Would like a new intelligence model

[Baron Munchausen]

It is probably much too late to make most of the major changes you are suggesting here. Save this for when SE V suggestions are compiled.

I would like to see the race of the population of a given planet taken into account for the effectiveness of intelligece operations. If you are attempting an operation on a planet consisting of your own race in another empire, it ought to have an enhanced chance of success. And of course any planets in your own empire that are populated with something other than your original race ought to be more vulnerable to intelligence operations by whatever empire that race originally came from.

Resistance to intelligence infiltration could be a special racial trait. It wouldn't hurt to have some new racial traits to choose from.

I would really like to see a way to store intelligence points. The realistic way to do this is to setup "infrastructure" inside the enemy empire. This corresponds to sending "moles" into the enemy territory, hiding Caches of materials, etc. You ought to be able to do this and then use the points to enhance the chance of success for a later operation.

BTW, you can limit available intelligence operations any time you like by editing the text file and removing the ones you don't want. I am considering the removal of PPP, for example. It's far too over-simplified and I don't expect a more elaborate model anytime in the near future. Maybe in SE V...



[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 19 September 2001).]

[geoschmo]

If we are wishing

I would like to see intelligence projects take a fixed amount of time, and then have the success or failure of them be modified by the amount of points that you spend on them, and of course the amount of counter intell that your opponent spends to defeat them. It doesn't make sense that I can meet a new race and PPP his home planet the next turn just because I am generating a hundred thousand intel points per turn. Those kinds of things should take time to do, regardless of how much I am spending towards it. That would give the defender time to "break up the plot" so to speak. Each time their counter intel succeeds, it could set my intel project clock back. It wouldn't even have to be total failure. Say a PPP takes 2 years to do, they could have a partial victory (Safehouse discovered, etc.) that might set me back 6 months, but not scrap the whole spy organization.

The same idea would work for other intel projects, but they would have shorter times to completion of course.

I also like the racial traits giving a defensive bonus to defeat projects, beyond just the current system of adding a percentage onto intel production.

Geoschmo

[Q]

I agree with most of what you all said.
Additionally I would like to make the counter-intel easier, more or less like in SE III but with the proposed factor of loyalty as additional race modifier, that you can determine in the race setup.
I like the idea of a minumum time necessary to complete a specific intel project very much: like you can only build a ship at the construction rate of your space yard you would only be able to add a certain number of intel points to a specific intel projects per turn.
And I would really like working facilities (like the fate shrine is supposed to do, but doesn't) and may be components, that decrease the success chance of enemy intel operations in a system and/or on a planet. May be even some facility/component (expensive!) that renders a planet/ship immun against PPP or crew conVersion.

[Spoo]

quote:

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May be even some facility/component (expensive!) that renders a planet/ship immun against PPP or crew conVersion.

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How about a remote self destruct device? It would let the home empire destroy the ship whenever the crew is subverted or a crew inserection takes place.

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Assume you have a 1kg squirrel
E=mc^2
E=1kg(3x10^8m/s)^2=9x10^16J
which, if I'm not mistaken, is equivilent to roughly a 50 megaton nuclear bomb.
Fear the squirrel.

[dogscoff]

QUOTE:
How about a remote self destruct device? It would let the home empire destroy the ship whenever the crew is subverted or a crew inserection takes place.
/QUOTE

Yeah, and then that gives your enemies the chance to try for the "Hack into remote destruct device" intel project. Muahahaha...

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SE4 Code:
L GdY $ Fr- C- Sd T!+ Sf-- Tcp-- A% M>M+ MpD! RV Pw Fq+ Nd- Rp+ G-
/SE4 Code
Go to my meagre SEIV pages to generate your own code.

[Baron Munchausen]

quote:

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Originally posted by Q:
I agree with most of what you all said.
Additionally I would like to make the counter-intel easier, more or less like in SE III but with the proposed factor of loyalty as additional race modifier, that you can determine in the race setup.
I like the idea of a minumum time necessary to complete a specific intel project very much: like you can only build a ship at the construction rate of your space yard you would only be able to add a certain number of intel points to a specific intel projects per turn.
And I would really like working facilities (like the fate shrine is supposed to do, but doesn't) and may be components, that decrease the success chance of enemy intel operations in a system and/or on a planet. May be even some facility/component (expensive!) that renders a planet/ship immun against PPP or crew conVersion.

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Well, I pointed out a long time ago that it makes no sense for all the units to go over with the planet. If you have troops on a planet they ought to remain loyal and fight it out with the population. That's one of the purposes of a garrison, after all. To protect from foreign invasion and to put down rebellion.

For ships, the Boarding Parties consist of space marines and ought to react against a crew insurrection just as troops ought to react against a PPP. This would result in the "use" of the Boarding parties, of course, and you'd have to get the ship repaired but this is much better than loss of a ship.

Other than these direct counter-measures, the happiness level of your empire ought to be reflected in resistance to subVersion. If all of your planets are 'jubilant' then why would people suddenly declare independence? And the same goes for ships. An empire full of angry and rioting planets would be quite different. Rebellion would be quite easy to stir up in this situation.

[This message has been edited by Baron Munchausen (edited 20 September 2001).]

[dumbluck]

quote:

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Originally posted by Q:
....I like the idea of a minumum time necessary to complete a specific intel project very much: like you can only build a ship at the construction rate of your space yard you would only be able to add a certain number of intel points to a specific intel projects per turn....

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How about a new Intel facility: Intelligence Operations Center. This is where you SPEND those intel points generated by all those intel compounds scattered around your empire. IOC would work just like a Space Yard: it has a Projects que,which only runs one project at a time, and it has a maximum amount of points it can spend per turn. You want to run an extra CI project? Build another IOC. Want to spend more points per turn per project? Upgrade to the next level IOC.

In summary, have 2 intel facilities: one that generates intel points, and one that spends them. One project running per IOC, spnding cap on IOC. (This also fixes the "I only have 12 CI slots" bug/design decision.)

Also, you could spead the intel tech tree out. A lot. First level would give you the basics: Intel comound 1, IOC 1, CI 1, and maybe a couple of small inelligence gathering projects. (No sabatoge!) Then gradually introduce bigger and better projects per level, with facility upgrades every 3 levels. Of coarse, costs (both tech level and project) would have to be rebalanced....

Maybe for SE 5....

[This message has been edited by dumbluck (edited 21 September 2001).]