Engineer vs Medic: Who is the more generalized smart guy?

[Golden Squidward]

There's a reason I ask this, but I won't go into detail on it just yet!

Everyone recognizes the Medic and the Engineer; they're Team Fortress 2's resident smart guys; a deadly doctor and a mad mechanist. Both build their own gear. Both have tools that reach the highest level of tech available to any merc.

But who's smarter?

Now, originally I would have thought it was the Engineer; after all, he's the engineer. His job heavily requires placement of buildings, which he builds himself, and utilizes technology that breaks the laws of physics like it's going out of style. He's so smart, he has a favorite equation; that's hardcore eggheading right there.

However, his love seems to be limited to building machines. Indeed, for a man with 11 PhDs, all we know of him is that he likes machines and their construction. Does he read poetry? Does he know history? Does he have any skills with chemicals? Or is all of his collective knowledge focused on building? Or is he less of a mad-scientist and more of a glorified mechanic?

The Medic's mad-science skills became evident in Meet the Medic. At one time, he was nothing more than the resident doctor; however it's recently become evident that being a doctor is just a title he gained to put supercharged baboon hearts in people. He builds his own tech much like the engi, even if his medigun prototype consisted of a blender and a hose connected to what I can only imagine is a battey filled with urine.

However, for all of the amazingness he displays on the field, we're left to wonder if it's all intelligence or if he works science like an artist works a paint brush? Is the Medic truly a genius, or is he just a mad man who knows enough to defy the natural order and the functions of the human body? He clearly knows a thing or two about medicine and technology, but where does that end?


Or are they about even? Could these two actually be tied in a battle of the minds? If we gave them both a pop quiz, would their scores be about even?

Let's see what you think!

[Prudii]

Engineer is not crazy so in my mind that makes him smarter.

[Golden Squidward]

Originally posted by Prudii:

Engineer is not crazy so in my mind that makes him smarter.

And yet there is a point many would argue that intelligence comes packaged with insanity. :)

Plus, he sort of sawed his arm off and replaced it with a prosthetic. Why? Because he had a saw and some alcohol at the moment.

[Nulidad del matrimonio]

Engineer

Medic is a crazy guy , his medigun was product of a surprise (Outtakes).

[Golden Squidward]

Originally posted by WalkMarker:

Engineer

Medic is a crazy guy , his medigun was product of a surprise (Outtakes).

Part of the reason those became outtakes, if I remember right, was because Valve didn't want to undermine how much of the Medi Gun was a product of the Medic's intelligence.

[TheHaloking31]

I would say engineer, just because he can think of things easily and create them.

[Diesel]

Self building sentry, dispenser and teleporter. Dispenser works like medi gun but does not over heal.
However both are probably insane, just because medic's is a bit more obvious doesn't mean engi isn't insane, some say the most insane people are the normal ones.

[Golden Squidward]

Originally posted by Diesel:

Self building sentry, dispenser and teleporter. Dispenser works like medi gun but does not over heal.
However both are probably insane, just because medic's is a bit more obvious doesn't mean engi isn't insane, some say the most insane people are the normal ones.

Engi didn't create the sentry idea himself; at best he modified it. Comics revealed his grandfather actually invented the sentry. The Australians invented teleportation as far as we know. Even his dispenser could be simply piggy-backing from what the Medic created.

[76561198177817078]

I feel they are equal in intellect. At any rate, they seem to work together well, as evidenced in the Love and War Short.

[Rift in the Beeeetuls]

In terms of knowledge and professional level (Even though Medic isn't a Doctor anymore) they are approximate equals. However, I find I respect Medic's mind more because Engi took many of his ideas (Sentry/Dispenser/Teleporter/Gunslinger/Frontier Justice/Probably lots more) from Radigan Conagher and Medic seems to have built his Mediguns (Portable and Stationary/Surgical variants)/Most if not all of his Saws and modified high-power Syringe Guns by himself.

Medic is also wiling to break multiple laws to obtain the parts for said Mediguns/Weapons, which I feel shows greater care for his work. He's also more willing to experiment, whereas Engi seems very by-the-books of his relatives in the industry. You never see Medic using Mann Co's Blueprints.

Medic is the more fascinating and probably more creative mind to me.

[Altruistic Muffin]

medic, he has a gun that can heal people, the engi may be very book smart and machien smart but the medic has the sorta of insane genius mentality that drives him to think outside the dispsenser

[Professional Gator Hugger]

Medic is the more intelligent of the two. However, Engineer is almost universally more reliable than Medic. Ironically, Mann Co is one of the few people who'd find Medic more valuable.