Questions about Diplomatic Visibility

[Trigan Emperor]

From the Wiki:

Your Visibility of a civilization is improved by the following factors, which are cumulative unless otherwise noted:

• Sending them a Trade Delegation or Establishing an Embassy in their capital. These two are not cumulative among them.

• Having a Trade Route with them.

• Being Allies with them or Having a Spy create a Listening Post in one of their cities. These two actions do not stack - unlike in the real world, you don't spy on your allies.

• Researching the Printing technology increases your Visibility of all civilizations by one level.

The maximum Visibility level available in the Ancient and Classical Eras is 'Open'. The maximum level possible in the Medieval Era is 'Secret', which can be achieved by making an Alliance with the other party. In the Renaissance Era all the levels become available once the Printing technology is researched.

Questions:

1) If one has already sent a Trade Delegation to a Civ, is the only benefit of sending an Embassy that one gets a +5 relations boost with them?

2) Once one has sent a Trade Route to a Civ, there will never be any benefit in Diplomatic Visibility terms in sending another for the rest of the game?

3) Does the Diplomatic Visibility boost provided by having a Spy create a Listening Post only last while the mission is active, or is it permanent (so the only benefit of renewing a Listening Post in a city would be in removing fog of war around the city the Spy was stationed in)?

 

[TheMarshmallowBear]

1) - No. But when you unlock Diplomatic Service you lose all your Delegations instantly.
2) - There's no benefit, it's just a single-instance thing. As long as you have a Trade Route you have higher visibility
3) - It's defeniately not permanent, I presume it's temporary, could be for the duration of the missions (similiar to how Siphon Funds gradually removes cash from the other player in secret) or it could be for a number of turns afterwards (like the one tha tincreases missions odds).

 

[Trigan Emperor]

1) - No. But when you unlock Diplomatic Service you lose all your Delegations instantly.
2) - There's no benefit, it's just a single-instance thing. As long as you have a Trade Route you have higher visibility
3) - It's defeniately not permanent, I presume it's temporary, could be for the duration of the missions (similiar to how Siphon Funds gradually removes cash from the other player in secret) or it could be for a number of turns afterwards (like the one tha tincreases missions odds).

Thanks for the info.

 

[Victoria]

1) you get better visibility meaning better information about the civ including why it is happy/unhappy with you. You also get +3 combat for your religious troops unless they also have a delegation with you.
3. Only during the mission and a secret agent or better gets 2 levels of visibility/+6. A spy helps with indirect fire also

 

[Zdarg]

From the Wiki:
2) Once one has sent a Trade Route to a Civ, there will never be any benefit in Diplomatic Visibility terms in sending another for the rest of the game?

You don't benefit from sending a trade route (in terms of diplomatic visibility), you benefit from finishing that trade route and creating trade post.
And if you happen to conquer a city having your trade post, you lose your diplomatic visibility with that civ, but can restore it by making peace and creating trading post in another their city.

 

[japanesesamurai]

I believe for every level of diplomatic visibility you get a +3 combat strenght against that civ

 

[Trigan Emperor]

Thanks for the additional information.

You don't benefit from sending a trade route (in terms of diplomatic visibility), you benefit from finishing that trade route and creating trade post.
And if you happen to conquer a city having your trade post, you lose your diplomatic visibility with that civ, but can restore it by making peace and creating trading post in another their city.

I just tested, and the Combat Strength bonus from the diplomatic visibility offered by a Trade Route appears to happen the moment the Trade Route is started. I moused over an enemy unit and it had +3 combat bonus Intel from enemy movements. I started a Trade Route and immediately checked again, and the Intel bonus was gone.

I believe for every level of diplomatic visibility you get a +3 combat strenght against that civ

Yes, on the highest difficulties of my Tough A.I. mod, knowing all the ways to get Combat Strength bonuses is important.

 

[Kmart_Elvis]

I believe for every level of diplomatic visibility you get a +3 combat strenght against that civ

For Mongolia that's +6.

 

[Victoria]

knowing all the ways to get Combat Strength bonuses is important.

level 3/4 agent gives 2 levels. So catherine with intelligence agency gets +9.. printing 12, Oligarchy +16