About intel in se5

[Captain Kwok]

The .txt file just contains the game code for what projects are under what category and their various effects and the appropriate references to log entries etc. It should be fairly flexible - but I don't think without hard-code changes and extra UI stuffs if you can get it to do direct user-chosen targets. I'm not sure though if I should post the uncompiled versions at this time.

I think SJ's points on the directed versus random intel were pretty valid. Perhaps in a future patch, directed projects could be added in at higher cost.

[PvK]

Seems to me that intel should mainly be about information gathering rather than direct attacks, especially if the system is going to be a generic point-based system and allow specific targets. That was what I thought was most broken about SE4 intel - you could target specific units and planets AND you could ensure success by out-spending your victim, which is just wrong and not very fun, at least to my mind. I've actually been in games where one side has a strong enough military to resist, but its people are dying and ships are being captured left and right to an onslaught of intel attacks, and even though there are (ridiculous) countermeasures such as making lots of mothballed decoy ships and re-capture ships and trasports to hold population above planets who are killing wiped out by contamination every turn, there are still problems like losing your training on ships even when you recapture them, and, well, it was way out of proportion and silly.

I'd like to have specific targeting back though... especially if it could be available only to some missions, on a mod-able basis. E.g., I'd like to be able to target a specific planet for a cargo information mission, but I don't want my best ships to be specifically targetable for en masse crew insurrection.

At least modding can remove missions or nerf them to heck, and with the ability to affect chances, modders can do things like set crew insurrection and planetary rebellions to having a very small chance for success, so it can sometimes happen, but not always nor even usually.

PvK

[dogscoff]

Yeah, what PVK just said. Except I think a "priority list" system might be a nice compromise between targetted and untargetted intel: You could have a list of specific ships/ planets (which means you have to have seen those ships or planets, or have found them via intel) which your agents will try to go for - but there will still be a random element.

[StarShadow]

Well, sometimes you really need to have a specific ship disabled. I mean if a star destroyer is heading to one of your systems...
Anyway, I can live without most of the sabotage stuff, but I'd like to keep the ship bomb. Although to balance it out a bit more, maybe make it more likely to fail, if it's used too many times in a row. For the most part though, it might be better if Intel was just for info gathering...unless people can come up with a way to balance it out...

[Suicide Junkie]

If the ship is already on its way, you don't stand a chance of getting operatives aboard to blow it up.

Delivering ordnance via warship makes far more sense.

[Q]

I just know that I didn't use intel in SE III, which has a very similar system as now SE V, because I judged the effect to small to be relevant. For SE IV I used a heavily modded intel system, which certainly was not perfect, but at least gave some profit for the investement you put into intel point generation.
I would have prefered if MM had kept the project for offensive intel as in SE IV, gave the projects a moddable chance of failure even in the absence of any counter intel and made counter intel with priority areas like they are now for attacking intel.
Like it is now I fear that I will switch off intel completely very often in my games.