Espionage level? How do I get it to "high?"

I've devoted some time for the exact answers to this question. Check out this post:
Espionage Intel Levels

Gather up the spies you need to hit one of those levels (or at least a nice chunk of them) and hit them in a wave. If you trickle in a spy as soon as you get it, the opponent can trickle out a spy to nullify yours. Stock up a pile of them and smash them at once with them. You may loose 1-3 spies, but the week to week gains in 'spy-weeks' will be far better.

TY!

Only, it's probably impossible to do this for all races, because the price you pay for agents goes up and up at a ludicrous rate. Oh well?

Only for you. Most people can get high or advanced intelligence on many races without too much trouble. I know I do.

I get high on every race every game with no problem. Masochistic and above.

In the name of science...I'd do it. I like, practically love, learning things like this. That's why I think I enjoyed TA's beta more than it being live now. Every week or two, I knew I was getting new races' trees to play with, a terror star to learn every kink in...

My comment on the 'other races' thing was meant about the Krynn or Iconians to see what exactly the +Espionage skill does in entirety. To see if it affected the spy-week times or if it just allowed for money to be spent faster for spies...

Eh, I'm weird enough to have had well over a hundred spies in one game. I could then have gotten Advanced in just 1 week with a race wit VERY little retaliation.

I've never had that many, but 30-40 is not uncommon.



If you have a save with this, can you test it? My experience is that you can only gain one level a week, regardless of overkill.

Can't get intel if you're too busy defending yourself from lame spy spam. Unless you use lame AI-metagaming tactics to avoid the spy spam, that is. So yeah, just stay a weakling (that's why it works on levels where the AI cheats I guess?), and remember that the AI won't mess with you at all if you aren't rated so high in certain areas.

Then you can spy all you want, to find out just HOW much more powerful than you they are. lol

Counter Espionage Centers do wonders...as long as you play a race with them in the tree. Poor Korath have that hole in their tree.



In DA/TA you can gain more than 1 level in intel a week. Try it out with a smaller number, toss 14 or more on an AI you haven't touched yet...you'll see a Medium level that next turn. I don't have that game anymore. I overwrite savegames as I finish them.

Hmm, I must have been using too few spies. I usually get low intelligence, then later drop 20+ spies to get medium one turn, then high a turn or two later.

My numbers aren't exact yet. I got low pegged at 4 spy-weeks, but Medium/High/Advanced I still need to confirm one or two more times. I originally had a range of numbers since I was advancing by 4 spy-weeks at a time.

Once this project I'm getting ready to start is over and perhaps some direction as to what the espionage overhaul entails, I'll re-pickup my Espionage Intel Levels project.

Not to be cruel... but I hope that v2.0 makes this thread and all your labors completely meaningless. I want a better spy system....

Hope you understand this in the spirit it is meant.

If it does, it does.

I'd think they would leave the current system in place for PI shutdowns and perhaps a DL version for intel. If that is right, then at least I could work with the spy costs. I'll revive this when I hear about what will entail with 2.0

I believe it's been said that the plan for 2.0 is allow passive placement of spies who will gather intelligence without sabotaging anything, and won't be able to be nullified by the AI (for effectively the same result as the DL system), but don't quote me on that.

~taps the quote button~
Sorry...had to.

Until I see something quotable for the 2.0 changes, I'll not spread on 'well kryo said this'.

I just wouldn't mind the hybrid of the two. Getting intel via un-destroyable spies and then some destroyable spies that sabotage. That way you aren't wasting funds like mad to just learn things, but when a spy shuts down a factory...he should have the ability to get shot at and nullified.

*edit*
That said, I think the tech stealing should be stoppable, thus the destroyable spies should be the ones w/ the chance to steal techs. Overall numeric knowledge of a foe is one thing, but once you steal/shut something down, you need some sort of defense against that IMHO.

I think there should be a way to nullify the info gathering spies too- it should be rare and passive as well- the spies you retain in your empire should be doing that. Keeping secrets is sometimes important.

Well, the current system gives you full control over stopping the AI getting intel...

I guess with what you are saying about keeping spies in your pool, you could say that you could only gain intel on a race which has less than or equal to the number of spies in their/your pool. Passive intel blocking via the agent system.

Or just slows it down.