The way spying should work

[subanark]

How it does work:
1. You put a spy in their city.
2. Wait a few turns for the spy to get there
3. Select an operation based on the "instability" level of the city
4. Wait several turns to complete the mission
5. On success you get the outcome, AND instability raises. Or fail and it goes down.

The problem with this is that success or failure on #5 is a major swing. Success means more likely to succeed again and you can try bigger stuff, while failure, and you have to go try it again possibly from a lower level.

A solution to this is:
1. Instability raises for one of your spys simply being in their city.
2. Success does not increase instability.
3. The longer an agent does nothing in a city the higher chance of the next operation working is. This does not reset if the agent fails, but is not caught.
4. The HQ operation to increase success instead increases the level of the operation that can be performed.
5. The HQ operation to reduce detection also increases success rate.

So, what do you think? The current model feels worse than civ 3's all or nothing gambit.

 

[Cymsdale]

I don't really mind the current system, but what I don't like is that the HQ "buffs" to covert actions are so vague. How much value does each agent in the HQ add to the success chance? No idea.

 

[kingchris20]

I love the spy system, a very welcome change from CivV, that being said, I like your ideas as well.

 

[Eji1700]

I would gladly see an expansion dedicated to revamping the spy system and making it deeper, but if that never happened I wouldn't care. You can finally turn your spying into bonuses that have impact, and the system as is works fine.

That said, my biggest issue with your system is that it all but ensures really really easy success on higher missions(coup/dirty bomb/etc). If the only way to up their intrigue is to just sit in the city, and you want to do one of those missions, you'll just sit there(for a very long time) until you've got the intrigue, and then with the bonus to success for doing nothing, likely get a free city/whatever.

 

[joncnunn]

Moderator Action: Moved to Ideas & Suggestions