Support NeoGAF

[Kito]

Pre-mod title edit: Healers are bad game design (I have reported the moderator.)

Disclaimers:

• In Overwatch, I am a healer main with hundreds of hours on Ana/Zen/Mercy.
• A statement like 'healers are the most noob/beginner friendly' does not mean healers have no skills/depth to master.
• I am not attacking the healer class; I am challenging its balance, and opening discussion to what a game could look like without healers. (Splatoon has no healers.) There are other, arguably more interesting ways, to support a team other than healing.

Posts worth reading:

I can't speak for other genres, but in class-based FPS games when there are dedicated healer classes that have healing/support as a prime purpose and not as an added utility, it often becomes a matter of them being an absolute necessity to have on a team, but also one of the least popular roles to fill in. Because of this dichotomy, I agree to an extent. It turns a niche pick into something mandatory and that can be very frustrating. In an Overwatch context, the game's design has popularized a third of your team being in this role.

What I DON'T like is the 100% dependency on healers we see in games like FFXIV and other old-timey tab targeting MMOs. Make one element of the party too damn important and the game becomes rigid in how heavily structured it is. I didn't realize just how much I appreciated having some freedom until I got to experience what partying is like when you can have any party composition you want and still succeed at completing content. It's liberating, is what I'm saying. I really enjoy these types of games now. I hope that this is the direction we continue to head in for the foreseeable future.

How much cooler would support characters be if you kept the depth and difficulty of healer style gameplay, but moved the focus to mitigation rather than healing? Take the controller class from City of Heroes; rather than healing, you are summoning cold storms to slow enemies down, freezing the ground to make enemies slip and be unable to attack and turning yourself into a walking tornado and running into enemies to knock them off course. You're still doing the same thing a healer would do; you're keeping your team alive, but you're doing it in a much more engaging manner.

The problem is that healers deal with health, which is a pretty bland resource in most games. It's a number that goes up and down and when it hits zero you die. There are only so many other mechanics that can interact with health in any interesting or meaningful way. Moving forward with the Overwatch example, take an offensive character like Tracer. Tracer's main points of interaction with the world are her movement and her guns. She gets to think about things like spacing, relative movement speed, number of blinks available, time to close distances, basically tons of spacial reasoning and reflex based stuff. Mercy,on the other hand, doesn't get to take these things into consideration nearly as much, because her heal is a tether that never runs out of ammo. Mercy instead has to make decisions about heal priority, team positioning, and ult timing, all of which are very important, but generally considered less interesting decisions, at least in a second-to-second game play kind of way. Lucio is almost worst in this regard, because his heal is an AOE; he just gets to run around (kind of makes up for it with more dynamic movement options though). Ana is probably the "best" in this regard, because you actually have to aim her heal; gives her a similar possibility space to an offensive class, but with a fun twist in that you're targeting your allies. Proposed solutions? I dunno.

Original OP:

Every game is consistent for the healer: heal damaged allies and stay as safe as possible. Win or lose, it's easy to fulfil your purpose. Healers may depend on damage dealers (dd) to win, but dd depend on healers to even function. Complex, algorithmic matchmaking (mm) systems can also force you into the healer class forever. When you try your hand at damage, mm does not know you are practicing damage. It expects you to do the job - a job you cannot do well.

Healers are only redeemed by their easy, noob-friendly gameplay that can make a game accessible to a wider audience.

This is why I am looking forward to leaving Overwatch for Splatoon 2 - no healer class and no mm memory. I can get to S+ and not be expected to use rollers forever, because there is no record of me using rollers.

 

[shiyrley]

You are wrong

 

[Shambala]

Nah fam. Healers are the backbone of the team

 

[DNAbro]

You are bad game design.


Healing classes are great, create a cool balance and a different play style.

 

[Evil's Bane]

Overwatch without healers would basically be decided by who wins the first team fight

 

[Velocity:Design:Comfort]

Maybe in some games, but honestly, I have no idea what you are talking about as far as Overwatch goes. How will matchmaking force you to be a healer? How does that make any sense?

