Reading the Amp effect of the psychic's produce flame cantrip, it says this on Nethys:
Amp You project pure heat that causes a target to combust. The initial damage changes to 1d10 fire damage (not adding your ability modifier) plus 1 fire splash damage. When using amped produce flame as a melee attack, increase the damage dice of the initial damage from d10s to d12s. You are not harmed by splash damage from amped produce flame.
Does this mean that (assuming int 18) that these are the possible damage numbers:
ranged: 1d4 + 4melee: 1d4 + 4
ranged + amp: 1d10 + 1
melee + amp: 1d12 + 1
If so, it looks like the amped versions are worse then normal versions. Is that intended or am I miss-reading the parenthetical in "The initial damage changes to 1d10 fire damage (not adding your ability modifier)"?
The amp damage is equivalent to the non amped version at level 1 if you attack at range (1d4+4 = 6.5 average, 1d10+1 = 6.5 average). I agree it's bad but not worse. It's only interesting if you don't start with an 18 in Int/Cha.
Your numbers are correct, although osciliating wave makes the melee version do 1d6 unamped.
But it's not worse, 1d4+4 and 1d10+1 are the same on average and 1d10 obviously scales better with heightening.
It does mean that at level 1 the amp does essentially nothing if you can't leverage the splash damage in some way, which is a little bizarre.
I was comparing it to the other amps to prove that they boost damage more significantly, but instead it seems like none of the level 1 cantrips get increased damage from amping at level 1 to 2.
examples:
Daze goes from damage equal to casting modifier to "1d10" which conspicuously does not mention that it adds your modifier. It's only a 1.5 average boost, and even then daze is not really a damaging cantrip normally.
Forbidden Thought adds a rider effect.
imaginary weapon adds extra targets but no extra damage.
It looks like the intent is that at level 1 focus points are only intended to add a bit of versatility instead of actually being a big damage boost for the psychic. For example, I could see the splash damage being important against a group of fire/cold vulnerable enemies.
The reason this looked like an outlier to me at first was that I was comparing it to the amp for Message which gives an ally an attack, but that costs another character a reaction so maybe it's a bad comparison.
I guess in the end this looks like it's working as intended.
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On the other hand, telekinetic rend doubles its base damage when you amp it and Ray of Frost doesn't have the same line about losing casting mod.