In the mod I have been working on for oh so long I have been dividing intel into several categories based on race mental makeup. I broke it into the following categories: - players must choose one, I did something similiar with technology
Strong Individuals
Individuals
Unified Society
Unified Minds
Hive Mind
Single Mind
Then based on that you get different intel CI and intel projects with varying costs. Individuals have weaker CI as it is easier to convince one to go against the whole etc. At the same time because it is known that they will and do act in this way they are more easily able to convince other species that they are acting independent and mean no harm, also each agent can act on own initiative causing less usage of empire wide resources (intel points).
Single Mind has massive CI as everything is a single indivual. The pinky finger isn't going to betray the thumb. The Hive mind has similiar CI and both of those have very expensive non-CI projects that are limited in scope and ability as it will be harder for a race that is known to not possess indivual thought to penetrate into trusted areas of any other species, also every project requires special attention from the single mind and empire resources are more likely to be used(intel points).
The unified signify species that while they have indivual thoughts they are either joined in a greater societal goal or are somehow linked mentally with a greater cohesion. These offer a more ballanced intel package with the society link being slightly weaker CI and increased offense and the unified minds being stronger CI but weaker offense.
Seperate from those and optional picks that can compliment and offer extras to the above
Open Borders - Better offensive intel in reduced project costs but weaker CI
Default - Must pick if you don't take a different one so that normal intel is active, limitation of the SE4 mod system
Closed Borders - Stronger CI but weaker offensive intel
The system isn't perfect but it is the best I could come up with to incorporate individual alien societies/makeups/whatever into the intel system.
Ideally I would want to have each project working like PPP with it having a chance to fail and succeed regardless of CI, have CI with limited point storage to stop small one turn projects in small numbers and Intel Sabotage to stop big programs.
However SE4 doesn't allow moding of intel project success rates. PPP is 50% and everything else is 100%
