Civ franchise idea- "spy points"

[DeckerdJames]

Not sure about civ 7, as I have a copy but have not "gotten to it" yet. So this is just an idea for civ or anyone else, based on civ 6.
Instead of an actual unit that moves around, suppose you can accumulate points that can be spent on "missions". Instead of unit promotions that enhance the unit, you could get enhancements to your "intelligence agency" that affect the type and variety of missions available, how long they take, how expensive they are, and any other requirements. Not a big change, but with the unit gone, more mission types could make sense. For example, suppose you could spend points to gain visibility of his lands (or part of it) for some set period like 1-3 turns.

 

[GeneralZift]

I like the idea, but the more 'point' systems there are, the more overwhelmed I get, I tend to think it's not neat.

It's good because it gives more depth to the spy system. And I could imagine myself being more interested in building Spy buildings and Wonders to improve capabilities instead of Espionage promotions.

It has me thinking though, that the spy system is kind of tough to save. They tried making them strong in Civ6, and they definitely were useful, but people just didn't use them.

I think spies are bad not because of a particular design flaw, but because the game never puts you in a situation where you need to spy - ie where you are on the back foot and need a leg up.

If the game was harder, and more importantly, obfuscated information, you'd find that using Spies isn't just useful but a necessity if you wanted to win.

 

[Krikkit1]

Not sure about civ 7, as I have a copy but have not "gotten to it" yet. So this is just an idea for civ or anyone else, based on civ 6.
Instead of an actual unit that moves around, suppose you can accumulate points that can be spent on "missions". Instead of unit promotions that enhance the unit, you could get enhancements to your "intelligence agency" that affect the type and variety of missions available, how long they take, how expensive they are, and any other requirements. Not a big change, but with the unit gone, more mission types could make sense. For example, suppose you could spend points to gain visibility of his lands (or part of it) for some set period like 1-3 turns.

Civ 7 has this, except the “spy points” are also used for Diplomacy.