Proposed counter intelligence fix

[DirectorTsaarx]

I also used to think that you needed CI level 2 or 3 to counter Intel level 2 or 3; but then I checked the Q&A on the MM website and discovered that ANY CI project can indeed block any Intel project, assuming the CI project has accumulated enough points. Another interesting point is that the only Intel project that costs more than the CI level 1 (100,000 points) is "Steal Technology" (or whatever it's called) at 150,000 points.

So it seems the only real benefit to the higher-level CI projects is blocking the "Steal Technology" project (which is fairly minor in comparison to others, since you don't actually lose something, the enemy merely gains the benefit of your research). The other good thing is that the higher-level projects are less likely to complete "unsuccessfully" just because it takes longer to spend the full number of points, which makes it more likely that an enemy will finish an intel project against you before you spend the full number of points. (hope that Last sentence made sense...)

As for multiple intel projects completing at the same time, I think two things are happening:
1) the enemy's intel projects are synching up because they cost about the same amount
2) there's a "domino effect" occurring. The AI is, of course, running counter-intel ops of its own. As those counter-intel ops are completed, unspent points (if any) are used to make the following intel ops complete, and so everything completes at the same time...

[This message has been edited by DirectorTsaarx (edited 05 March 2001).]