Advanced espionage and declarations of War

from GalCiv2 Forums
I have played many games and this is the first time I have decided to take my espionage spending to the advanced level. Now, I understand the benefits of advanced versus the high levels but there is something that completely miffs me.

If I am supposed to know every move the enemy makes, every little tiny thing that they do, I have spies everywhere within their government. Why oh why do I not know they are going to declare war on me before they do so? It only makes sense for me to know this type of thing especially with all my so called spies deep within. It would give me the opportunity to avert the impending war or to prolong the declaration of war for a few weeks to months while I prepare. I think this should somehow be changed.

The only thing I can think of that would prevent this change would be the A.I.s ability to do the same. After all, how would he know if I was going to declare war on him during any given turn. Even if he had an advanced level of espionage on my government.

More things to ponder I guess. Thanks for listening.
7,645 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, in 1.4 they do not declare war, they just attack without advanced warning.
Reply #2 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, in 1.4 they do not declare war, they just attack without advanced warning.


This I beg to differ with, sir Moosetek. I am currently playing a game, version 1.4, as the Yor. I have gone 3 years into the game, came to the third UPs meeting, and the vote went my way due to having 54% of the influence.

The first turn of the new year, I guess the Terran Alliance wasn't to thrilled about having to pay me 5bc per planet within my space... quite a few planets I might add. When GNN popped up, bang.... The Terrans have declared war on us. Plain as day. So they may say they no longer declare war before they attack, but this is not the case in my current game.

Had I known they are not supposed to declare war like that any longer, I would have taken a screen shot of the event.

Even so, that does not answer why I wouldn't know they were about to attack. Get my drift?
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Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I know I did not respond to your actual question, sorry.
Perhaps the enhanced espionage in DA will address that issue, because I think you are right. If we have spies, what good are they if the intel is so poor that a war in the making is not known about prior to the declaration.

And as for the AI not declaring war in 1.4, I was not all that clear.
They still declare it, but they might attack you in the turn before you see the declaration in the GNN News. I has happened to me a few times. I suddenly have three or four worlds invaded, then I hit turn and see the declaration in the GNN News.
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I think I understand your point. The AI will not just declare war when it is not prepared to attack.

With that said, I did see several troop transports moving towards some of my planets at the time, but none of them were in striking distance prior to the declaration of war. They were prepared to strike, just not in range to do so the moment they declared.

Which was good for me, I immediately sent out my tiny fighters to destroy all their unprotected transports...... Stupid Humans!
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
One more observation about ADVANCED: why can we stop spending on spying when reaching the highest level? Don't our spies need money to carry on bribing, canaiving and generally subverting everything?
I would have expected the spending on spying to have to carry on through the game (and increase in line with the economic affluency of the enemy) if we wanted to maintain the spying net, if we lower the expenditure then spying level will eventually decrease. Seems logical to me....

LL

Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Lord Loz, as far as espionage spending goes, after hitting Advanced it seems you still have to keep it above zero if you want to steal any technology. Apart from that, I guess one can only assume that the espionage system becomes self-sustaining: the money made from drug-running, extortion and weapons-dealing that espionage networks typically do, equals the money they pay out in bribes and computer attacks and what not.

As for not alerting you to war, I have two explanations. The gamer explanation is that they give you the tactical facts, like what's being produced and where their ships are and going to, and you have to work out your opponent's strategy for yourself. The in-game explanation would be that you can't fire your spies after a war has started, even if they didn't bother alerting you to it, because you still need the other information they can give you -- or so they think, anyway.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Ras, I can see the avenue that you are trying to explain. In a way I guess it makes it a bit more fun and interesting having to determine what your enemy is going to do with the materials you see before you.

However, the way the game explains it when you reach the advanced level, we know when the top advisors are going to take a dump, we know what they had for lunch, so I am safe to assume, since it usually takes a multitude of people, talking amongst each other to determine when the best time to go to war would be. You would think I would have a spy there relaying the information to my officials about their war room parties. Did they have dancing girls, cake, are they planning a multi-planet invasion? You know man, Details.

In one way I like the fact that I have to be on top of my sleuthing game in order to smell a rat..... in another way, I spent all this money for what? For a Civ to declare war on me out of the blue?

Needless to say, I am not so sure I really need to take my espionage level to advanced any longer. I think one game was enough.