question on intel

[Dogboy]

I can choose any type of intel for my spies to work on (sabotage ships, planets, empire, cooperative intel, etc.) but I also have to research each of these areas, and they become available to research at different levels of intel tech. Does it work to assign spies to work on intel that I have not researched, and if so, what is the advantage of researching each area?

[Leternel]

if you take a look at your race abilities, you will see something like
"+6% effect of your spies in sabotage-general in the whole quadrant." (if you have level 3 in sabotage-general)

however, some advanced possibilities of each area are unlocked with sufficiant level

[Dogboy]

Thank you!

[Captain Kwok]

Actually, all intel projects are available from the get go. However, more expensive projects (well in Balance Mod, since stock projects are really cheap all around) tend to only occur later when players have lots and lots of intel points. The tech areas only "reduce" the cost of the project by boosting the intelligence points available.

[Dogboy]

Thanks, CK. May I pester you to tell me how defensive intel works?

If I spend x% of my points on a project, does the remaining 100-x% that goes to defensive intel accumulate each turn, or does it just counter whatever threats are present this turn? Does it simply subtract from the # of points spent by my enemy? Or, does it build up and each time he completes a project, its cost is subtracted from my defense?

If I get a message "your intel project has been destroyed", does this mean the target outspent my expenditure by spending more on defensive intel?

[Captain Kwok]

In stock, a project is only successful if the selected intel project's cost is greater than the defending player's intel defense points - an all or nothing approach. All unused points in stock accumulate so it's possible to build up a huge reservoir of defense points if you're not currently under intel attacks.

In contrast, the Balance Mod uses a "leaky" intel system. A success percentage is calculated based on the number of attack points a player has, the project cost, and the number of defense points the target player has. The result is that even a weaker player may enjoy some intel success against a stronger player and makes it more difficult to overwhelm an opponent with intel alone. Defensive intel points do not accumulate between turns as it is assumed they are actively being used to deter intel operations by other players.

The success percentage of an intel project is determined as follows:
Success % = Attack Points / (Attack Points + Defense Points * 5 + Project Cost) * 100

The disrupt intel message is actually a sabotage intelligence project and is not the standard message for a project that failed. There are no notifications if a project is blocked by defensive intel points.