Hemogen amplifier

The hemogen amplifier is a deathrest building added by the Biotech DLC that allows Hemogenic deathresters to receive more hemogen from all sources.

Acquisition[edit]

Hemogen amplifiers can be constructed once the deathrest research project has been completed. Each requires 200 Steel, 4 Components, 5 Hemogen packs, 5,000 ticks (1.39 mins) of work modified by the construction speed of the builder, and a construction skill of 4.

Summary[edit]

Active hemogen amplifiers require a pawn capable of deathrest, like a Sanguophage, and must be connected to a deathrest casket. Each hemogen amplifier consumes 100W of power and 0.5 hemogen pack per day as long a pawn is deathresting in an attached casket. It can hold up to 5 packs at a time, for a maximum run time of 10 days, and is constructed fully fueled. The amplifier will be automatically refueled by a haulers so long as auto-refueling is enabled.

Assuming deathrest isn't interrupted, each hemogen amplifier applies one stack of the Hemogen amplified hediff increasing Hemogen Gain Multiplier by +25%, in turn increasing the Hemogen gained from any source by +25%. This reduces the need to drink blood as frequently. The bonus will be lost if deathrest gene is removed from the pawn.

Like other deathrest buildings, an amplifier permanently binds to a pawn once used, with no penalty for deconstruction. Deathresting pawns have their own separate limit to the buildings they can connect to, which can be increased with a deathrest capacity serum.

Analysis[edit]

Hemogen amplifiers increase the hemogen a pawn gains. However, using an amplifier means not using a glucosoid pump or deathrest accelerator, at least until a pawn has enough building capacity. Since deathrest building capacity is limited for most stages of the game, you should use the latter buildings first, as they are generally more helpful.

As an alternative measure, you can increase hemogen gain by obtaining more colonists or prisoners. Having more prisoners means having more hemogen available. Each prisoner provides 14.7 Hemogen per day (or a hemogen pack every 1.36 days), and only really comes at the cost of food. In turn, using prisoners will save on the steel and components required to build the amplifier. This also lets you use other deathrest buildings, whose benefits you cannot replicate as easily.

Amplifiers do have a niche: they are one of two deathrest buildings that can be used without a maximum. Once you are using the maximum amount of glucosoid pumps, deathrest accelerators, and/or psychofluid pumps, you might as well build hemogen amplifiers. They reduce the amount of prisoners you need to sustain hemogenic pawns.

Another small benefit is reducing the time required to refuel a hemogenic pawn, making in-combat hemogen consumption much more practical

They do not consume power or hemogen while idling, unlike their contemporaries such as sleep accelerators. Hence, they can be left idle without consequence.

Calculations[edit]

Each hemogen amplifier increases the hemogen you gain from all sources. So the more hemogen you use between deathrests, the more effective a hemogen amplifier will be. But the amplifier itself consumes hemogen during deathrest. In some cases, you can lose more hemogen than you gain. Specifically, it uses 0.5 hemogen packs per day deathresting, so it consumes this much hemogen per deathrest:

Deathrest facilities	Deathrest time	Packs consumed
Deathrest casket	3.64 days	1.82
↳+1x Deathrest accelerator	3.03 days	1.52
↳+2x Deathrest accelerator	2.53 days	1.26

A pawn must deathrest every 30 days. Therefore, you can calculate how much hemogen is required to satiate a pawn for 30 days:

Hemogen Packs Consumed	Hemogenic	Hemogen drain
Base	3	15
↳+1x Hemogen amplifier	2.4	12
↳Savings (1 amplifier)	0.6	3

Assuming an optimal 30 day period between deathrests with two deathrest accelerators, here is how much hemogen is needed based on how many hemogen amplifiers are used, including restocking the amplifier:

Hemogen pack gain	Hemogen amplifiers	Hemogen packs needed (30 days)
20	0	12
25	1	10.85
30	2	10.5
35	3	10.61
40	4	11
45	5	11.58
50	6	12.3

Note: Values are given in hemogen packs for ease of comparison, but this building works equally for all sources of Hemogen.

Thus, if a pawn only has the hemogenic trait alone, and does not use any abilities, then using the hemogen amplifier is a net loss. However, using a hemogenic ability costs Hemogen. The more abilities you use, the more hemogen you need to consume, so the more the hemogen amplifier benefits. So a pawn with only hemogenic can benefit from the amplifier if they spend at least 24.4 hemogen on abilities in the 30 days between deathrests. This is equivalent to 5 uses of Longjump legs, or 1.22 uses of Coagulate.

If a pawn has hemogen drain in addition to hemogenic, the hemogen amplifier always saves on hemogen, regardless of ability use. Of course, using hemogenic abilities still increases the value of the amplifier. Note that sanguophages have hemogen drain by default.

For comparison, in the same 30 day timeframe, each prisoner provides 22 hemogen packs.