Discuss Intel Improvements

[Taqwus]

The intelligence system could certainly use a revamp.

First, I'd advocate that there not be a separate counter-intelligence op, but that instead it'd be assigned as a separate percentage of "points".

Second, offensive operations are too quick to start, too fast to complete, and sometimes too easy.

With regards to the first aspect, perhaps a "Infiltration" level could be assigned for every (directed) empire-to-empire link. This reflects the overall amount of assets placed throughout a potential target. Infiltration would be degraded by counterintelligence (a bit randomly; sometimes a major mole might get noticed and multiple networks rolled up) and by losing contact; it could be increased over time by spending points. Not all operations make sense when infiltration is minimal, so some would have a mininum threshold (perhaps allowing below threshold, but at a severe penalty) -- why, for instance, would a nominally loyal world switch sides to somebody they just heard about? Regardless of the size of the instigator's intelligence establishment, it isn't _there_ yet.

Some operations, by there very nature, should take a significant amount of time. This reflects the need for planning, for gathering resources, and so forth -- there's only so much that you can do in parallel. I'd say that time should be affected by infiltration level, and perhaps by a maximum cap of points per turn put into an op; while once your resident geeks have broken into systems and accessed information they may be able to do this quickly until the leak is plugged, capturing a ship by infiltrating the crew should take a while (especially with an experienced crew that's unlikely to take unknowns aboard). I wouldn't mind seeing, in a sequel, say, the ability to spend *more* time than the minimum required in order to have a higher estimated (I shouldn't know *true* probability) probability of success.

Third, some of the more ambitious operations have too high a success rate. Crew insurrection is a notable example; a dreadnought, if located, can be CI'd with ease and rapidity. This should probably be rather difficult, especially when the ship isn't at a planet (IOW, nobody's sneaking aboard...).

If CI and PPP (the required groundwork for PPP should be considerable -- i.e. high infiltration threshold, long set-up time unless one doesn't mind high risk depending on counter-intel) were modified thusly, they might not be so powerful as they are now.

As for information gathering, it'd be more useful if there were a way to a) gather information about planetary facilities or defenses, and b) have the information 'stick', as if one had line-of-sight there. Basically, assets on a world that provide information until caught or withdrawn.

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