Spying

[WorTeRRoR]

I like using the spy unit to put a city into revolt to take down their cultural defences right before I attack them. don't need to bang down their walls with trebs and cats.

[GePap]

Sorry, but the great spy monicker is still silly, and no, I don't find any of those names compelling (Mata Hari, come on....) enough to merit the name "Great," specially when you have to dig deep for names.

I mean, looking at the list, its clear the folks at Firaxis had to dig deep for names and ideas. I mean, putting assasins on the list? Most assasins are important historically because of whom they killed- ie, the person killed was important. There is no genius behind their act.

And a lot of people on the list were failures, like Guy Fawkes. What great genius he was.....

As i said before, the system as is was granted a little more importance than I think it merits from a historical level. On a gameplay level any system that can be generally ignored without mayor consequence can't be that important to the game.

[Kuciwalker]

How do you consistently misspell major as mayor? The keys aren't even adjacent on most keyboards.

[Lambiorix_be]

Originally posted by wodan11
I think you've totally overlooked the most powerful use of the new espionage: getting an early Great Spy and using him to get the espionage points to steal 10-12 techs. (Yes, 10-12 techs.)

Wodan

I've been trying out the new way of stealing tech instead of trading and it is indeed not that difficult. Thx for the tip. It's even a bit of fun

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
How do you consistently misspell major as mayor? The keys aren't even adjacent on most keyboards.

I have a friend from Colombia who does that with all his j's and y's, even in speech.

[Shrapnel12]

The best use for espionage imo is the passive effects. I love how it makes enemy cities visible and eventually I can even look inside those cities.

As for the spy unit, it's fun to use, but isn't critically important to any strategy. I use it mainly to counter enemy spies and to harass someone I'm at peace with.

[frenzyfol]

I used them in a recent game to prevent Ragnar from completing the Manhattan project.

I then blew up his uranium, oil, iron, and horse improvements just before my tanks rolled into his defenseless cities (because I caused them to revolt).

Spies are powerful.

[wodan11]

Originally posted by frenzyfol
I used them in a recent game to prevent Ragnar from completing the Manhattan project.

I then blew up his uranium, oil, iron, and horse improvements just before my tanks rolled into his defenseless cities (because I caused them to revolt).

Spies are powerful.

I don't disagree. But I'm curious why you blew up his horse? At that stage in the game, I would usually be happy to have my enemies build cavalry rather than infantry or something.

Wodan

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by wodan11


I don't doubt, that some of these could be debated. e.g., Guy Fawkes was unsuccessful in his assassination of King James I. So how did he "change history"? Well, you'd have to read up on the Gundpowder Plot to find all the ramifications. Heck, today they have a holiday in England for this guy.

[

It isn't a holiday 'for' him. It celebrates the saving of Parliament, his capture and torture and death.

The list of 'great' spies seems quite bizarre and random- spy seems to broadly mean conspirator and assassin as well as espionage agent. May as well have Lee Harvey Oswald and James Earl Ray on the list...



No Richard Sorge either, which is very odd.

[OFogy]

great spy

Guido Fawkes hardly qualifies as a Great Spy. He was a patsy, a pawn for Catholic peers in England. He was caught, tortured and gave away the names of his co-conspirators. He was hanged, drawn and quartered -- a particularly unpleasant way to die. Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln...

As to spies in BtS, I always use them defensively in my major cities, and occasionally as explorers.

[lordrune]

I'm experimenting quite a bit with espionage in a current game. I'm behind some of the leaders in tech, and I'm finding that it's quite effective - and fun - to use spies to catch up. It pisses off the AI a little bit, but not too much.

I haven't yet tried using a Great Spy to gain espionage points. I'll think about doing that next time I gain one.

[LzPrst]

Do NOT forget Sir Walsingham. (find him on wiki)

[LzPrst]

and what was the name of that guy who was Willy Brandt's secretary for years all the while being a mole from Stasi or something...

Günter Guillaume. was Willy Brandt's personal assistant for years, feeding East Germany with information directly from the Chancellors office. not half bad.

[Lambiorix_be]

I have conquered 2 civs and made them my vassals. Now they are however both sending spies into my empire and poisoning my water or sabotaging production and I can't do anything about it. If it were a free civ I could have declared war to punish them but I cannot do that to already conquered civs.

I can off course send spies myself but that's beside the point. I should be able to punish vassal states if they execute hostile acts against me. Even if it would only be symbolic by removing the leader and replacing them with another or I should be able raze, invade some of their cities as punishments until they stop doing this. Now a conquered nation can 'attack' its master with impunity. This should be adapted in a patch, expansion...

[Jaybe]

Originally posted by Lambiorix_be
Now a conquered nation can 'attack' its master with impunity. This should be adapted in a patch, expansion...

It is already noted in the patch 3.13 notes.