but I play one in Urban Terror!

One of the most unique things in Urban Terror is the medkit. Since this item takes up a slot in your inventory that could be used for armor or add-ons for your weapons… why do many people choose to take it? The ability to quickly heal your teammates to nearly their full health in a couple of seconds can make the difference between winning and losing the game. This article will give you some guidelines for how to be a good field medic and be the MVP of your entire team.

A few basics about the medkit. The medkit is an item that is always active when you have it equipped. It allows you to bandage faster on others as well as yourself, about twice the normal speed. With the medkit you can restore a teammate’s health to 90% of maximum rather than the 50% that you can without. Because of the faster healing, you are also more likely to survive massive damage by bandaging more quickly to stop blood loss. Also, if you have a medkit and someone else doesn’t, they can still medic you to 90% just as if they had one, albeit slower.

But there’s more to being a great medic than just slapping on a medkit. Being a good medic as well as being a good patient takes skill. So here is a list of things to think about when playing doctor.
 
 

1. Be aware of your surroundings. This is probably more important for the medic than any other player. You not only have to watch where you are, the enemies are, but keep an eye on where your teammates are and what their health is. Whenever you hover your crosshairs on a teammate you will see their name and a bar showing their health. A good medic shouldn’t have to get a call for help to know when a teammate is wounded. If you are in a safe location and they have low health, a medic call symbol over their head, or you see them limping and bleeding… heal them by going over and holding the bandage key.
2. Medding makes a lot of noise. Be aware of this. A good opponent with headphones on will be able to pinpoint the sound of a medic working a mile away. This can be an easy double kill for someone and they will usually hunt you down. If you are in a bad situation, do a series of smaller meddings. Run up, tap bandage, and back off to take a look around putting; some distance between you and your teammate. This will keep enemies from easily hitting you with spray and pray fire or catching you in the blast radius of a grenade. You can do this a few times and still heal them fully.
3. Med and run. A good medic can med someone without stopping. If just got out of a firefight, there is a good chance you and your teammates are limping. The bandaging will stop limping even if you don’t fully recover. Run up and tap bandage for someone and they will be able to run for cover at full speed so the opponents don’t have time to regroup and find you as easily… especially if they’re following that big trail of blood you’re leaving behind. If it’s just you and one other person, you can actually run behind them while holding the medic key and heal them without having to ever stop moving. If there are several people that are hit, make sure they can all run by bandaging as many as need to stop bleeding then everyone head for cover and regroup.
4. Don’t bandage in their lap. You can actually bandage from quite a ways away from your patient. Don’t hug them while you do it because both of you might need to move quickly and if you’re blocking them in some corner… there is a good chance you will both be toast if spotted.
5. Get to the choppah!! Get to cover. A quick med to stop bleeding and limping might be necessary… but if you plan on fully healing, get behind a wall or a box or a tree or anything solid. You don’t want to be rewarded for your efforts getting picked off by a sniper.
6. Duck and cover. I’ve heard this position called many undignified things. The best way to med is facing your teammate with you crouched down in front and them standing up. The reason this is so important is that from this position you can see behind them and they can see behind you. Not only that, but if someone does come out quickly; they can shoot without blasting you in the head. They have a full 360 degree firing arc over your head and you are protected by their body. Not always possible… but usually it is and it is the ideal position for protecting each other.
7. Take turns and play nice. Unless you’re somewhere relatively safe, like back in spawn… take turns bandaging. If you are hurt and so are they. Heal them while they guard and vice versa. The problem is that while you medic, you put your gun away and it takes about a second for you to complete that action and pull the gun back out. That’s about a second too long if someone whips around a corner with barrels blazing. If one person has their weapon ready and is guarding, the chance of returning fire and surviving is much higher. If nothing else… you are more likely to only lose one person instead of two. In a team game, this can mean winning or losing.
8. Listen for the call. If you hear the “I need a medic”… take a look at your minimap. The position of the radio call will flash on the map. If you are close to them, try to reach them. It’s not always feasible if you are half the map apart, and that’s the luck of the draw. Look for the caduceus (what the heck is that? oh… that’s the name of that snakey doctor symbol thingy) over their head in game… they’re the one that called for help. Some people are afraid of the doctor. If someone is running away from you over and over… let them go. They might not want help or maybe they see an enemy you don’t. I have a custom radio call I made for “medic on the way” that says “I’m trying to get to you, fall back and cover Me”. If you’re using ventrilo / teamspeak / mumble / whatever, calling out “Hey, I’m behind you _____” works pretty well too so a teammate knows you’re there to med them and fall back.
9. Strike and fade. The medic is a ninja. I don’t wear kevlar because I need to move fast. I can swoop in, medic, and swoop out without slowing down or taking fire. I’ll even tap the bandage button as I am power sliding past someone on My way to drop a grenade off somewhere. It’s about a bullet in the arm worth of healing. One more hit they can survive and I haven’t even slowed down.
10. Loose lips sink ships. Don’t give away sniper positions. This goes back to being aware, but while a sniper might be hurt and deep behind enemy lines… the last thing they want is for you to give away their position with loud bandaging or waving a laser around. Take into account what is going on and make a judgment call. Low health is better than no health.

That’s it for now… part 2 will talk about what to do if you are the one that is wounded and being mediced.