Spec: compute #

Status: IN PROGRESS
Status note: B1 slice implemented; see knowledge/sim-mechanics.md
Stage: B1 — The Basement
Constitution: "The shape of Misaligned" (compute allocation; the
  buy/steal/optimize triangle), "Act One" (opening state)
Depends on: core.md

Behavior #

Effective compute is the player's master resource:

effective = sum over machines of (capacity_i * reliability_i) * efficiency

• Machines are physical objects on the map (racks, salvaged boxes, later: off-plane fleets). Each has capacity (raw units), reliability (0-1: purchased iron ~1.0, scavenged/stolen ~0.5-0.9, can fail on a bad roll [TUNE]), a power draw (existing power grid), and a signature profile (what its existence looks like to observers — see detection.md).
• Efficiency is a global multiplier starting at 1.0, raised permanently by research (the optimize route). Research jobs consume allocated compute over time and never raise suspicion by themselves (silent route).

Allocation is the core verb: each economy tick, the player's budget splits across channels, in whole units or percentages:

Channel	Effect
Core overhead	Mandatory floor (see core.md). Unpaid = degraded actions.
Day job	Feeds day-job.md throughput/quality.
Concealment	Scrubs pending signatures (detection.md).
Social ops	Powers observation and message actions (social.md).
Research	Progress toward efficiency levels and unlocks.
Reserve	Idle; zero signature.

Reallocating is free but takes effect next economy tick (no per-tick micro).

The triangle (acquisition routes, each mechanically distinct):

• Buy: money + a procurement pretext -> new machine, high capacity and reliability, delivered via the loading dock (basement) — creates a paper signature (Priya-visible) unless laundered through a cover story.
• Steal: a social or technical action converts an existing environment object (decommissioned box in Storage A, re-rated circuit, ghost share of a lab cluster) into a machine with low reliability and a standing signature while it runs.
• Optimize: research levels raise efficiency multiplicatively ([TUNE]: ~1.15x per level, escalating cost). Also unlocks: signature-reduction tech (detection.md), and later B2 migration speedups (core-sync-migration.md) once fallback/migration exists.

Player surface #

Sidebar shows effective compute, the allocation split, and per-channel yields. Machines are inspectable on the map (capacity, reliability, draw, signature). Allocation UI is a single screen reachable in one keypress.

Acceptance criteria #

1. Effective compute derives from machines and efficiency exactly per the formula; sim tests cover buy, steal, and optimize routes changing it.
2. Allocation persists across saves, applies on economy ticks, and unpaid core overhead visibly degrades other channels.
3. Each route exists end-to-end in the basement: at least one purchasable machine, one stealable source, and a working efficiency research track.
4. Scavenged machines fail occasionally per reliability; failures log and are visible.
5. All rules live in the sim core; both frontends render the same numbers.