Spies and Scotland Yard

[dante alighieri]

How effective is the scotland Yard building that a Great Spy can construct. I can recall having it, yet still getting multiple spy warnings and some of the annoying poisoned water supply attacks. In one game the warnig flat out told me that the Dutch had just stolen Calendar from me.

Does SY have a reasonable effect? Does it help to put a spy in as many cities as possible? I'm a bit fuzzy on how the espionage system works. I usually build spies as a (hopefully) deterrent. I normally only use them to scout out enemy territory really fast (before they are detected) or counter-espionage.

 

[Polobo]

Scotland Yard only provides a boost to your espionage output, thus the counter-espionage benefit is incidental to the additional EP you are able to generate. Only a spy OR security bureau will actively help counter-espionage on the tile they are on.

SY is really good use for the 2nd GSpy after you've a previous one in the same city.

Counter-espionage just increase the chance of a spy being caught, and since you can never know how many spies are in a city OR, I believe, every time a spy fails a mission, it is really hard to know exactly how beneficial emphasised counter-espionage (spies in all cities and on important tiles, some commerce dedicated to EP generation) is.

 

[Bushface]

The EP boost from a Scotland Yard (you can build one in every city if you get enough Great Spies, but I think it's a waste) applies only to the city it's in. Even if the city already has a Courthouse, a Jail, a Security Bureau and an Intelligence Agency, Scotland Yard will only add 22 EPs plus 4 eps for each spy specialist, whereas using the Great Spy to infiltrate an enemy city brings 1000 EPs (IIRC). Or use him for a Golden Age.

 

[MrCynical]

Does SY have a reasonable effect?

It might well be worth building one or two in the early stages, but the infiltrate option (or golden age) is generally better later on.

Does it help to put a spy in as many cities as possible?

Stationing one of your spies in your own city reduces the chance of enemy spies carrying out a successful mission in the city. The Security Bureau building has the same effect. Note that this effect does not stack - having multiple spies or a security bureau and a spy does not further improve your defence against enemy spies.

 

[Empiremaker]

Scotland Yard also has a much bigger effect if you use the slider.

 

[Refar]

It might well be worth building one or two in the early stages, but the infiltrate option (or golden age) is generally better later on.

I would replace "generally" with "sometimes" here... Which is better allways depends on the situation and your strategy.
I.e. Later on the Infiltrate Mission might not be enought to even steal a single tech.

If you plan on doing lots of spying and to be running Spy-Slider and Spy-Specialists over extended periods of time, SY is very powerfull.

 

[JTMacc99]

Question: Is Scotland Yard one of the buildings that might or will survive in a captured city? I know that that the science academy does, and I'm not sure about the military one.

 

[CCRunner]

Yes it does, along with the other buildings constructed by geat people. (Military Academy, Academy)

 

[MqsTout]

I, if I do get a spy (I avoid them as much as possible -- unless it's the free one with Communism), usually use or hang on to my Great Spy for a Golden Age. If I'm using a specialist economy, sometimes I'll settle him. I almost never build Scotland Yard.

 

[Jolly Rogerer]

It sounds like I should move my spy garrison elsewhere once I build the security bureau. Does anyone know how spies work for counterespionage on the map? I hear that they reduce the chance of a successful action on the tile they are in, are there any other effects? For instance if an enemy spy moves through the tile they are in is there a greater chance that the spy is caught, or is there some sort of proximity effect?

 

[Supr49er]

It sounds like I should move my spy garrison elsewhere once I build the security bureau. Does anyone know how spies work for counterespionage on the map? I hear that they reduce the chance of a successful action on the tile they are in, are there any other effects? For instance if an enemy spy moves through the tile they are in is there a greater chance that the spy is caught, or is there some sort of proximity effect?

Absolutely move your spies out of your city as soon as you complete the Security Bureau. Put them on critical resources like oil or aluminum. You can also put them on your borders, and they will help (very minimally, I think) detect enemy spies.

 

[CoZe]

it's somewhat situational. If you have teching neighbors, a settled great spy + scotland yard will do you more good than a couple of golden ages.

but if you're planning to get rid of your neighbors, don't bother with it I'ld say.

 

[nullspace]

Scotland yard + cottaged capital + bureaucracy could make an interesting espionage economy.

 

[_Lasher_]

Another thing to do with a great spy is scouting other lands. They can enter foreign borders like normal spies, but a great spy cannot be detected.
I often leave a great spy roaming around the earth until I have seen enough and the time is right for a golden age.

 

[Elkad]

plus great wall gives you the GSpy way before alphabet. If you intend to bomb, exploring a bit while you tech to alphabet and build regular spies is very useful.