Leathaface
Emperor
The chance for your Spy to be killed is pretty remote, but it happens to me all the time.
Does anyone else get a spy killed every single game?
- Thread starter Leathaface
- Start date
Yeah, pretty frequently. And I usually kill a couple foreign spies. As Victoria says though, it seems to come in runs (a game of bad spy luck or a game if good spy luck). Given that they use the same random seed the whole game, I wonder if that has something to do with it. Or it's all in my head 
Atwork
Immortal
That's awful luck! In my experience, I'd say the percentages have more or less worked out as predicted. In my current game, my 3 level con-artist spy has pulled off maybe 8 or 9 straight successful Siphon Funds missions. On the one occasion he was detected out of those missions, he escaped by foot.
In the course of the game (I'm close to a space victory), I'd say he's pulled off at least 25 successful missions and has only been detected 3 or so times -- each time escaping by foot -- and on one of the occasions on which he was detected, he still escaped with the loot.
That said, my practice is to send an inexperienced spy into a city to Gain Sources. Once complete, I send in my experienced spy to conduct missions. I can't prove it helps, but perhaps it does.
I always work the most non-threatening quests first to build up spy points to succeed but it doesn't always help. It seems that the first threatening quest is key.. if you succeed, then the spy usually gets a level and doesn't have issues after that. But if it fails the first mission it'll never finish one again no matter how many times you try.
Leathaface
Emperor
It appears if you get spotted when Siphoning Funds you don't get a promotion when you get back to the capital.
Atwork
Immortal
Yes, but gaining sources helps the success rate of subsequent other missions, true? So, if you send in a grunt to lay the groundwork for a veteran, then your veteran should have a better chance at success, right? I'm guessing at the mechanics here.
But anyways, that's how I've been playing it.
It would be interesting to know if the AI tends to place their first spy as a defender. If so, if you lose your first spy in an offensive mission while the AI simultaneously upgrades their defender, then from that point on you're going to be at a disadvantage if you go after the same target.
I can't remember how I started with my spy -- whether I sent him straight out on an offensive mission or left him to defend the capital to try and get an upgrade, not sure.
But, maybe the safest play is to use your first spy as a defender in the hopes that he catches someone so that he can get an offensive upgrade. And once upgraded, it's less risk to send him out for offensive missions -- especially if you lay the groundwork by gaining sources (assuming that's how it works).
Dedrytus
Prince
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2010
- Messages
- 304
My spies die all the time. I do not remember successful mission. The game just hates me ;-)
LethalLeigh
Prince
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2016
- Messages
- 351
Yes - I get at least 2 killed every game. mainly when they are leveling up.
Never. But I only do counterespionage.
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Lanthar
SPQR
I don't seem to lose spies more or less often then the stated percentages allow. It all stems from the Random Number Generator and the seed used by the game. Streaks are a sign of good RNGs...but also a sign of bad ones. I've had a few cases of noticeable streaks:
I had a long running mod for NeverwinterNights (BioWare, 2002), and my own treasure system. After awhile I (and all the players) noticed a few things dropped way too often for random chance - including full suits of platemail, intended to be a rare (but welcome) drop - selling it is a good source of gold for a low level character. I had to change what the ID pointed at, ultimately, to something less expensive. Bad RNG.
Recently, in Galactic Civilizations 3, I got some pretty deadly random events. Every game, about 100 turns in or so. Crippled me every time as I was relearning the game. A few days later things cleared up - probably the datetime is a large part of the seed, and when the date changed enough, that streak ended.
For awhile in Civ6, I ended up getting placed next to Arabia 3 full games in a row (Huge maps, all random opponent leaders). Poor Arabia, they never had a chance, and I didn't get a religion in any of those games.
I had a long running mod for NeverwinterNights (BioWare, 2002), and my own treasure system. After awhile I (and all the players) noticed a few things dropped way too often for random chance - including full suits of platemail, intended to be a rare (but welcome) drop - selling it is a good source of gold for a low level character. I had to change what the ID pointed at, ultimately, to something less expensive. Bad RNG.
Recently, in Galactic Civilizations 3, I got some pretty deadly random events. Every game, about 100 turns in or so. Crippled me every time as I was relearning the game. A few days later things cleared up - probably the datetime is a large part of the seed, and when the date changed enough, that streak ended.
For awhile in Civ6, I ended up getting placed next to Arabia 3 full games in a row (Huge maps, all random opponent leaders). Poor Arabia, they never had a chance, and I didn't get a religion in any of those games.
dac050
Warlord
I like to use Siphon Funds as a way to level up spies, but ever since the Spring patch, it doesn't seem like the AI is building Commercial Districts anymore. I'm playing a standard map, standard speed, King. My first spy went looking for a mission, and only two AI opponents had a commercial district, and each one of those had only one each. I had at least 6 by then.
Has the Commercial District been deprioritized by the AI? Makes it tougher for me to level up Spies.
Has the Commercial District been deprioritized by the AI? Makes it tougher for me to level up Spies.
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2010
- Messages
- 18,929
Same here. The espionage game is a bit underwhelming.
Leathaface
Emperor
It's a lot better than in Civ V though.
