Good evening!
I’ve got a question (and possibly forthcoming suggestion) about how the deployment of doctors and their requirements on calls works from a gameplay/mechanical point of view.
First off though I just wanted to briefly say how I think the game has really turned out great with the many non-German translations and localizations now implemented. The development time and patience really paid off and I really enjoy building my own Control Centre in the Netherlands at this time and play-testing it (with an ‘alpha release’ probably following soon). Thanks for that!
As for the question, I want to build a system that resembles the Netherlands system of emergency medical service provision as close as possible. Since we don’t really work with emergency physicians however (except for some rare cases), however neither have a focus on rapid transport/scoop and run, I’m as of yet trying to figure out how best to resemble this system in game. Therefor I’d like to ask a sort of range of questions to better understand how the game ‘handles’ my settings and unit characteristics based on what choices I make and what characteristics I assign to units. So here we go:
**Questions assuming the settings of the Control Centre assume Emergency Physicians are used (so physician-based EMS enabled):
- If I set a unit as an NAW but mark it as “Don’t suggest as doctor”, will it or will it not function as a doctor on a call that requires an Emergency Physician?
- If I set a unit as an RTW but mark it as “Suggest as doctor”, will it or will it not function as a doctor on a call that requires an Emergency Physician?
- If I set a unit as an NEF/RTH but mark it as “Don’t suggest as doctor”, will it or will it not function as a doctor on a call that requires an Emergency Physician?
- If a call requires an Emergency Physician (I assume this is ‘coded’ into each call?), what does the game do when I don’t send one and say it is unavailable?
4a. Does it do anything to the ‘treatment time’ on scene? As in, will it turn it into a scoop-and-run, possibly with patient health deteriorating on route (if that is tracked though)?
**Questions assuming the settings of the Control Centre assume Emergency Physicians are not used (so physician-based EMS disabled):
5. If a call requires an Emergency Physician (I assume this is ‘coded’ into each call?), what does the game do?
5a. Does it simply no longer require it and treat any unit as suitable for treatment of this patient?
5b. Does it do anything to the ‘treatment time’ on scene? As in, will it turn it into a scoop-and-run, possibly with patient health deteriorating on route (if that is tracked though)?
**General questions:
6. For EMS units, how does the game determine whether a KTW, RTW or NAW is required? Is this ‘patient health’-based or is it somehow coded into capabilities/equipment of unit categories in some way as well?
**More future thinking/suggestion-thinking questions. This entirely also depends on the above questions of how things are coded now probably, but just shooting some thoughts here
- Would it be an idea to, over time, work to a system where the setting “Disable physician-based EMS (no doctors)” on or off, would turn into a three-tiered setting as followed:
a. Franco-German EMS Service Provision: assumes the system uses Emergency Physicians. For calls where ‘in the code’ an emergency physician is required, the unit on scene will request a doctor on scene.
b. Anglo-American EMS Service Provision: assumes the system does not use Emergency Physicians. For calls where ‘in the code’ an emergency physician is required, the unit will instead quicken treatment time and turn the call into a scoop-and-run.
c. Nurse-Based EMS Service Provision: assumes the system does not use Emergency Physicians, but assumes nurses trained to an advanced level of emergency care are deployed on ambulances (Dutch system). For calls where ‘in the code’ an emergency physician is required, the unit will instead ask for an additional unit on scene and they will transport together. An additional unit being unavailable results in a scoop-and-run (see Anglo-American system).
Some background information to question/suggestion 7:
This latest question/suggestion comes forth from the Dutch (and possibly Spanish? (I have no inside information there)) system of Emergency Service Provision, which is nurse based and in which system to the more complex cases (think serious trauma’s, resuscitations) in most cases 2 ambulances are dispatched. This follows from the fact that a ‘normal ambulance’ is manned by an Ambulance Nurse and an Ambulance Driver. The first has advanced medical training, while the latter has received training to assist the nurse but does not posses advanced medical training and experience. Hence a second nurse with training to an advanced level offers additional capabilities on scene.
In some of these complex cases a ‘Trauma Helicopter’ can be dispatched, which has an Emergency Physician and Nurse with Advanced Medical training on board. There are only 4 of these on shift in the entire Netherlands at any time however, which should speak for the fact that their deployment to calls is rare and in most cases the Ambulances Nurses handle most cases by themselves or with the aid of a second ambulance.
Thank you very much in advance for your time and patience to hopefully explain the above and give a deeper view into the gameplay mechanics behind the game.
Best regards,
EuRoo
