spies

[The Machine]

specifically, enemy spies. is there any way preent the ai from being able to steal technologies, or conduct spying missions in your cities?

 

[Hawkster]

Yes - build spies of your own and fortify them in your cities (although there is some evidence that just having them in sleep mode may be slightly better) - they will then have a chance of intercepting an enemy spy and preventing the tech stealing etc.

I usually try and have at least one spy in every city (or more often 2 speis) to prevent exactly this.

 

[funxus]

The text below is from SlowThinkers homepage, and is originally from the Great Library at Apolyton. It's quite a lot, but the answer to your question is pretty much answered in 11.2.
Hopefully it's pretty accurate:

11.2
Diplomats and Spies stationed in cities have a chance to thwart "steal technology" attempts by enemy diplomats/spies (message: "espionage attempt foiled..." ). Diplomat (or veteran diplomat) has a 20% chance to do so per attempt, spy have 40%, veteran spy 60%.
This feature is cumulated: for example, chance to steal with one diplomat in the city is 0.8 (100%-20%=80%), with one vet spy is 0.4. Therefore, the chance to steal is 12.8% (0.128=0.8*0.4*0.4) if one dip and two vet spies are in the city.
See 7.2
11.3
Dip/spy is useless against all other (except 11.2) actions of opponent's dips/spies(?). Steal technology/"specify advance" mission too??
11.4
If dip/spy is not succesfull due to 11.2, then dip/spy lose his remaining movement points only. No other effect: dip/spy survive and no international incident occurs.
11.5
Unknown: A sentried spy is as valuable as a fortified spy against espionage attempts. (However, you may prefer to have it fortified. Please see the threads about "veteran diplomats and spies".) (I don't understand it well. I found it in one Civ2-strategy-archived thread. But I didn't find a "veteran diplomats and spies" thread. I think that archived threads are sometimes lost.)
Smash: a diplomat seems to stand a better chance at thwarting if they are in "sleep" mode. Don't think this effects inciting revolts though.
11.6
If there is no technology to steal then dip/spy lose 1 movement point. No other effect.

Link to the Apolyton thread

 

[Dark Ascendant]

The AI tends to ignore researching espionage, they use dips. Not that great a threat.

 

[geofelt]

Block your citiy off with units. Surround your occ city with caravans or such. Block off a choke point on land with units for the same effect.

 

[Ace]

The only sure way to prevent the AI from stealing techs is to kill his dips/spies before they reach your city (s).

 

[SlowThinker]

Originally posted by funxus
The text below is from SlowThinkers homepage, and is originally from the Great Library at Apolyton...

A new version is here: Info: diplomats and spies

 

[Ben II]

courthouse helps prevent diplomats i don't know about spys through

 

[funxus]

Courthouses works against spies as well. The exact numbers are foundin the waracademy.