Great Spys

Munch said:
I'm surprised that most people build Scotland Yard with their first Great Spy. In the early game you are only generating 4 :espionage: per turn (pre-Courthouses/Jails etc) without using the slider, and doubling this with Scotland Yard is only a +4 :espionage: bonus. Settling the spy gives you +12 :espionage

I haven't tried infiltrating an enemy yet, so can't comment on how useful that is.
Click to expand...

This is a good point. I suppose it depends on whether you are expecting to get many great spies or not.
Personally I found the power of always having some espionage slider going is great. You can really screw with someone since failed missions do not cost spy points. PLus it can keep you in the tech race with those annoyingly fast AI teams.
 
They're both in the Manual, I swear, page 17, go check it out lol
Never seen either one as an option/effect, though.
At least I'm not the only one... :lol:
 
So, great spies gives 3 science 12 espionage or +100% espionage through the building. Palace gives 4, courthouses 2, spies 4 each, castle +25% (i'm talking early).

So it seems the best would be settle then scotland.

Furthermore, I would note that spy specialists and great spies give more of their coin conversion than any other specialist. This makes espionage from commerce worse and from specialist and great people better.

After the first scotland yard, your city would have to be producing 24 espionage it to be worth not settling the next great spy in a scotland yard city.
 
I've seen both of those missions in the manual too. But looking at the passive missions there is only space for 4 (instead of 5) and I've never seen the kill spy mission. But I've seen other games where functions promised in the manual never showed up in game (*cough* Age of Empires II custom formations :mischief: ).
 
pxpdoo said:
They're both in the Manual, I swear, page 17, go check it out lol
Never seen either one as an option/effect, though.
At least I'm not the only one... :lol:
Click to expand...

Just another SNAFU. I guess they printed the manual before cutting out the feature for whatever reason [pissed] Glad i did not read the Manual... The game is complex enought without beeing misguided... :D
 
If you are in front with techs or just about. Then settling first, second scotlandward is the best option. If you are behind, (maybe due to aggressive settling) bombing early in the game is great. Send in lots of spys... let em wait 5 turns in the cheapest city to steal techs (-50% stationary bonus) and catch up. If any points remain, these can be used to revolt cities in a later attack.. VERY POWERFULL!
 
I remember seeing them in the manual, but when I never saw them in game I just figured this was another case where the manual wasn't exactly accurate - anyone care to confirm/deny?

But, for what it's worth, I don't think those effects exist in-game...

EDIT: Oops, didn't scroll down enough to see many had beat me to this...

Carry on, nothing to see here.... :blush:
 
vicawoo said:
So, great spies gives 3 science 12 espionage or +100% espionage through the building. Palace gives 4, courthouses 2, spies 4 each, castle +25% (i'm talking early).
Click to expand...

I would never count the effects of castles, they just obsolete way too quickly to get much out of the bonus.
 
Usually I build Scotland Yard in a city and any subsequent Great Spies are settled there. Sometimes, however, I'll take a gander at the espionage demographics and infiltrate the leader with the highest espionage rating so I'll have less to fear from him in the espionage department.
 
It occurrs to me that these are both top-level missions (Kill Spy / Spies May Not Enter Our Borders). Perhaps some late playtesters considered Espionage overpowered, and managed to convince Firaxis, I wonder?
Well, Firaxis, this has caused me to waste many, MANY EP's on nothing. Thanks for your infinite wisdom. Not that I'm bitter... :mad:
 
I played a mulyiplayer game recently where one guy seemed to have accessed the "spies cannot enter our borders" mission." Could it be available only in multiplayer, or maybe it was some other effect?

What happened was that a 3rd player would try to send in a spy, and it would move one tile in and immediately get caught and sent home. It sounded from the chatter that the player defending was doing it on purpose.
 
If you have a high spending ratio (meaning you make much more EspPts than the opponent) you will have higher chances to catch the spy. The chances are at it's highest, when a spy enters the boarders (without OB) and can be increased by having defensive spy's (a own spy in a plot increases the chance to catch a enemy spy on that plot.)

So while a player can purposedly work on increasing his chances to catch the spy's, i dont thin there is a possibility to actually 100% guarantee to get every single one.
 
anyone think it's ridiculous to pop a great spy in xxxx BC and build a scotland yard? it's funny to watch a highrise building being erected in ancient times when you have barely discovered masonry.

anyways i think great spies are ridiculously overpowered in the early game. build the great wall, and pop one of them, you can steal a whole slew of techcs from your neighbors especially if you camp spies to lower costs. i don't think great wall should give great spy points, it's too overpowered.
 
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