intelligence projects chances of success

[Slick]

I know that the workings of CI have always been difficult to understand sometimes. I don't think you have to spend points on any CI project to have it work - so long as it has stored points in it. I routinely place 2 CI projects which are filled with lots of points at the end of the intelligence queue and do not apply points evenly. I normally place enough intelligence attacks before them such that no points will make it to the CI projects. I do this to ensure that I don't accidentally complete a CI project. In no case have I ever seen an attack get thru until all CI points are used up. As an aside, I notice that the CI points are "used up" starting from the rightmost CI project and move left. This is useful if you have a CI2 and CI3 running at the same time (CI2 still had points in it when I got CI3) I just keep the CI2 project at the rightmost slot until it empties and then replace it with a CI3 because it is more effective. When my CI projects get "low", I will reorder the queue to recharge them.

I think there is also confusion on the chances of success. I too believe that all of the attacks are 100% unless blocked by CI except PPP, which is 50%. BUT an attack can fail even if it got thru the enemy CI if it had no available targets Example: you have been using Crew Insurrection relentlessly on an opponent and suddenly you have all your attacks fail because he has no ships left! I think a more correct way of saying it is that all (except PPP) will succeed at 100% if they overcome CI and they have a legitimate target.

The system is definitely not intuitive. I too would like to see the exact number of points in the CI projects. Also the all-or-nothing aspect does make it somewhat unrealistic.

Slick.

[ January 17, 2003, 07:55: Message edited by: Slick ]

[Fyron]

These are not guesses on my part. This is how the system works, as gleaned from nearly 2 years of browsing on this forum. Everyone that I have ever seen post on this that knows how it works has posted the same things I have. I have seen this in action myself. Unless a major change was made in the latest patch that no one is aware of, how I described the CI system is how it works.

[trooper]

I think I'm totally lost in intelligence concepts !

To be brief :

- the best strategy for CI is to always have an active CI project, without necessarly putting Intel points in it each turn

- The best strategy to succeed one's Intel attacks is to perform as many attacks as possible, in order to consume the enemy CI points storage ?

[Fyron]

You need to spend points in at least 1 CI project each turn to get the points stored in all CI projects to function.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by trooper:
I think I'm totally lost in intelligence concepts !

To be brief :

- the best strategy for CI is to always have an active CI project, without necessarly putting Intel points in it each turn

Well, if it completes it's points one turn before an enemy completes one of theirs, then its wasted

Originally posted by trooper:

- The best strategy to succeed one's Intel attacks is to perform as many attacks as possible, in order to consume the enemy CI points storage ?

That's true. Although, taking out enemy planets with intel facilities on them works much better

[DavidG]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
You need to spend points in at least 1 CI project each turn to get the points stored in all CI projects to function.

In the situation I was refering too I had one CI project that was at the bottom of the stack and thus having 0 points put into it. It had been that way for several turns and I got a message in game "Counter Intelligence - Our opperatives were able to stop a sabotage attack..."
I've got too assume maybe this was changed recently or else there is some other reason it could be stopped because I agree I have read what you describe in several threads.

[PsychoTechFreak]

Means you are absolutely vulnerable with 11 filled CI projects at the end of the queue and just one intel attack project in progress in slot 1. An extremely annoying process, as well as the CI projects delete themselves if they are completed.

Improvements, pleeeaaaase!