Spy missions

[Solomwi]

I'm talking about wartime investigations, SR, at which time your embassy is shut down. Investigating the city with a spy is the same price and as failsafe as with the embassy, too.

[Silpy]

Hello! I've finally got my internet connection back after 11 long months! (V. long story)

Well. You must know your enemy as much as you know yourself.

Spy missions are good.

Well, first of all, planting spies usally has a better chance if you do not have a embassy with the civ.
Don't know why.

You can have a gander at your rival's military. You can finally stop being scared of bigger civs when you find out the most dominant unit is armed with pointy sticks and stones.

You can initate propaganda. This only works on cities you would expect to fall to you eventully. Doing propaganda means you get it I]now[/I]

You can keep tabs on the space race.

You can destroy production. (V useful if Wonder/Space race.)

You can investigate cities. Excellent in scouting defences.

You can do counter-spying. Great!

Well, most of these can be used to make war by different means. You can simply push a civ around until they swing around to bite you. I do it all the time.

Alas, how can you go into battle blind?

Note-you need to be willing to squander a lot of cash to do this well. I'm a brilliant economist (in all games!), so I'm allways rich(ish), and some people do not like the uncertiancy of the spy investments.

[Kloreep]

Originally posted by Silpy
Well, first of all, planting spies usally has a better chance if you do not have a embassy with the civ.
Don't know why.

:hmm: I'm frankly skeptical of this claim. Have you actually run tests?

Originally posted by Silpy
You can have a gander at your rival's military. You can finally stop being scared of bigger civs when you find out the most dominant unit is armed with pointy sticks and stones.

Seeing the unit list is one of my favorite spy abilities. Especially since it's free so long as you have a spy planted.

Originally posted by Silpy
You can initate propaganda. This only works on cities you would expect to fall to you eventully. Doing propaganda means you get it I]now[/I]

I've never had much success with propaganda. I consider it generally a waste of money.

Originally posted by Silpy
You can keep tabs on the space race.

Very useful. Lets you know if there's someone whose capital you must get. And, like the unit list, it's free with a planted spy.

Originally posted by Silpy
You can destroy production. (V useful if Wonder/Space race.)

This ability is nice, though I haven't had a great success rate with it.

Originally posted by Silpy
You can investigate cities. Excellent in scouting defences.

During war is generally when you want to investigate cities anyway, so a spy definitely does serve as a nice replaceement for that closed embassy.

Originally posted by Silpy
You can do counter-spying. Great!

Never had much success with this either. Since I also haven't had much trouble with enemy spies (note: I'm talking SP only here) I generally don't try to reveal enemy spies.

Originally posted by Silpy
Well, most of these can be used to make war by different means. You can simply push a civ around until they swing around to bite you. I do it all the time.

Alas, how can you go into battle blind?

Note-you need to be willing to squander a lot of cash to do this well. I'm a brilliant economist (in all games!), so I'm allways rich(ish), and some people do not like the uncertiancy of the spy investments.

This is a nice use for spies if you can't afford to start the war due to continuing deals, etc.

[Silpy]

About planting a spy before a diplomat, it does seem to work. I don't have figures, but I will by Monday.

About propaganda. Im thinking of little towns with no culture, stuck in the middle of the desert or tundra, but controlling some good. (Often Oil). These cities will usally fall to me eventully (as I allways put at least a temple in every city, even if it is nothing more than a large colony, to hinder this happining to me) But why wait!

With destroying production, I admit, it's not very sucessful. Wish it was as sucessful as on Civ II. It used to be one of by best tactics.

Also, with investigating cities, you can see what resorces they are getting. By siezing a few tiles with luxuries on it and ripping up the roads, you can cripple a Democracy's warmongering potentual. (Works best with Paratroopers)

With counter-spying, it is not very sucessful. I usally use it as a sabre-rattling exersize.

Well, I usally have the cash to do these things. But don't scrimp on updating your military for it though. It's not worth it.