Drafted Paramedic/Combat Medic

[Monkfish]

Over in the Changelog thread there's a bit of discussion about this...

Doctors now automatically rescue downed colonists.

... and how this will likely end up with people's doctors ambling about a battlefield getting filled with holes rather than being in the base filling holes, and how it'll likely turn into a micromanagement fustercluck or something. Then I hit upon an idea (which would take the place of the above) that should address most issues.

A Drafted Paramedic/Combat Medic (which, for brevity, we'll refer to as "Medic(s)") would be a colonist whose sole job is to rescue and treat downed colonists, as the doctors will do as of A10. They would be set after initially drafting a colonist using another button that appears next to the draft button when the selected colonist has the required prerequisites; these would be that they are at least capable of doctoring and are carrying a personal shield. Perhaps also the requirement of a medical bed; Not sure on that though. Whilst drafted as a Medic, they would seek out downed colonists, recover them to a safe distance and treat them on the spot using a combat dressing. Your doctors or other free colonists could then recover the wounded to a bed for further treatment. Undrafting them as a Medic would return them to their normal drafted state, allowing you control over them if you decide they're wandering into too much danger or you don't need a Medic right now.

Some points:
- Medics would be marked, perhaps by wearing a hat with a red cross or by making the personal shield red/green etc., to easily identify them from your other drafted colonists. Some other form of marking could be used to indicate which drafted colonists are capable of being a Medic.
- The personal shield would afford them some protection from gunfire whilst they tend to the wounded. In basebuilder mode, medics wouldn't be attacked. Something about Geneva or whatever.
- "safe distance" could be determined by many things. Out of range of ranged weapons outside of the home zone (in the direction of it) seems to make sense to me. If they are inside the home zone, Medics should recover the wounded to a bed, perhaps only treating them on the spot if they're close to death.
- Medics could prioritise based on proximity to the closest available bed, starting with the furthest colonist away. Once they have treated or recovered [to a bed] all downed colonists, they would return to the battlefield. This could be done by routing to the injured colonist farthest away from them.
- A combat dressing would be a temporary dressing that would stem the blood flow for a given time, to be replaced by doctors later. Once backpacks/carrying items is in, this dressing could require medicine (perhaps used at a lower rate then proper treatment?), which would also then make it a prerequisite for being a Medic. If the bandage is not replaced in enough time, bleeding will start again.
- Medics, being the non-combatants that they are, wouldn't fight. To make them fight, they could either be undrafted as a Medic, or giving them an attack order would automatically undraft them (or maybe either), depending on which one causes the least arseache.

There may be a few more issues to consider that elude me at the moment, but that's basically it.

Release the hounds. /Montgomery_Burns

[BetaSpectre]

+1 Automatic during a fight is a bad idea.

[apljee]

+1 Automatic during a fight is a bad idea.

[daft73]

+1 Automatic during a fight is a bad idea.

Agree with this. I'm all for MASH units running out to get the wounded, but are they going to have a new exclusive smart A.I.. One that finds cover, learned some matrix moves, and generally does not commit hara-kiri, self destruction, running into gunfire. Now maybe if your willing to offer some help...

[Mathenaut]

Why aren't your non-combatant colonists drafted to keep them out of harms way during a fight anyways? O_o

[apljee]

Why aren't your non-combatant colonists drafted to keep them out of harms way during a fight anyways? O_o

I normally just keep mine locked in a room with some food in it, and a few beds and change the owners of the beds to be them.

[BetaSpectre]

Why aren't your non-combatant colonists drafted to keep them out of harms way during a fight anyways? O_o

Locked doors.
I don't want to find out that McSmith can't shoot his rocket launcher at that mechanoid ball of death. I keep non combatants undrafted without any weapons, but early game I can have more people than weapons. I draft anyone who can fight incase the enemy drops stuff.

TBH now I've found melee to be more practical or just as practical as guns in some small fights.

[SSS]

Why aren't your non-combatant colonists drafted to keep them out of harms way during a fight anyways? O_o

Locked doors.
I don't want to find out that McSmith can't shoot his rocket launcher at that mechanoid ball of death. I keep non combatants undrafted without any weapons, but early game I can have more people than weapons. I draft anyone who can fight incase the enemy drops stuff.

TBH now I've found melee to be more practical or just as practical as guns in some small fights.

Jogger + masochist + dual bionic legs + plasteel longsword = one scary melee machine

With the luck of a nearby monkey going crazy and distracting a small siege, said pawn managed to 1v4 all the other pawns (all melee-focused themselves) with minimal damage. Melee is risky, but when you can potentially incap or kill a pawn in one/two hits, it's worth it. That she's fast enough to overtake fleeing enemies makes the investment even more worthy.

[Monkfish]

Why aren't your non-combatant colonists drafted to keep them out of harms way during a fight anyways? O_o

Because I prefer to leave them to their own devices and keep the base going, albeit slowly, rather than draft them and inevitably forget about them until they're having a mental break in the kitchen. I'll draft and move them out of danger only when required to do so.

Anyway, the suggestion was borne out of the various comments in the changelog thread stating that doctors wandering about trying to rescue people would be disastrous, and drafting them to prevent this happening is more ramming a square peg into a round hole than fixing the issue elegantly. A drafted medic would at least afford more control over your medic/downed colonists.

[daft73]

Monkfish has a point. Having to put my colonists in their rooms for the duration of some events could capsize an already sinking ship. Imagine 3 consecutive attacks, having all your no-combat units in their rooms. A few of these chained together could wipe your chances of survival. Folks bleeding all over, fires burning down all your precious bases. Good times.