ok, Medics.

how many Medics should i build to trooper ratio?

i currently play with the 1:5 ratio, like i did in StarCraft. does the same apply here?

and how can i keep my medics grouped in the same group as my troopers and yet keep them from running at the enemy i click on for my troopers to kill?

-lon

Medics are much slower on GB than they are on SC, so you'll want a higher ratio.

The way I play with medics and troops is to go box formation, stand ground, (What happens is, the medics stay in the middle, and nobody moves.) until you're sure you aren't going to get attacked from behind, (ie, once thier primary defense force is dispatched) then switch to line formation with the meds in the back. However, when sieging a base, use the baby-step technique so you dont blindly walk into enemy fire, and don't actually click to attack a building unless it's a power core, otherwise just baby step over to within range of the building and they'll unload automatically, since I don't think there's an attack-move command on GB like on SC. Also, you can take longer steps, but use the S key to stop your group in their tracks if you sight enemies and baby step toward them. Against the computer, once sighted the enemy runs toward you, and if you have upgraded range/sight, (Which I always upgrade the millisecond I hit Tech 2) they'll blindly run into your superior range. The main trick is to know that medics on GB aren't nearly as good as the ones on SC, and are more designed for post-battle repairing than midbattle lifespan extention. Think of them as SCVs for biological units, and you'll be okay. This doesn't mean that you can attack with a relatively small, outnumbered force and stay alive. What it does mean is that if you focus fire and they don't, you'll have your units in tip-top shape afterwards while they wail on a building. I usually go about 3-1 ratio, which I actually did on SC too, since concentrated fire can easily overcome M+M on SC when going 5-1, whereas it doesn't as much when you have a few more medics. Plus, the ultra slow cooldown on the medic's healing ability (GB meds) sucks in addition to one trooper only being able to be healed by one medic. Plus, the races with biological medics are better with this strat than the others, but afik the only race that applies to is the Gungans.

This strat, unlike SC, is much better for perimeter harrasment and tech deprivation than it is for dispatching workers, although if you catch them unawares you can take out quite a few as long as you wait till you're right in the middle of their carbon lines before you allow them to attack. Provided your opponent doesn't see the approach. Hitting the carbon lines is a good idea, and going for the power cores is also a good idea. The idea though is to contain so you can continue building stronger forces and shuffling them toward the opponent's base. Otherwise, he'll build three troop centers and amass while you're content that you're containing them. (Hence the carbon hit.)

In trooper vs trooper battles, you can have a line formation with a few medics behind, like this:

TTTTTTTTTT
TTTTTTTTTT

MMMM

You'll want to have your troopers hitkeyed separately from the medics. Activate your trooper hotkey, and as they're damaged, move them one by one back to the medics. All should have the stand ground stance. Then, whatever troopers were firing on them will get hit a bunch for free, and finally commit to another target. After moving a trooper back, always hit the hotkey again and find another heavily damaged unit and get him back to the medic as well. Finally, as they're healed to full hp, have then rejoin the battle. This method also works good for breaking towers on the other side of walls, etc. Wookies can do this well because once the tower starts firing on the troopers you can run your Berserkers in and do tons of damage. Medics obviously don't work well for Trade Feds, but the flip side is that if you have workers there, they can build a sheild generator and some turrets behind the troopers and you can instead garrison the troopers into the turrets as they get damaged rather than having them be repaired.

wow...

that's absolutely amazing. =)

thank you for your time and advice, it'll help me greatly. =)

-lon

Most of the better players agree that using that food on more workers, (Since you usually want to be constantly pumping one worker at a time from your CC when not researching tech levels or other techs, and then using the time you're teching to generate troops for def, etc) that medics prove to be a hinderance to that effect. Most people once they hit T3 build anywhere from two to four extra Command Centers and start producing workers from them until they have like 100-120. This technique is called booming. Keep in mind that StarCraft is a lot more heavily unit micro than econ micro, and GB is the other way around, since your troops have a hard enough time even razing buildings. However, IMO, the entire concept behind unit micro is to prolong their lifespans, and paying the food for a medic might actually save you hundreds of points of food and carbon on having to replace your troopers. (Especially if you play trooper heavy civs like Wookies, Rebels, or Gungans) Which could be, if played and experimented correctly, a way to make your teching more efficient if you plan on dedicating to Repeaters. (Which I absolutely love, because my fav unit on AoC was the Chinese Chu Ko Nu. :)) Anywho, use your better judgement and experiment. If you've been playing SC enough to learn about SlayerS_`BoxeR`, then you'll know that he didn't get as creative and unpredictable as he was without experimenting with stuff that "just might work".

Anyone notice having problems getting their medics to autoheal in the CC pack? I don't think I had this problem in the original game, but I've noticed that occasionally my medics won't bother to heal damaged troops. Usually they will start of autohealing, but later they just sit there instead of trying to heal damaged units...

Kryllith

1-5, or even 1-10...or better yet...darktroopers dont need em