trupheus Right now they work like this:
Each side gets a healing % based on how many MCs they have per acre, up to a maximum of 20%.
That % is calculated after the battle is over, and it applies to all unit losses across all combat phases (ranged, short, and melee).
So if a player lost 1,000 troops and had 20% healing from MCs, they’d actually only lose 800, since 200 are “revived” after the fight.
What it does not do:
MCs currently don’t reduce damage taken during the battle itself.
They also don’t specifically apply only to melee phase casualties, even though the game guide may suggest that.
Interpreting game guide
It might have meant that Medical Centers weaken the opponent’s melee attacks or strengthen your own melee defense, during the melee phase. Like a passive combat buff.
Or “melee casualties” was just being used loosely to refer to casualties from the close-range combat, i.e. the attack (melee) phase. The intention might have been: “Medical Centers heal a portion of the units lost in that phase.” But then it got misinterpreted or exaggerated to sound like MCs affect melee combat itself.
We could code it to affect the melee combat phase, but idk logically how that makes sense, fighters fight harder knowing there's medical help available? Lol. Or we could nerf the MC to only heal melee units, if that's how we're interpreting the guide. Or we can update the guide to reflect the new simple mechanic of a blanket heal %. OR we further buff the MC by giving a % heal for total casualties AND additional % for melee on top of it.
