New Spy System Feedback

I really loved an idea when it first popped up, because I was convinced this will be built on top of the regular teach-stealing activities, as an additional option (as spies did those special actions anyhow at the same time as stealing, we just didnt have any control over it). When I learnt about the current implementation, I think its a tragedy, I see no way now to catchup to AI on higher difficulty levels.

I think its a great idea, but should be kept on top of the original vanilla tech-stealing activities.
 
I have to say I am a fan of the new system. One of my absolute favorite things to do is send my spies out to radicalize the rural areas of a nation who relentlessly sends missionaries to my cities. Just hearing the audio of the pillaged tile is very satisfying. Hilariously, I was committing a siege on a city and forgot that I had sent a spy to arm the populace and to spawn the units. I had just enough units and health to take the city and the timer ticked and the barb units spawned. My soldiers all died. I learned a valuable lesson to pay attention to mission timers.
 
I don't understand the new spy system or why it was overhauled in the first place....

I've never seen a spy action that takes fewer than ~25 turns to complete, generally with a hefty 20+% chance to be killed, often for measly rewards. I've never seen my own counterspies be effective at stopping an enemy agent, no matter how strong the counterspy is (a similarity with the old system, to be fair).

Meanwhile, spies were unlocked just a few turns ago and I've already been hit by 4 spy events since then, 3 on the same turn, 3 in my capital. I'm the weakest player on the map, and have no direct enemies (I'm on an island by myself, a couple of DoF and no denunciations). Why am I a target, and how was I hit so fast?

Is there any sort of guide that's been posted somewhere as to how to make spies useful now?

And again, I don't understand why they were even overhauled. The old system wasn't perfect, no espionage system is, but it was 1000x better than this, and at least it was understandable.

Moderator Action: Merged with existing spy system feedback thread. - Recursive
 
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I think spy actions would be more satisfying if we got to see the city or affected tiles on the turn the action is executed. There's something about a spy burning stuff and not seeing it that doesn't feel right.
 
Does kidnap specialists expire works? I play with 6-7 beta and yields on specialists got less only when AI use kidnap on me
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I like the idea of more options and more variety in the spy system and not just steal a tech or place spy at home.
Now I usually catch up on tech somewhere during Renaissance Era so tech stealing isn't that vital as it probably is for diety used it more in vanilla and feels a bit cheap.

On the other hand ... unless I run statecraft I dont get that many spies to play around with.
Guess Im gonna have to test some statecraft maybe even with england to get a better idea of this.
Have anything changed compared to the first post by @Stalker0 ?
 
I want to note that I didn't get spies from Statecraft yet. I have 2 recruits and 2 agent spies and kidnap specialists gives me most of the culture in capital
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No choices available. Reloading didn't help.
 

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Would it be possible to update the tooltips to depend on the game speed instead of being static?

Example. The spying action of inciting a riot (or rebellion or whatever it is called again -- it's my new favorite action) is according to the text supposed to give 2 turns of resistance but appears to give 6 on marthon.

So would it be possible to change that so it calculates the correct value depending on game speed?
 
It seems like I'm having the same problem as some of the other guys, I can't choose any action to carry out. I am also pretty much soft locked so I'm forced to reload. It also looks like this is because of the new beta.
Edit: I reloaded the game. It was not fixed. I literally have to go remember which turn I assigned the spy on and don't give him anything to do, because this system is broken.
WHAT DID U DO THIS TIME
 

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@Bruhmoment
@Borya

Click HIDE on that screen you are showing. Go into the spy manager (the little round icon at the top right, fourth icon, the one with a silhouette of a man) and from there find the spy in question (either by name or location, in this case apparently whomever you sent to Berlin) in the list and chose to move him back to the hideout. Big button for that. No need to reload your game.

It seems some of the options just have level requirements and some of them have cooldown to activate etc.

That said one would think that one, or multiple civs, should be able to steal gold or hinder production etc without interference from each other.

Yes I agree there should be an abort button the screen you are showing, but alas there is not.
 
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In epic speed I have positive spy resistance from 18 to 48 in all of cities except capital for 50 or more turns, but security level stays at 1, rising only after spy actions of AI's.
 
Is there a known problem with the spy system? None of the missions produce any result. I'm on the latest hotfix, but it was the same before.
 
So I've interacted with the reworked spy system a little bit now; so far, and this is meant with all due respect to the lovely people making this stuff for free, I absolutely despise it. It's so uninteresting and unfun that I've actively chosen not to assign my spies in the last two games simply so I wouldn't have to deal with their popups that never felt like they were accomplishing anything. Granted, the old system wasn't exactly a thriller, but it *was* at least impactful. Anytime my spies do anything, my reaction has been along the lines of, "that's nice, I guess. Oh right, now I have to re-assign them to go be a minor nuisance somewhere else." Anytime enemy spies do anything, it feels like I lost a dice roll I wasn't aware I was a part of, and the results are also usually nothing more than a minor annoyance. It just doesn't feel good to me, personally.

That's my two cents!
 
ridjack said:
So I've interacted with the reworked spy system a little bit now; so far, and this is meant with all due respect to the lovely people making this stuff for free, I absolutely despise it. It's so uninteresting and unfun that I've actively chosen not to assign my spies in the last two games simply so I wouldn't have to deal with their popups that never felt like they were accomplishing anything. Granted, the old system wasn't exactly a thriller, but it *was* at least impactful. Anytime my spies do anything, my reaction has been along the lines of, "that's nice, I guess. Oh right, now I have to re-assign them to go be a minor nuisance somewhere else." Anytime enemy spies do anything, it feels like I lost a dice roll I wasn't aware I was a part of, and the results are also usually nothing more than a minor annoyance. It just doesn't feel good to me, personally.

That's my two cents!
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. Not enough impact to care. What I keep doing is just assign them to city states, where they do what they always did. The new options I only use if there is a city state quest. Or I just disable spies.

I don't mind the game being harder due to no tech steal, I actually like it. But I guess that's not the intention of the new system. And you could always have that if you disable spies.
 
I have to agree that new spy system is more a nuisance than anything. I'm finding forgetting their assignments a lot, especially in later eras when you have 5 to 6 to babycare.

My personal solution is trying to keep one or two on active duty (spying) and assign other as diplomats and city states and forget them for good.

Beside they get killed way too often even for trivial and next to useless tasks.
 
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