[Suicide Junkie]

CI subtracting directly from your offense is a bad idea.

Along the lines of what you had there already, it should be a point-dump project which randomly triggers every now and then. When triggered it would half/quarter/subtract a set amount/redirect and inflict on the enemy/etc an enemy intel project.

This would be your CI guys discovering the plot, and setting it back varying amounts, or even causing it to backfire.
(Sir, our counter-intel agents discovered a plot to bomb one of our planets, and have neutralized the threat. The bomb was detonated before it could be loaded on the final transport, and has infected Colony XYZ of the ABC empire with a class V plague!)

Note that the above situation would mean the enemy must have been trying to bomb your planet...
If they were merely trying to steal intel, the backfire could cause some of their own research to be broadcast to everybody they have met, or perhaps cause the partially completed projects to reset.

[ May 26, 2004, 02:21: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]