choices about whether or not to take that healthpack. If you're in the red and under fire, take it, even if you're being healed. The Medic can't heal you if you died from a rocket to the face! HOWEVER! If the Medic healing you is low on health/on fire, please please please save the medkit for the Medic! --- From personal experience, I've never had an Uber target run away from enemies while Ubered. There's something about an Ubercharge that says "YOU'RE INVINCIBLE! GO GO GO!" and go they do! Last edited by SgtFrog: 05-16-2012 at 07:13 AM.

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05-15-2012, 08:27 PM	#2
Stormbolt Join Date: Apr 2011 Reputation: 17 Posts: 214	I've found that the best thing to do is pocket a group. Flash heal everyone you walk past, but stick to a group of players that you know won't get you killed. It sounds like you're already doing a pretty decent job for a new medic. You're not obligated to follow people that you know are going to get you killed and waste your precious uber. Heal the people that are going to be useful.

05-15-2012, 08:44 PM	#3
Dax77 Join Date: Oct 2008 Reputation: 810 Posts: 5,179	Soldier is assaulting a nest/group of enemies alone? By all means pocket him. Tons of hurt allies near frontlines? Heal them all, pocket the ones that are pushing/need the most assistance. Allies hurt but running away from the action? Don't waste time on them, heal the ones that are at the action. Pocketing in itself isn't bad, but being glued to one man the whole damn game is (Aka heavy-medic Bff's with matching clan tags).

05-15-2012, 08:53 PM	#4
Rologton Join Date: Jul 2011 Reputation: 415 Posts: 3,410	There's a difference between pocketing and having a pocket. If you want to stick with one player and give him your Ubers because he's good, than that's good. If nothing else, it keeps a really good player healthy and gives you someone to switch back to when you're done healing others so you're constantly building Uber. If you never switch away from that guy, than you're a ♥♥♥♥ and should be playing a different class. The best team is one that has multiple players that you can feel confident will protect you if you're under attack or use your Uber to its full effect if you give it to them. If there's just one, than sticking with him is fine, as long as you heal everyone else as well.

05-15-2012, 09:13 PM	#5
Johann Join Date: Oct 2009 Reputation: 107 Posts: 1,125	there's pocketing with blinders on, and pocketing as you describe it... big difference IMHO. it's fun to team up with someone who knows what they're doing, for sure. and when loosing I wouldn't feel bad about it either. but otherwise, generally, for me it's also fun to watch the back of newbies who appreciate it. and that (their character if you will) is actually more important for me than wether they're good. I can't stand players who expect to be pocketed, (unless it's because they're trying to do something and know the rest of the team isn't up to the task)... e.g. if someone keeps yelling medic even though I'm already healing them, no matter how good they are, I'm off to heal the sniper(s). there's sooo much more to playing games (for me) than winning them ^^

05-16-2012, 03:32 PM	#7
the brofist Join Date: Apr 2011 Reputation: 160 Posts: 592	I'm not a very experienced medic but in my opinion these strategies work a lot. Jumping (in a controlled) spastic manner will easily throw off snipers as well as nearby shotgun users. Move around as erratically as you can, even taking advantage of halting movement. Say a soldier fires a rocket ahead of you, you stop and then a moment later, fake out going right so that he wastes another rocket attempting to lead you. In the vein of above, try and find a pocket that's very good at avoiding damage, even heavies can do that by not getting in over there heads. The less damage they take means you can safely concentrate on the team. If you find that one person on your team is being too reckless or horrendously bad at avoiding damage, try to avoid healing them (as much as I hate to say it), if they are heading towards sentries/miniguns then even a medic won't save them and you'd be better off healing someone more effective. However these people can be good to build uber on and this isn't to say you should never heal them. As more of a general/basic movement related strategy, try and make your crossings when you hear an enemy sniper fire, odds are they won't be able to quickly headshot you and will rely on full charge to get you. Try and stick near someone that is very defensive of the medics on their team, even if they are not necessarily the main heal target, pyros are good for this, but in a pinch, a scout could eat a rocket by heroically jumping in the way. Admittedly this post became more of a general medic strategy post.