Sabotaging an Oil Platform

[Charky]

Is this possible? Maybe using a spy on a sub?

I am in the end game and have just got peace in a world war. I need to rearm. The AI has just got access to an oil field, and has to share 2 oil resources between the master an two vassals (one of which belonging to the vassal... but its difficult to reach... on a coast though. Can I deliver a spy by sea to try to sabotage it too?

If I can knock out his oil production I have a much greater chance of smashing his defences without gunships and armour. Fortunately he only has one alumnium and one uranium.

Im bummed out the two guys I was fighting with and essentially gave half the tech tree to plus had to spend a significant amount of money on now wont sign a pact with me.

I may end up having to fight the final battle alone now... I most upset

I have killed nearly 700 units with a loss of 100 of my own. Its getting really tough now as my stealth bombers are taking a huge amount of attrition, taking almost as much losses as my armour. Epic game though

Thanks guys

 

[f1rpo]

Well, who knew, this actually works (screenshot attached). Could almost be useful – already for Fishing Boats in places where the AI will struggle to replace them.

 

[AcaMetis]

...Huh. I wonder if this could have potential uses for Willem, given EIM have the Can Explore Rival Territory tag that allows them to enter foreign cultures without open borders. Of course no oceanic oil platforms in that era, but...maybe you could do something with sabotaging fishing boats?

 

[a pen-dragon]

Caravels can carry spies, so it would be widely applicable.

Edit: so can attack subs.

 

[soundjata]

like AI has trouble creating fish boats out of thin air

 

[Charky]

Well, who knew, this actually works (screenshot attached). Could almost be useful – already for Fishing Boats in places where the AI will struggle to replace them.

Wonderful... Thanks mate.

Time to be naughty.

 

[Charky]

ACtually... they keep failing. They have 2 subs guarding the resource (not attack subs).

Is there anywway to increase my success chance?

 

[Plains-Cow]

Increase success chance by using more subs to attack.

I'd suggest using nukes (ICBMs) to destroy everything in their empire and demand surrender. If they don't have vassals, nuking them to hell and back often works on its own with little invasion needed. Otherwise, you can just paradrop or use modern armor to roll through the post-nuked cities.

 

[f1rpo]

Waiting for one turn normally increases the success chance (and waiting for up to 5 turns decreases the cost). However, a look at the code and at a a guide suggests that waiting in cargo does not help:

Can spies on boats die in AI territory?
Nope!
Spies on ships can not be caught.
They also can not build up -__% wait bonuses.
Even if the player ship+spy stays in the AI city for 5 turns, the spy gains no wait bonus.
On the plus side, the ship can sail into the AI city, unload the spy, and the spy will have -10% wait bonus the following turn because it used no to enter the city.
Can spies on boats die the instant after successfully completing a mission?
Yes.
The boat helps them avoid the death check in between turns, but they die just as often as regular spies after completing their mission.

So spies on ships aren't a novelty to true experts. The part about dying only after the mission is misleading, when taken out of context like this: There's a failure roll right before the mission and an escape roll right after, and a ship prevents neither of those. It does protect spies from detection in between turns.

So the only way to increase the success chance on water (slightly) is to improve the espionage ratio, i.e. to accumulate more points. The presence of rival units shouldn't matter (unless they're Spies).

I guess sabotaging Fishing Boats seemed attractive to me at first blush because Privateers can, at least in theory, be effective by blocking AI seafood. But of course Privateers also prevent the AI from rebuilding.

 

[Lennier]

And privateers die when AIs get frigates. Even your vassals.