As it is, a probe team can access an entire faction's datalinks or research files from just one base, whether it's a huge core megalopolis, or a piddly little base off in the fringes of the faction. This causes probe teams to be massed-produced and stationed at every single base. This just doesn't seem right. Probe teams should be a specialty unit, not one that makes up half of your empire's military. Thus, here are some modifications that would correct this. Unfortunately, some of these modifications are unfeasible due to hardcoding, but here they are anyway:
*Make probe teams cost more. Remember, these are spies, secret agents, 007 types that you can't just draft off the street. You've got to train them a lot.
*Probe teams should only be able to download an entire faction's datalinks from the HQ base. How it would work is, a probe team could download any single base's datalinks from any base. This infiltration would show the economy, production, and base operations screen just for that base. Thus, you'd have to piece together information about a faction either through multiple infiltrations from different bases, or by infiltrating the HQ, where you gain total infiltration (as it is now).
*Tech stealing success rates need to be drastically lowered. Tech stealing would be on par with an assassination attempt in terms of difficulty. In fact, an assassination attempt would probably be easier, because you could pull it off in public, whereas to steal a tech, you'd have to gain access to top secret governmental labs facilities. So, I'm thinking for an elite probe team, the success rate should be at least 50%, 37%. And then a base with security interlocks should be really hard to steal from, something like 10%, 0%.
*Mind controlling should cost a little bit more. Just think about it: You're asking an entire battalion (or city) to suddenly revolt and switch sides. How much money would it take to convince 50% of New York city residents to revolt and become a part of China? A lot!This should really only be possibly if the cities are in drone riots. Thus, maybe the baseline cost should be triple, but a city in a drone riot gets an 80% discount, as opposed to the somewhere around 50% discount it now gets. And units whose home base is rioting should be easier to mind control (if this isn't the case already).
I think these changes would make probe team usage more along the lines of how it was originally envisioned - as an asymetrical threat carried out by only a handful of units. As it is now, probe teams are massed produced by the dozens. The gameplay wasn't intended to be this way, I am sure.
*Make probe teams cost more. Remember, these are spies, secret agents, 007 types that you can't just draft off the street. You've got to train them a lot.
*Probe teams should only be able to download an entire faction's datalinks from the HQ base. How it would work is, a probe team could download any single base's datalinks from any base. This infiltration would show the economy, production, and base operations screen just for that base. Thus, you'd have to piece together information about a faction either through multiple infiltrations from different bases, or by infiltrating the HQ, where you gain total infiltration (as it is now).
*Tech stealing success rates need to be drastically lowered. Tech stealing would be on par with an assassination attempt in terms of difficulty. In fact, an assassination attempt would probably be easier, because you could pull it off in public, whereas to steal a tech, you'd have to gain access to top secret governmental labs facilities. So, I'm thinking for an elite probe team, the success rate should be at least 50%, 37%. And then a base with security interlocks should be really hard to steal from, something like 10%, 0%.
*Mind controlling should cost a little bit more. Just think about it: You're asking an entire battalion (or city) to suddenly revolt and switch sides. How much money would it take to convince 50% of New York city residents to revolt and become a part of China? A lot!This should really only be possibly if the cities are in drone riots. Thus, maybe the baseline cost should be triple, but a city in a drone riot gets an 80% discount, as opposed to the somewhere around 50% discount it now gets. And units whose home base is rioting should be easier to mind control (if this isn't the case already).
I think these changes would make probe team usage more along the lines of how it was originally envisioned - as an asymetrical threat carried out by only a handful of units. As it is now, probe teams are massed produced by the dozens. The gameplay wasn't intended to be this way, I am sure.
Comment