Intrigue lvl 4+

[Lunchmoney]

What am I missing? Mine never seems to go past "Recruit Defectors" (or whatever it is), a lvl 3 thing.

Just how do you get intrigue up to the level to wreck satelites, perform a coup, or bring on the worms?

 

[Rathelon]

They probably built the building that lowers the city's intrigue level by 2. (Secure Web, I think it's called). You'll have to try another city.

 

[Lunchmoney]

That's what I thought. Happening in every city I try. I guess the AI just always gets that building in before I get time to sit a spy there for X turns.

Just very frustrating that I cant seem to get lvl4 up and running

 

[Cannes]

There is only one way to build intrigue fast enough, that is: Send agent -> Establish network -> recall agent -> Send agent -> establish network, etc...

 

[aguliondew]

Reestablishing networks is the easiest way to build intrigue. Stealing technology and coups are the best 2 covert ops you can do. End one game with 18 supremacy, 13 purity and 6 harmony. I did not research any purity or harmony techs stole them all. It seems that steal technology give you a random technology that you could normally research not one that the AI has. Stole Tactic Lev before anyone was 6 in purity .

 

[GeoModder]

It seems that steal technology give you a random technology that you could normally research not one that the AI has. Stole Tactic Lev before anyone was 6 in purity .

Are you sure? There's no need to have a certain affinity level to be able to research high-end techs.

 

[aguliondew]

Yes because I was playing on a easy difficult for the achievements. No way they could have any of the technologies I stole from them without being much higher in their affinity. One game I was stealing so supremacy tech I had to stop going purity . Stealing technology was easy difficult when I was doing it, it only became moderate when the AI put a spy their.

 

[Halbbruder]

Completing the level 4 operation spy quest helps a lot because all spies become special agents.

Playing as ARC or getting the intrigue bonus in might may help you for intrigue, but the best way is to get spy agency early, work on the easiest operations first.

 

[Yzman]

They really need to fix this honestly. The player doesn't have enough control over it. I used the establish network trick and STILL couldn't get the cities up high enough. By the time I had they had already built one of the buildings I guess.

 

[Toranth]

Yes because I was playing on a easy difficult for the achievements. No way they could have any of the technologies I stole from them without being much higher in their affinity. One game I was stealing so supremacy tech I had to stop going purity . Stealing technology was easy difficult when I was doing it, it only became moderate when the AI put a spy their.

From the Lua, it looks like you randomly get one technology you could research, with emphasis on the cheaper techs and on the Affinity Techs for the defending player's Dominant Affinity.

function Operation.GetStolenTech(agent)
	local player = Players[agent:GetOwner()];
	local defendingPlayer = Players[agent:GetCity():GetOwner()]
	local availableTechs = player:GetAllAvailableTechs();
	local operationTurns = GetOperationTurns(agent:GetOwner(), agent:GetIndex(), Operation.Info.ID);
	local defendingPlayerDominantAffinity = defendingPlayer:GetDominantAffinityType();

	local weightFunc = function(techType)
		local weight = 0;

		if (player:CanResearch(techType)) then
			local techInfo = GameInfo.Technologies[techType]
			local turnsToResearchTech = player:GetResearchTurnsLeft(techType, true);
			weight = techInfo.Cost;

			if (turnsToResearchTech >= operationTurns) then
				weight = weight / 2;
			else
				weight = weight * 2;
			end

			if (defendingPlayerDominantAffinity ~= -1) then
				local techAffinityValue = Game.GetTechAffinityValue(techType, defendingPlayerDominantAffinity);
				if (techAffinityValue > 0) then
					weight = weight * 1.5;
				end
			end
		end

		return weight;
	end

	return GameplayUtilities.GetRandomRewardTech(availableTechs, weightFunc);
end

 

[aguliondew]

Having 7 spies stealing helps. Interesting wonder if you could look up the code for weather controllers/orbital fabricators?

 

[Toranth]

Hmm, just noticed from the code that if you micro your research way up for the turn your spies complete the Steal Technology, you can increase your chance of getting a better technology.
If that science increase knocks the tech (at the new research rate) from taking longer than the spy took to Steal to taking the same or less time, you quadruple your chance of getting that specific tech.

Having 7 spies stealing helps. Interesting wonder if you could look up the code for weather controllers/orbital fabricators?

What about them? As far as the Lua/XML says, you get min 1 max 2 resources for each satellite. I didn't see anything to determine how long it takes. Basic resources are all equally likely, while the Affinity-related strategic resources (Floatstone, Firaxite, Xenomass) are all 1/2 as likely as the others.

 

[GeoModder]

So, does that mean the 'siphon energy' and 'steal science' missions also give an amount of energy/science based on your own colony's output?

 

[Sequitor]

I'm playing a Gemini game and noticed when I went to redeploy a level 3 spy that ARC's capitol had an intrique level of 4+. I sent my spy there, established a network, then went for a coup. 18 turns later their Capitol was mine! I assume the other AI's set me up for this unlikely result.

 

[Rathelon]

I've had a couple games where I took 3 or 4 enemy capitols by coup. But, by then the other civs had put up their surveillance webs, so I wasn't able to get a domination win through spying.

 

[Toranth]

So, does that mean the 'siphon energy' and 'steal science' missions also give an amount of energy/science based on your own colony's output?

No, Steal Science gives 15%, 20%, or 25% of the current tech you are researching (based on the level of your agent). Technically, if you aren't researching anything (such as when you finished a tech that turn), you get 4 times your current beakers per turn, but there seems to be a bug with the carryover beakers acquired from spying, so it all goes to waste.

Steal energy gives a fixed amount based on the number of turns into the game. This makes it extremely overpowered when used on Marathon games - you can be acquiring thousands of energy every time by the early midgame, and just buy entire cities and armies as needed.

Neither Spy Action reduces what the enemy has. Steal, it says, but it really is just "acquire".