Neural supercharger

Neural supercharger

A neuron-sensitizing device that can deliver one neural supercharge each day. A person with a neural supercharge will think and learn faster, but will also consume more food. The effect wears off in one day. Neural superchargers consume a lot of electricity.

Base Stats

Type

Building – Ideology (Buildings)

Market Value

245  ^[Note]

Mass

20 kg

HP

100

Flammability

30%

Path Cost

42 (24%)

Building

Size

1 × 3

Minifiable

True

Placeable

True

Passability

pass through only

Cover Effectiveness

25%

Terrain Affordance

Light

Power

-400 W

Creation

Required Research

Neural supercharger

Work To Make

6,000 ticks (1.67 mins)

Resources to make

50 + 4

Deconstruct yield

25 + 2

Destroy yield

12 - 13 + 1

Technical

thingCategories

BuildingsMisc

The neural supercharger is a misc building added by the Ideology DLC. It allows pawns to supercharge their brain once per day, at the cost of consuming power and the pawn consuming extra food.

Acquisition

Neural superchargers can be constructed once the neural supercharger research project has been completed. Each requires  50 Steel,  4 Components and 6,000 ticks (1.67 mins) of work modified by the construction speed of the builder. Neural superchargers can only be constructed by a colonist with an Ideoligion containing the Transhumanist meme.

Summary

An externally-induced increase in sensitivity and synchronicity of neurons. This boosts consciousness and learning rate at the cost of increased hunger.

— Neural supercharge definition

Once connected to power, the neural supercharger will begin to charge. It needs to be charged for 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins) or 24 in-game hours. After being charged, a colonist can use the device, granting them the Neural Supercharge hediff for 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins) or 24 in-game hours, with the following effects:

• +10% Consciousness
• +25% Global Learning Factor
• +20% Hunger Rate Factor

Note that both the charge time and hediff duration is the same - thus a single supercharger can keep a single pawn almost permanently supercharged, minus travel time.

If colony expectations are at Moderate (80,000 colony wealth) or higher, then those believing in a Transhumanist ideoligion will receive −6 Want neural supercharge if not currently affected by its hediff.

Impacts

+10% Consciousness equates to +10% Manipulation, Eating, and Talking. If Consciousness is below 100%, then this boost also increases Moving.

Manipulation in particular affects a wide variety of stats and work types, such as Crafting, Construction, Plants, and Medical. Not only will the boost make each job 10% faster, but it will also increase plant yield and medical tend quality. For a full list of affected stats, see their individual pages.

Analysis

The neural supercharger, along with the sleep accelerator and biosculpter pod, are a defining feature of the Transhumanist meme. Most comparisons should be made to Transhumanist vs non-Transhumanists, not with building the supercharger independently.

The hunger cost is usually negligible, able to be countered in many biomes by simply growing more food. If you're using a nutrient paste dispenser, then a neural super-charged pawn still consumes less food than a regular pawn eating simple meals.

Rather, the real cost is with power and resources. With each pawn needing a supercharger, and each supercharger consuming 400W of power and  50 Steel,  4 Components, it can take a lot of power to run a transhumanist colony. Pawns will also enjoy having a sleep accelerator, which consumes another  50 Steel,  5 Components, and 350 W when sleeping. Constructing both buildings, and the generators required to run them, will also increase colony wealth by a fair amount.

Once you reach high expectations, Transhumanist pawns will start demanding age reversal. In addition to building the pod, this will take an absolute minimum of 2.61 days of a pawn's time per year, assuming the pod is in a sterile room. With 4.35% - 6% of their year stuck in age reversal, the supercharger + sleep accelerator still ends up being a net positive in work - just a costly one.

Once you can afford the costs of all 3 buildings, both the supercharger and the sleep accelerator are free buffs to pawn work speed.

For colonies without the Transhumanist meme, a person who follows an ideoligion with the meme can be recruited and can build it.

Version history

• Ideology DLC Release - Added.
• 1.3.3101 - can now be walked through.
• 1.3.3117 - Path cost 0 -> 42.

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Architect

Ideology

Altar (Small, Medium, Large, Grand) • Burnbong • Cannibal platter • Christmas tree • Drum • Effigy • Gibbet cage • Ideogram • Incense shrine • Kneel pillow • Kneel sheet • Lectern • Pew • Pyre • Reliquary • Ritual spot • Sacrificial flag • Skullspike • Styling station

(research)

Autobong • Biosculpter pod • Lightball • Loudspeaker • Neural supercharger • Sleep accelerator