 

[Zvonimir Boban]

Every game is consistent for the Sniper/Recon class: Play like a complete dipshit and stay as safe as possible. Win or lose, it's easy to fulfil your purpose.

I'll take healers/medics over that.

 

[Nickle]

Healers are the most important part of a team and it's the rest of the team's sole duty to protect them. Mercy main btw.

 

[Ishmae1]

Bad Company 2's Medic class says hello.

 

[brokenbeans]

Play BF1 and see how far you get without a medic.

 

[enoki]

Please, please tell your healer that in the next match you play; any game.

 

[jon bones]

not even close, healing is a blast

and play SCH in FFXIV - it is not a easy job

or shit, play Cleric/Bard multiclass in 5e - it's too much fun

 

[CaviarMeths]

Kinda just sounds like you're mad that you can't solo DPS an enemy who is receiving heals.

 

[Spukc]

Please, please tell your healer that in the next match you play; any game.

Hahah reminds me of wow
Never piss off the healer

 

[faridmon]

Play against a Soraka and come back to me.

 

[Owensboro]

In my limited experience playing MMOs, healers (and tanks) are the only truly dynamic role you can play. Damage Dealers focus mostly on their rotation and maximizing their DPS through cooldowns and ability usage. A good healer must constantly react to how the fight is going and make split second decisions that instantly determine if their team will win or lose. Healers are the ultimate team players.

 

[DigtialT]

Removing healers means Tanks and DPS can't do their job without worrying the whole time about their own health. Unless you wan't them to focus half on their actual job and half on keeping themselves alive

 

[enoki]

EDIT:

Complex, algorithmic matchmaking (mm) systems can also force you into the healer class forever. When you try your hand at damage, mm does not know you are practicing damage. It expects you to do the job - a job you cannot do well.

I'm not sure what's happening here, but most systems don't work like this.

We can still be friends, but I'm gonna let your HP drain.

 

[Leafhopper]

I disagree with what you are saying OP but, I have more issue with that thread title to be honest.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Support classes can be and often are the most gratifying role in teamplay/co-op. I don't get the hate even if I understand the frustration with randoms who don't know how to treat the position.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

I don't have fun playing them in most games but they're not bad game design.

 

[MoogPaul]

I spend more time dpsing as a healer in ffxiv than healing so no?

 

[kagamin]

Implying healing is easy. I'm new to healing in Final Fantasy XIV and I find it really fun and satisfying, but I can tell you for sure that it's anything but easy keeping track of all the factors around you while still contributing to your team DPS and getting rid of bad status effect while dodging boss attacks and adds.

 

[MikeyB]

You're spreading toxic lies.

 

[Permanently A]

You're making a ton of claims about how the matchmaking works. Do you have any evidence of this?

 

[ScatheZombie]

Pure damage dealers is bad game design.

The Holy Trinity is actually Tank, Healer, and Support. But good Support is hard to design so, fuck it, let's just have them deal a shitload of damage instead of balancing crowd control, buffing and de-buffing within the class system.

 

[CaviarMeths]

In my limited experience playing MMOs, healers (and tanks) are the only truly dynamic role you can play. Damage Dealers focus mostly on their rotation and maximizing their DPS through cooldowns and ability usage. A good healer must constantly react to how the fight is going and make split second decisions that instantly determine if their team will win or lose. Healers are the ultimate team players.

The worst is DDs who only focus on their DPS rotation and don't bother to avoid AOEs or anything. Just stand there and eat every attack and expect the healer to heal through it all.

Or: Why Everyone Hates Dragoons in FFXIV

 

[Lulubop]

Play BF1 and see how far you get without a medic.

I mean, that's OPs point tho

but he's wrong

 

[Levito]

This is the most Neogaf post I've seen in a while.

