[I] A weird idea to fix medivacs

To me, medivacs are the worst design flaw in the whole game. They completely eliminate the whole idea behind the 'mobility costs money' formula. In SC, when you go a drop build as T, you sacrifice your army to get mobility. You know you won't be able to do a head-on attack or timing push because of the extra money you have to spend on dropships, but on the same time you gain the ability to attack in small numbers in places that are not easily defended.

This mechanic was not just a balance concern (although it was, in fact, a balance concern), it also was one of the production facilities for playstyles. One player could focus on getting the most units possible and that would be macro style. The other could play defensive, keeping his opponent at bay with constant drops and map control through threat not numbers (that playstyle, IIRC, was dubbed Yangachi terran and was practiced by UpMagic of the more recent players).

But medivac does both. It would be a cost-efficient unit even if it didn't have the ability to drop. It directly influences the power of your army. On the other hand, it provides drops essentially for free. Add in the capability to use a reactor to produce 2x medivacs from just one starport, and you will see the whole picture. The unit is broken, it eliminates playstyles (there's no point NOT to drop when you go MMM) and gives terran a significant edge in whatever TvP. Blizzard, however, cannot remove a unit from an already working game, besides, terran really needs both medics and dropships in some form.

So the solution proposed here is:

Healing Drone:

A unit produced from factory, costs 50/50, has 60 health/1 armor and 2,25 movespeed. Doesn't require tech lab. Mechanical/Light. Does essentially what medivac does, but being a ground hovering unit, doesn't fly or drop. The range of healing is 1 cell less than that of the medivac and maybe healing rate slightly reduced.

Dropship:

A unit produced from StarPort, costs 100/75, has 120 hp, drops. Replaces the medivac. Doesn't require tech lab.

Medical attachments:

An upgade in StarPort tech lab, allows attachment of Healing Drones to Dropships. Costs 50/50, researches for 1 minute game time.

Medivac:

Once Medical attachments are researched, a Healing Drone can permanently attach itself to a dropship, making it a medivac and giving it the ability to heal.

Goals reached:

1) Medivacs are still in the game.
2) You cannot just get medivacs straight off the bat. In fact, to build them, you need a rather inexpensive upgrade.
3) You don't get both drops and healing on the same time for a small price.
4) If you still need drops, you can do them for the same price, which is not achieved when going the most obvious route of increasing medivac costs.
5) You can go a healing ground army without starport tech.
6) Eliminates the ridicule of Factories being so worthless that they are being used as a scouting suicide unit.

Opinions?

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Sufficiency Canada. October 14 2010 16:25. Posts 7263

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I just think we should bring Medics back.

I guess Blizzard could bring the Medics back to ladder play... in an expansion.

Interesting, isn't it?

KTF_CloaK Netherlands. October 14 2010 17:31. Posts 1337

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They should just bring the medic back...(and the reaver and the scourge and the old hydralisk and thedefiler) the thing is, sc2 i just a differnt game

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Patriot.dlk Sweden. October 14 2010 17:40. Posts 5444

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Well you start off by assuming it broke and that it needs to sacrifice army size while protoss can warp in units all over the map and zerg has the fastest units, has nydus and can make all ol to dropships

this is not sc1

mustache Switzerland. October 14 2010 17:47. Posts 283

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I believe its a horrible idea. Medivacs are needed the way they are.

From my experience (playing and watching) you need the medivac for the harassment that T NEEDS to do vs P and Z because they can rolfstomp you with their eco (chronoboost,Warpgates, larva injection)

You're essentially making medivas a later unit (where you should have needed it already) and more expensive 150/125.

As P you shouldn't have too much trouble with dropships as you have

a) obs scattered around, you shouldnt be caught of guard by these
b)blink stalkers to jump under the medivas
c) warp in so you can warp to the battle directly
d)Feedback to instakill dropships
e) storm to rape MnM

Edit: You be reintroducing the medic basically as well, meaning there is less incentive to even get that starport. Why would you get the SP when you can have healing+ a bigger army on fact racks tech?

would make early mnm pushes even stronger, and create less diverse play by not "forcing" the terran to get the dropship

Last edit: 2010-10-14 18:20:37

jaybrundage United States. October 14 2010 17:48. Posts 1787

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Idk seems like it is not really needed protoss can beat drops its just hard. Keep in mind that the recent stats that blizzard put up shows that Protoss actually beat terren statistically.

The whole reason Blizzard made the medivac was cause the mnm pushes from broodwar were so strong and with this they have to tech up to starport first. The great thing about medivacs IS that they can do a drop and heal the army that is what makes them unique. And THAT my friend is what makes sc 2 a great game the races big differences

+ Show Spoiler +

Mobility Does costs money, it does thats why you have to build a factory and a starport to get it. Also if you introduced this Medic Drone as you say it would maybe give terren a bigger advantage because it would give them healing capibilites sooner and make for more devestating timing pushes. A change like you say would change the game quite a bit.

Altogether i think that Medivacs are fine the way they are maybe while i did play broodwar a bit and loved it there is not need to see sc 2 thru a bw filter i mean i remember when Hellions were getting ripped apart because they were not similar enough to old bw vultures. But Hellions are FREAKEN awesome look at how TLO uses them in his match against Losira.

Also the fact that Medivacs have the special abiltiy to heal also means that the have the ability to get feedbacked my templars and if you have not done that yet try it it feels awesome :D There is always tradeoffs and that is one of them with a medivac.

So in summary medivacs are not broken. Just really versatile. And there here to stay

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evanthebouncy! United States. October 14 2010 18:08. Posts 10736

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I mean you make a solid point that once you go MMM there's no reason not to drop.
But maybe MMM+Drop is a tactic, while Mech is another, and so on so on.

Then once you abstract tactic to a higher level it seems okay still.

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Qikz United Kingdom. October 14 2010 18:11. Posts 6694

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One reason why the medivac is needed is Banelings, Medics would get totally owned by Banelings it wouldn't even be funny.

HTX Germany. October 14 2010 19:04. Posts 265

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Or you can just go back to Medics and Dropships and after loading the medic in the dropship you got the medivac.

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pzea469 United States. November 28 2010 16:39. Posts 1471

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I'm not fond of the solution, but I agree. Medivacs kinda broke the whole "mobility should cost you" thing. If they didnt serve as dropships, terran would STILL make them. Not to mention that terran goes bio basically every game unlike bw, meaning its always useful.

Honestly, they should just bring the medic and dropship back. Maybe allow medics that are in a dropship to heal infantry underneath them or something, idk.

I didnt like the medivac from the beginning like a lot of people, because it just seemed weird to be healed by a ship. However this isn't a "I don't like the medivac" thing anymore. Mobility should cost money, not be something u get on the side.

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