Most useful Intelligence Projects

[SunDevil]

What are the most useful intelligence projects.

1. What ones are the best at the early stages
2. " " middle stages
3. " " late stages

Are there any that don't work?

Thanks

[UmberGryphon]

In my not-so-humble opinion?

1. Just Counter-Intelligence.
2. The above, plus Communications Mimic.
3. The above, plus Puppet Political Parties.

One of the best things about Communications Mimic is that you can target at either of the two races you want to get into a war with each other (and often, one or the other won't be producing intelligence points at all, which of course makes it an automatic success). And keep in mind that other races are more likely to accept and propose treaties the more wars that they're in, so if someone's refusing a treaty you want and you're feeling evil, just get the person in lots of wars.

Puppet Political Parties doesn't always work, but when it does work it's completely out of control. (PPP is why I've been playing with intelligence projects off these days.)

[Voidhawk]

Mmmm, Crew Insurrection. It almost works a little too well.

That's about the only one I use on a regular basis, so that's all you're getting outta me ...

[Tomgs]

The only ones I usually bother with are the various counter intell, the crew insurrection, and the puppet political parties when I use them at all. The rest aren't worth it in comparison with those in my opinion. I have used the tecnology stealing one and the star maps one but I like to research and explore a lot myself so those usually aren't needed as much. I don't usually research Intell very early except if I need it to protect myself from the other races.

[This message has been edited by Tomgs (edited 04 January 2001).]

[evader]

Ship bomb and crew insurection are good for sabatoge.

I have also found that recon is helpful before a frontal attack.

[rdouglass]

I use intel a lot. I almost always have at least 1 of every Counter-intel levels I can going all the time in repeat mode. If I'm at war with 2 empires, 2 of each, etc.

I personally love the PPP - It works about 98% of the time for me. The only downfall it seems that if you PPP too much, the planets start rioting instantly - at least thats what happens to me. At least the enemy can't use it!!! I have brought Mega Evil Empires to their knees using this!!!!!!

I also use Crew Insurrection a lot. It gets me a lot of techs I don't regularly research. Like colony types, propulsion, beam weapons, and resupply (I use stellar harnessing instead of resupply). The only downfall is getting them to a Ship Yard to analyze. If too far to get 'em to a SY, I get a perverse satisfaction wasting unprotected colonies with their own ships deep inside their territory untill their out of supplies and an AI sends a fleet for 'em.

I also have used the one that steals the resources (I'm at work and can't remember the name) with limited sucess. It seems to steal a certain percentage of an empires resources. Usually doesn't benifit me directly, but they don't have the points to use.

[This message has been edited by rdouglass (edited 05 January 2001).]

[Tampa_Gamer]

I like and use intel a lot too (spoiled by IG2 in this respect). I really enjoy stealing resources when I'm short on minerals. Unfortunately, I wish the AI did not have such a draconian approach to the selection of their intel projects. I posted a possible solution in my bugs/wish list thread and forwarded it on to MM.

[SunDevil]

bump

[Sinapus]

I used Crew Insurrection for the first time and came to like it. I got the ships back to my territory since I already had cloaked ships with solar collectors in the target empire's systems and basically made a fleet to bring them back.

I was moderately surprised at the results. I ended up with a few of their most advanced dreadnoughts. Got about 5 levels of High Energy Discharge weapons after I got enough back for analysis.

What was I doing with cloaked ships in their systems? Oh, a large satellite, a long-range scanner III, Hyper-optics III and cloaking device III makes a nice picket.

Are nebula systems supposed to keep ships from being detected? I strung one system with a few sats equipped as above and they found ships quite easily. Oh well. Maybe it's some types of storms that do that.


------------------
--
"What do -you- want?" "I'd like to live -just- long enough
to be there when they cut off your head and stick it on a
pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favors
come with too high a price. I would look up into your lifeless
eyes and wave like this..." *waggle* "...can you and your
associates arrange that for me, Mr. Morden?"

[Tomgs]

I can't remember for sure but I thought that with level 2 detection you can see into nebulas. But without detectors you will not see an enemy ship in that system.