The art of espionage

[ariano_paluda]

Just wondered...will the experience of my ancient "spies" (diplomats) increase if i investigate a lot of cities?? I've been in a lot of situations where stealing a tech, in theory, should be the smarter solution, compared to getting them thru trade...for example because the ai wouldn't sell

i think that its a little "too much" to pay, say 1500 gold just to be declared war upon...

anyone????

AP

[Harovan]

It's broken. Don't use it.

On some rare occasions, stealing techs with the "safely" option can be better than researching them, but if you're already upset if war is declared upon you, you better don't try it.

[vmxa1]

You don't mention the level and the diplo situation clearly. If you are far behind, I would not steal, unless it was a critical tech.

Mainly because it cost too much to steal several techs. At the highest 2 levels, I will be more inclined to steal, once I get to the point that no one wants to trade with me. Also it is very hard to beat a tech out of the AI at those levles.

I use the immediate to steal, until I care about getting war declared. Investigation is not much use IMO.

[Vince278]

I rarely use spying, I find it of little use. Rarely see it used against me as well.

[ariano_paluda]

as for the situation:

monarch is the difficulty, and well, scientifically i'm a little behind, but just because the scientific civs get that free tech..the question was meant to be generic, rather than having to do with a specific situation. What i really wanted to know, was if it worked or not....and i got the answer i need...thanx guys


AP

[Drachen]

I often use tech theft as my main means of advancement at the highest difficulty levels. It gets pretty reliable once you're in Communism.

[bongo]

Anyone else but me who wish fighting/conquering should give you at least *some* scientific advantage?

I don't want the civ/civ2 model back where you could get 2 techs from each city you took(one with a diplomat/spy, one upon conquest). I was thinking more in the line of getting a research discount if you killed an advanced unit, or took a city with library/university/research lab.

[Bragelonne]

Well, that´s true. At least that would be a good way to step warmongers who just don´t care enough about science, without unbalancing the game...

Anyway, who wants to invade civs and sack cities? Flower Power! (just joking)

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Bragelonne
Anyway, who wants to invade civs and sack cities? Flower Power! (just joking)

Grooooovy!

[bongo]

Originally posted by Bragelonne
Well, that´s true. At least that would be a good way to step warmongers who just don´t care enough about science, without unbalancing the game...

Or it would help someone with a small backward civ that is getting run over by a more advanced civ. Kill enough of his advanced units and one day you will learn to build them yourself

Anyway, who wants to invade civs and sack cities? Flower Power! (just joking)

Me, Me, Me

Won my first ever civ3 UN-victory yesterday. One day I'm gonna build me one of them spaceships as well

[trev]

Stealing techs is the best way to gain techs in the Final age if you are behind, earlier in the game I never use it, but in the late game I do not want to kickstart my main rivals by giving them thousands of gold for techs, so if I nedd something it is the spy every time, by that stage of the game if you are not competitve enough militarily to afford a war as that may happen in case of failure, you have little hope anyway.

[Bragelonne]

[SIZE=1] Originally posted by Bongo:

Won my first ever civ3 UN-victory yesterday. One day I'm gonna build me one of them spaceships as well

Yeah, I once won UN victory with the romans in a modded Small map with all 31 civs, chieftain mode...

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Bragelonne
Small map with all 31 civs

[Bragelonne]

Only available by modding thy game. That was the only real change, though. (BTW, I think they were actually 16 civs)

[Vince278]

And people say I'm a Civ masochist.