City revolt missions

[Mantic0re]

Do you use them?



I've been playing this game for a while now and very rarely build spies.


I'm wondering if building spies regularly for revolt missions could speed up wars or maybe make them a little more economical.


The mission costs seem a prohibitively high without using the espionage slider or going for an early G.Spy. Missions can fail raising the cost of revolt and requiring more hammers for spies. Opting for a few more offensive units avoids some unreliable complicating mechanics. Am I missing something that can improve my game?


On a related question: What the hell do you do with G.Spies? If I get them they are almost always Golden Age fodder.

 

[krikav]

I use spies way to little myself...
More or less the only thing I do with them, is to park them in my own essential towns, to protect them from enemy spies.
Also, I use them to knock down enemy walls from time to time. (And obiviously stealing techs every now and then).

You can use the great spy to build a scotland yard in a city, and then run spy specialists in that city. The +100% bonus make this aproach very efficient.

If you get a great spy very early on, (like with the great wall) you can use them to make a espionage mission, putting a lot of points on some close and friendly techer.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

Scotland yard is very useful.

I use spies for city revolts regularly, but you really have to make sure that you get the city that turn.

 

[krikav]

Scotland yard is very useful.

I use spies for city revolts regularly, but you really have to make sure that you get the city that turn.

Could you explain abit more? I'm totaly ignorant about the mechanics about this.

Does the city revolt diminish the culture defense bonus for that turn?
Does it make you get the city up and running direcly after claiming it?

What is the purpose of the city revolt mission?

 

[coanda]

GSpies are pretty balanced; all of their uses are about equally likely when I'm playing.
An early GSpy might settle if I'm planning an espionage economy.
Second and later GSpies, or first one if I don't get one for a while, build Scotland Yard if going EE.
Infiltrate mission if I don't really want to worry about espionage later in the game; I'll just use the EPs it gives to steal a half-dozen techs early and keep up in tech into late Medieval that way.
Golden Age if I'm ignoring espionage, or need to change civics.

 

[ecuwins]

Does the city revolt diminish the culture defense bonus for that turn?
Does it make you get the city up and running direcly after claiming it?

What is the purpose of the city revolt mission?

Yes.
No.
It is typically used in lieu of siege when going to war with two-movers. Think Cuirassier rush.

 

[Akbarthegreat]

Use it if you want win a war quickly, or if a city's got a castle and you havent got too many siege units.

 

[AutomatedTeller]

the city revolt reduces city defenses to 0 for 1 turn.

If you don't get the city right away, of course you'll have intact defenses up the next turn. Generally, when that occurs, you are looking for 60-125% cultural defenses and it's very expensive to kill the rest of the units, since you probably don't have seige with you.

Scotland Yard increases espionage by 100% for that city. That can be significant or not very useful.

 

[mtr12]

These things are what make a Conq rush work!

 

[strijder20]

They are useful for mounted attacks where siege is too slow.
Like Cataphracts.

 

[coanda]

Two uses for revolts; one is to slow cultural victory attempts, the other is to lower city defenses for a turn.

I suppose you could also use it to really piss off another human in MP

 

[AutomatedTeller]

I never really understood why the AI poisons the well, instead of inciting riots. I guess the well lasts longer...

 

[reddishrecue]

Sometimes, but when that does happen a lot of EPs are spent.

 

[ben-jammin]

Makes a war lightning quick if you`re using 2-move units. Usually spy revolts are used with cuirs or cavalry, because presumably by then the best defenders you face will be pikemen, which dont last long without any cultural defense (cavalry also ignore walls and castles though if im not mistaken cuirs dont). Once you`ve got your technological advantage it makes sense to turn off your science slider and put it into espionage instead while you whip up your army. It`s a good investment if you want to take out your strongest opposition first, which is the smart move if you`ve beaten them to rifling.

 

[MarigoldRan]

Two uses for revolts; one is to slow cultural victory attempts, the other is to lower city defenses for a turn.

I suppose you could also use it to really piss off another human in MP

They'd be more pissed off if you sabotage their iron. And they're Rome.

 

[QuixotesGhost]

The mission costs seem a prohibitively high without using the espionage slider or going for an early G.Spy. Missions can fail raising the cost of revolt and requiring more hammers for spies. Opting for a few more offensive units avoids some unreliable complicating mechanics. Am I missing something that can improve my game?

You're probably trying to use the revolt mission too early in the game. Revolts are prohibitively costed in the early game; you can't really use them as a substitute for Construction. It's easier to afford them once you hit knights and much easier once you hit Currasiers and Cavalry.

As said before, use them with mounted units so you don't have to wait around for seige. It makes wars much quicker.

 

[Akbarthegreat]

Yeah, its easier lategame. But not with tanks, as you will have bombers by then.

They'd be more pissed off if you sabotage their iron. And they're Rome.

If i were the victim then my reaction would be something like this:

 

[Archon_Wing]

City revolts are useful with Cur/Cav pushes, but even if you don't, it saves your siege a turn of bombardment which you can use it to quickly inflict collateral damage. It's always good to take cities faster or the enemy will create more defenders or you'll be hit by siege units of their own that they have in their cities. So the benefit is more than just a few extra units.

The missions aren't that expensive if you focus your espionage on one target. The occasional courthouse tends to be good enough.

Great spies tend to be GA fodder too, but you can also settle them in your own cities for some extra EP or you can infiltrate another civ and try to steal their techs.

 

[mtr12]

Eh, Great Spies are pretty solid since they give a large amount of EP's when Settled. If you're playing an SE/SSE-->EE (I know most players hate these words, but it's the only way to say it), then they can really help you.

As for Infiltrations, I think that you get a discount for a higher EP input. So you should do a revolt when you plan to steal techs, and the spending boost should give you a few % off each tech!