Improvidng TF2 Usability

Usability (u?sa?bil?i?ty) noun : the ease of use, learnability, efficiency, and error tolerability of a particular product.

As far as a game goes, Valve has done an excellent job on making TF2 a very usable game.  But I wanted to challenge the creative minds on the forum and ask if you can think of additional ways in which the game could be made MORE usable without adding a negative impact on the process.

Suggestion : Prevent players from barking for a Medic if there are no Medics alive on their team.

How this helps : This quickly allows the player to realize whether or not a Medic is alive, the same as if they were to hold Tab and go through the risk of looking to see if a Medic was alive on their team.  A unique audio sound could be played to help indicate to the player that they did not bark for a Medic because none exists.

Possible problems / solutions : This may blow the cover of an enemy Spy who is disguised as a Medic.  To resolve this, if a player barks and no team Medic is alive, but an enemy Spy is disguised as a Medic, the bark will still go through so as if the team had a Medic.

I doubt it would have a real impact. You could just get shown the class selection screen each time you died, after the freezecam and before going spec.

May be more valuable in Arena, where you have 1 life, but still, the great programs out there are great because they take each and every usability facet into account.  A lot of small usability upgrades can make for a tangible effect to the consumer.

For example, when you goto Google.com, it uses Javascript to automatically focus your cursor to the only input field they have so you can start typing right there.  Without that, users would have to focus manually.  Not MUCH of a hindrance, but still, noticeable, and appreciated when done well.

I don't like idea. It's too complex for something simple. I think the fact they aren't getting healed would be a better indicator of a medical absence rather than it seeming like my key is borked.

Not to mention you can use the medic key even without a medic, like if I'm hurt on bball and I want to tell my teammate I cannot rocket jump. I push Medic.

Speaking from someone who plays a Medic rather often : People are more times often than not, unaware even when they are being healed.  I simply cannot count the times someone barked for a Medic while I had them on the beam at full overheal.  Players have tunnel vision, or are stating over comms "Where's our damn Medic" when there are none left. 

As far as usability goes, the best way to implement the option is to, well, make it OPTIONAL.

For example, the suggestion I had would be enabled/disabled in options.  That way those who want to take advantage of it can, and those who want the vanilla style don't have to be forced to use it.

When building websites, I tell my customers "The web isn't black and white, there are many shades of gray.  When someone tells you it's THIS or THAT, you tell them there also exists an option called this AND that."

As for another suggestion on usability, how about preventing Snipers from using teleports while zoomed in.  Again, this would be optional, and it would stop Engineers who harass team Snipers like on 2Fort (Build an exit in the base, then build and entry point under where the Snipers often walk while scoped).

A small usability boost, but something Snipers may appreciate.

Naw, life is pretty black and white, either somethings right or somethings wrong.

If somebody is too dumb to notice their health going up, you need to switch servers or something.

I'd never stay in a server then!

You're entitled to think they world is black/white.  But a common analogy is the man who steals bread to feed his family.  Under right/wrong philosophy, the man is to be punished, and his family is to suffer, no excuses.  I'd like to think there would be more accommodating solutions to the problem then leaving it at that.  But, then again, that's just me.

near your health, let there be a list of the classes that are still alive, and how many of that class is alive, for both teams.  This basically removes having to hit the tab button except for checking scores.

This game isnt just easy to use, its also funny. That isnt funny.

Something like "Where are all the MEDICS" for a soldier if he calls for one and they are all dead/ none exist on his team.