What are the best ways to use spies?

[soxfan2003]

I hardly ever uses spies sinces they usually fail, and I end up in big trouble. Are there any practical uses for spies that can help win the game, or is there anyway to improve their success, other than communism?

 

[ummmm........]

It's usually worth it at least to plant a spy, since it gives you permanent access to the composition of the enemy's forces on the F3 screen, though you need to steal plans to see their locations and that lasts only one turn. Generally, other spy missions are only useful if you are rich or desperate.

 

[HellboundHeathcliff]

I always plant spies with anyone i am at war with. It doesn't matter if they get upset and it seems to work better if you catch them in anarchy.

 

[Theoden]

or is there anyway to improve their success, other than communism?

Fascism also gives better spies. Besides that there is no way to increase your succes.

 

[dreamvirus]

Spies are incredibly useful for stealing technology. They have a higher success rate than trying to steal tech using a Diplomat. You can drag yourself back into contention from many techs behind through the use of tech stealing, as long as you're prepared for the possibility of war with that civ if you should fail.

 

[mistat137]

I have stolen probably upwards of 20 or so techs in the industrial and modern age using democracy, and if I do them "safely" I have never failed yet. I was using diplomats to do it too.

 

[TerraHero]

Didn't spies have a recovery time after failure?

a x amount of turns that all spy missions would fail...i think it was 4, so be carefull not to rush spy missions after a failed one, they'll fail.

 

[ummmm........]

I think it's only planting spies that has that recovery time, TerraHero. I don't think the actual spy missions have it. I know for a fact that Initiate Propaganda doesn't have it. You can fail to flip a city and still flip it successfully later on the same turn. Not a terribly efficient use of resources, though.

 

[HellboundHeathcliff]

I think it's only planting spies that has that recovery time, TerraHero. I don't think the actual spy missions have it. I know for a fact that Initiate Propaganda doesn't have it. You can fail to flip a city and still flip it successfully later on the same turn. Not a terribly efficient use of resources, though.

Found in the PTW readme:

"NOTE: If you fail a spy mission, you will automatically fail any spy mission against that same civilization for next 2-4 turns."

There is no (good) reason to think they broke this in C3C unless it has been tested.

Propoganda may not be considered a fail/sucess type mission. Having it succeed the 2nd time is because the first time increases the chance of success for later missions.

 

[Choicest One]

Just as a matter of interest, let's just say you're a republic or democracy and a spy mission fails resulting in the other nation declaring war on you. Since the international incident was your fault, how does this affect war weariness (i.e. usually it occurs sooner if you declare war first)?

 

[HellboundHeathcliff]

You still get the negative war weariness for them declaring war on you. Whether it is of shorter duration or not, i don't know for sure, but i don't think so.

 

[genghis_khev]

I always use spies but generally only for propaganda and for stealing plans. The latter is the most common. To know the exact deployment of his troops during initial deployemnt and first turn of a war (usually started by ME!) is a MASSIVE advantage that most modern generals would kill for. That level of intelligence is truely invaluable!

 

[soxfan2003]

Is it harder to execute spy missions during war?

 

[genghis_khev]

Couldn't tell you soxfan2003 but I tend to play commie govs and go for the most expensive option possible, generally with a high sucess rate as well.

 

[GR8Madmax]

I use spies (failed mission) to start wars when I don't want to be the one declaring war. Since I'm always a Democracy at this point, I want the extra turns before war weariness kicks in.

 

[Mr.Communist]

I always use spies but generally only for propaganda and for stealing plans. The latter is the most common. To know the exact deployment of his troops during initial deployemnt and first turn of a war (usually started by ME!) is a MASSIVE advantage that most modern generals would kill for. That level of intelligence is truely invaluable!

Also, even Genghis made that statement, I also want to add something.

Steal plan from your enemies, and use bomber to bomb the living hell out of troops. Most of the time, I can stop an entire army from even entering my country (in a game, I almost had 100 bomber) I could take on almost any force. In that same game, I was second in power to a other civ, but by using this awesome strategy, I was able to repel their entire army, and force them into peace (I took a few of their cities, of course)