Espionage defense for casual player

[Clove]

I don't own the game, but borrowed the original Civ4 for a week and a couple months later played at a small LAN party with the expansion that allows espionage.

My question is this. Are there any cheap and easy ways to counter epsionage? I was a machine at getting Science Points and getting technologies, but someone was using espionage to steal my techs and then trading them away. (Does it strike anyone else as screwed up that if you disallow "tech brokering" someone can still steal your tech and trade it away?)

But anyways, I know a person can divert points to espionage, but then this takes away from science points. Is there anything I can do that won't be a huge liability to stop espionage?

 

[Soneji]

No they can steal it, not trade it away if you have checked no tech brok.

You can perform a mission, counterespionage.

Increases their cost for performing actions in your territory.

 

[Clove]

No they can steal it, not trade it away if you have checked no tech brok.

Did they fix that in a patch? We were playing BTS without any patches after installing BTS.

 

[Cheeze]

Also, putting spies in your own cities greatly increases the chances of catching rival spies.

 

[Clove]

Also, putting spies in your own cities greatly increases the chances of catching rival spies.

Nice to know. I also read that having more military units might help catch spies too, can anyone confirm that? Not that I would want to maintain a huge stack of units for that purpose.

I kind of want to assume that a defensive spy only protects the city it is stationed in.

How about for defending against espionage like Technology Theft? Will extra spies help defend against that? Tech doesn't seem like it would be tied to a certain city. But maybe a spy has to be in a city to steal tech? So having a defending garrison of spies can protect if they are in the same city?

 

[Soneji]

Also, putting spies in your own cities greatly increases the chances of catching rival spies.

I actually believe that to not be the case.

 

[Soneji]

Did they fix that in a patch? We were playing BTS without any patches after installing BTS.

Not sure.

I now know what you are talking about anti-espionage. You are playing the very bad version, at least at longer game times.

Patch it up, it won't be as problematic!

 

[King of Town]

The keeping spies thing is true, at least in the description of the unit. May not be so in the code I suppose. If you have the same religion as them in that city it cuts their cost as well.

edit: oops I mean it makes it cost more for them if you have the same religion.

 

[Soneji]

I think someone went through the XML and couldn't see anything regarding the actual placing of spies.

I await someone to confirm, or kill that.

I'm 90% sure on it though. Because I had been doing it to try and prevent poison pre 3.13 on marathon. Someone told me that placing spies in all the cities was superflious.

 

[ori]

how to catch spies
also: unless you use Bhruic's unofficial patch you CAN trade techs you steal with no tech brokering

 

[Spaced out]

Sometime the messange/tip on the game loading screen goes something like.

...Place spys on your borders to help keep rival spies out...

 

[ori]

Sometime the messange/tip on the game loading screen goes something like.

...Place spys on your borders to help keep rival spies out...

which is a bad advice since its better to place them somewhere where they actually have a chance of detecting the spy - which is not at the border but at place where the spy coming in will end his turn - i.e. a few tile inland or on the target, e.g. a resource or your city

 

[hwynboy]

I think it says "IN" your borders...which would logically mean in your cities.

 

[Supr49er]

... I also read that having more military units might help catch spies too, can anyone confirm that? ...

No effect. Only a spy in your city helps.

Espionage buildings you need: Castles; Courthouses; Jails; Security Bureaus; Intelligence Agencies. (and of course Scotland Yard).

 

[eewallace]

Note on spies in cities: Running spy specialists in cities does NOT seem to help--what seems to help is actually building a spy unit and stationing it in the city.

 

[Bushface]

A spy "sleeping" in a city does definitely catch enemy spies - sometimes, but even that is better than no spy defence at all. I believe that a Security Bureau is a bit better at spycatching, and renders a resident spy superfluous.
Spy specialists play no part whatever in catching enemy spies, but do contribute to the generation of EPs. The more EPs you have allocated against an opponent, the better you can afford the relatively few EPs that a counterespionage mission (which is always successful) will cost you in making his missions +200% more expensive for ten turns.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

To defend against a spying civ

1. In each city (particularly those close to their capital) Either a
Spy unit
or
Security Bureau
[increases chance of catching spies]

2. generate more spy points (greater % of commerce into EPs or build more Espionage buildings or gt more spy specialists)
[increases chance of catching spies AND increases cost]

3. Close your borders with them
[increases chance of catching spies AND increases cost]

4. Make sure
you have the same state religion they do
or
that their religion is not in your cities.
[increases cost]

5. Make sure that
you have the holy city of their state religion
or
their religion is not in your cities
[increases cost]

6. make sure that your cities have a very low level of their culture (increase culture buildings in cities with some of their culture)
[increases cost]

8. Give away cities you have near their capital, it costs them less to steal from closer cities.
[increases cost]

7. Do a counter espionage mission against them as often as you can (10 turns on normal)
[increases chance of catching spies AND increases cost]


When all else fails, attack them and force them to capitulate (or die)

 

[El Koeno]

I'm not to good on the spying mechanic, so my question may be silly. But, if you perform counterespionage, you need to spend points, therefore lowering the ratio of EP you have against them, right? So that actually increases their chance of success in a way. Is there a case where the effects cancel out (i.e. where counterespionage is counter-productive)?

 

[Soneji]

No, it increases their cost per mission regardless of how many EP's they have stacked against you... and uses up some of your EP's.

 

[El Koeno]

No, it increases their cost per mission regardless of how many EP's they have stacked against you... and uses up some of your EP's.

Well yes. But isn't the cost of missions also dependent on the ratio of EPs the have against you? If so, spending EPs would change this ratio and make their missions cheaper.