Idea /md particle effects for Medics to see?

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*** I've left this original message/idea in case it's preferred, but I've updated my suggestion idea to one I believe would be much better here in the response posts below... on Saturday, May 16th, 2020 ***
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Here are my earlier thoughts on this idea regarding Medics only:

I know that often in flag rooms or when running in front of a Medic, /md is usually redundant and pointless, but I wonder if you need a Medic but don't see any around if typing /md producing a particle effect around the player(s) who type it would be a welcomed idea so that Medics would be able to see a bit more easily in busy areas who needs help if they call for Medic attention (whether they're crouching or not since names are hidden when crouching).

Sure, other classes can heal as well, but as of now I'm thinking this might be best for only Medics on the same team to see...and maybe only be able to happen about as often as a player can be "pinged to wait up" so that spamming it wouldn't cause as many issues. The other classes would all be able to read the text and get an idea of who is calling for Medic help still too after all.

Not really sure what effect would work best, but basically some kind of visual that pinpoints the player who called out for help that lasts for only about a second or two. Maybe a temporary beacon beam? Maybe blue hearts dropping out from the player? Open to suggestions and feedback as usual...and I know this is a low priority type of suggestion, but I thought I'd share it in case it escapes me later and is never brought up (just in case it turns out to be a good idea).

 

This was mostly suggested for offense and mid field since Medics are typically reliable and active on defense, and players aren't spread out as much. Seeing a call for a Medic in text rarely means much without the location clues when it's typed in certain areas. Without a lot more typing or a microphone with software like Discord, it's not much use to type /medic away from the spawns or flag zones.

 

** (Short version immediately below) **

I now think that instead, the particle effects should only appear to a teammate who was pinged to wait up rather than appearing to all Medics of the same team.


** (Long thorough version, my reasoning, and some examples below) **

After reviewing what I originally posted here today I thought that a nicer QOL game perk, which can piggyback on something that's already in effect, could be implemented instead. Just have the player who got pinged to wait up be the only one who sees the particle effects on the player who had pinged them to wait.

This way, no matter which same-team-player is pinged, and no matter what class they're playing, they would be able to see the effect on whoever asked them to wait. It would automatically only be in effect as often as the "wait up" command without having to change or add any new separate timing limit.

I'm recalling moments when a distant Archer is spotted hiding in a tree, I shoot arrows that I think are hitting but might not be, and I'm pinged to "wait up" from some player. From far away, I have no idea if that Archer is the one doing that but I typically assume that the Archer IS the one doing that, as a teammate saying "Hey, don't waste arrows. We're on the same team." I could ping back afterward to make sure they're the one who pinged me to wait, but if that player is a Ninja and I ping them first to save time and arrows, then it could delay the Ninja's strategy. If particles appeared around the person who had asked the other player to wait then it would convey the exact message far sooner, I'd shoot/waste fewer arrows, and their hiding spot wouldn't be given away in case opponents see lots of arrows flying up into a tree and know that it might be an Archer unwittingly shooting at a hiding teammate. Not to mention the Ninja wouldn't be delayed as much if they're pinged to wait, they look around, and they see that the teammate who pinged them is too far away to be a Chemist or a Medic who might have a tactical reason to ask the Ninja to wait and notice them.

Chemists are often asked to buff other players too, and I'm sure enough Chemists look around for who asked them for help (or "to wait up") and have had times that it wasn't so easy to figure out where that teammate is at. If the idea were to go into effect and only help Medics, then Chemists would ask for the same shortly after...but with this newer idea it would already satisfy both.

Even combat classes might be running too far ahead of someone who could help them in an ambush and they might prefer to take a quick moment to look around to spot someone who pinged them with some kind of particle effect rather than assume that someone meant to ping someone else nearby and just had their aim a bit off because sometimes it's just too much of a headache to stop and look around to see which name plate matches the name in the "wait up" ping text.

One slight nerf on this compared to the way I originally suggested it is that it would not show particles to every Medic on the same team, but I figured the pros outweigh the cons immensely. The effect is only seen by a single player who is already identified by the "wait" command, so that should make it easier to code in rather than having to identify multiple players within range who also happen to be Medics. Plus, it can be effective with any class rather than ONLY Medics as I originally suggested, which allows far more versatility. And getting back to ease of coding, it would tie into the "wait" command's timing without having to introduce and track a whole new timer to minimize abuse & lag.