 

[AlucardGV]

Healers are only redeemed by their easy, noob-friendly gameplay that can make a game accessible to a wider audience.

if you believe that keeping a party of multiple person healed and buffed while keeping yourself alive and managing mana is easy and friendly well, stop killing the monsters out of the city and try some dungeons appropriate for your level

 

[MrBS]

Think about what you've done OP. Bad.

This got me thinking about being the healer class is Resistance 2 multiplayer. So much fun.

 

[jiggle]

WTF is this?
Healer is not easy play

 

[Mr Nash]

Healers are fun and they make for an interesting dynamic where if the team protects the healer the healer can protect them. I do chuckle when edgelord-y Reapers run off to some far corner of the map on their own, gets caught out by the enemy team, and then is all "Healer, wtf?!?!?!?" after. Hilarious, that.

 

[Munch Poke]

Healers are the most important part of a team and it's the rest of the team's sole duty to protect them. Mercy main btw.

As a new Mercy player who followed a Reinhardt around all day yesterday, agreed. I had a blast helping my buddy smash things like an unstoppable hulk. I enjoy it far more than your (generic but still fun) Soldier 76 game play.

 

[dxdydz]

Every game is consistent for the damage dealer: kill enemies and stay as safe as possible. Win or lose, it's easy to fulfil your purpose.

It's not easy to "fullfill your purpose" as a healer, as typically you are getting focused down.

 

[Marceles]

WTF is this?
Healer is not easy play

At all, so much responsibility and pressure is put on a healer

 

[Zareka]

buddy try healing some of the DPS you find in FFXIV and get back to me about it being easy

smh

 

[Swiggins]

Is this dude serious?

 

[Rhaknar]

Dps doesnt function without healers? How about, I dont know, you fucking move from the fire?

 

[Tidalwave]

Healing classes that aren't fun are bad game design.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Medics were the best class in bf4. And also pretty good in bf1 as well.

 

[Stackboy]

So what I'm hearing is you're bad at Lucio.

Do the heals, get the kills. Break it down!!

 

[Bane]

OP, maybe try understanding game design before claiming what is and isn't good. You're so off the mark on healers it's laughable.

 

[Maximus.]

It is a role that a lot of people seem to not enjoy playing based on my experiences in games with healers. It sucks when there are no healers in such scenarios or you have one that doesn't do their job and doesn't care.

I wonder if there are options to have a team based game without a specific healing class, not that I am against it if some games made the healing class more compelling for a wider audience to play.

I have no issue playing healer in some games and it is an under appreciated role with people who do not play the class, having unrealistic expectations. You can't always keep everyone alive and have to make decisions that will keep the team in the fight.

 

[jon bones]

everyone post healer art go

This is the most Neogaf post I've seen in a while.

👍🏾

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Overwatch without healers would basically be decided by who wins the first team fight

Some maps are already like that in the current meta

 

[vareon]

It's OK if you suck at team play, OP.

 

[Syf]

Holy shit you're so far off the mark it's crazy. What games have you even played with healers? Some ridiculous statements in there.

 

[pislit]

Every game is consistent for the healer: heal damaged allies and stay as safe as possible. Win or lose, it's easy to fulfil your purpose. Healers may depend on damage dealers (dd) to win, but dd depend on healers to even function. Complex, algorithmic matchmaking (mm) systems can also force you into the healer class forever. When you try your hand at damage, mm does not know you are practicing damage. It expects you to do the job - a job you cannot do well.

Healers are only redeemed by their easy, noob-friendly gameplay that can make a game accessible to a wider audience.

This is why I am looking forward to leaving Overwatch for Splatoon 2 - no healer class and no mm memory. I can get to S+ and not be expected to use rollers forever, because there is no record of me using rollers.

You forgot the part where your team wins---oh wait you don't care about that.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

I disagree with what you are saying OP but, I have more issue with that thread title to be honest.

Yeah, I wonder if people who spout shit like that even design games.