Feedback Requested: Espionage

[Foxosaur]

Espionage should have a direct benefit / feature to Shadow Council civic imo ( if it is to stay as a civic, I don't know if it should ).

More of a general answer though, yes it should be reworked, it's just some people play the game very fast and less of a campaign and even then, I can ignore it when on a campaign.

And the pay off for giving espionage attention as a player just isn't there in some respects. So I wonder if espionage itself needs automation and the player can simply choose of the rng operation on x empire is worth it.

That said, I think it deserves actual featurettes, e.g. The ability to manipulate a empire to leave a federation, not a permanent diplomatic penality to its old empires and something that should naturally repair itself over time.

Another would be maybe persuading a council leader to veto a resolution and even bring it forward. I would find them useful anyway, still needing to see custodians more actively enabling the GDF but that's unfitting for espionage.

 

[ScorpioneOrzion]

This prob also requires a rework of the intel system overall I think

 

[tremor3258]

Starts off relying on a highly limited resource (envoys) that don't expand well with increased number of empires. Feels slow enough the gradual improvements in raw intel level on other empires via research usually feels more effective. Tend to try not to engage with the system.

 

[rarebleach]

Form filled, but I'll throw a few things here too. I really like the Intel mechanic, and feel like it adds an additional element to consider when playing the game. Operations however, do not feel impactful whatsoever. I hope the team can figure something out to make espionage more impactful and unique.

 

[buttercrusader]

honestly it needs a rework along side the intel system, personally i kinda want to see it done similarly to the hoi4 espionage system

 

[Ajacoba]

I like that it's kinda essential to spy a few years on your neighbors before you make big moves in the early game

Stealing research is a also hella fun

But besides that it's just one of those mechanics that you have to build your entire empire for if you want to use it properly, so aside from using it to gather intel and find enemy worlds I don't really bother with it unless I am playing my Romulans

 

[BakedBeans0101]

I find it strange that there are no "wartime" operations. It would be cool (and probably overpowered) if you could conduct espionage on a planet to reduce the strength of its defending armies or to reduce the respource output of a planet, or on a shipyard to make ships more expensive and/or slower to build for a few years (the sabotage starbase operation could be updated to include the sabotage of shipyards as well).

I personally think there should be more large-scale operations as well. Not as consequential as the Consume Star operation, but still damaging enough to have serious repercussions on the target empire if not countered. Maybe by taking a certain tradition, technology, or the right outcome of an event could unlock some of these larger operations. Something such as briefly disabling a megastructure, siphoning a large amount of resources in a massive heist, or even inciting more powerful and funded rebellions on unstable planets than what would naturally occur. If it's under the right conditions, you could even launch a coup of a hostile empire to make then align more with your ethics and beliefs (I imagine this would need to be very limited due to its potential to game ruin somebody, but it's just an idea).

Counter espionage is something that I imagine is guaranteed to be added sometime in the future. I don't have much to add to this except if you successfully stop an operation against you, you should get some reward for it determined by what the operation was. An example being if someone tries to steal research from you and you stop it, you get a small boost to research speed. It could also be very simple such as getting favors on empires you catch attempting espionage on you (blackmail), or a temporary happiness boost across your empire.

These are some ideas I briefly came up with. I am by no means knowledgeable on game development so I won't pretend to know entirely what I'm talking about or how this is going to be implemented (hell I don't even expect this comment is going to be seen by someone on the dev team), but some of this stuff would be interesting and make the galaxy feel more alive (as alive as the espionage system could make it, anyway).

 

[Cymsdale]

I find I have less of an issue with the system itself (not that there isn't room for improvement) and more that the actions you can do have too little impact compared to the cost.

Sabotage starbase is a complete joke, you have to see that... right?

 

[Nithralder]

Thank you for your ongoing work on Stellaris. The game’s depth and creativity continue to inspire, and it stands as a testament to your dedication to providing an unparalleled grand strategy experience. However, I’d like to share feedback regarding the Espionage System and overall mechanic integration, which I believe could be refined to enhance the game’s quality and player engagement.

The Biggest Challenge: Reducing Micromanagement​

One of the most pressing issues with the Espionage System is the excessive micromanagement it requires. This level of manual intervention can make the system feel tedious and detract from the overall enjoyment of the game, especially in mid-to-late stages where players are already managing expansive empires.

To address this, I propose making espionage more passive while still impactful. Whether a player is a benevolent empire or an evil xeno-slaying conqueror, their method of generating espionage should feel natural to their playstyle. For example:

• Good-Aligned Empires: Generate espionage through cultural exchanges, diplomacy, or spreading influence in allied or neutral territories.
• Aggressive Empires: Gain espionage passively by sowing fear, disrupting trade routes, or leveraging piracy against their rivals.

This would significantly reduce micromanagement while allowing players to focus on strategy and empire-building.

Automated Espionage via a Councilor Position​

To further streamline the system, espionage could be tied to a dedicated councilor position, such as a Spymaster. This councilor would automatically manage espionage tasks, generating unique event-driven interactions based on their traits, ethics, and empire type. Players could adjust the councilor’s focus (e.g., sabotage, counter-intelligence, or information gathering) but would no longer need to micromanage individual operations.

Ethics-Based Espionage Variations​

Introducing ethics-based espionage mechanics would add depth and flavor to the system. For example:

• Criminal Syndicates: Passively spread crime, establish covert buildings on enemy planets, and siphon resources.
• Democratic Empires: Influence rival elections to shape council leader selection or destabilize political stability.
• Spiritualist Empires: Spread religion covertly to convert pops or sow dissent in materialist societies.
• Hive Minds: Deploy sleeper agents to sabotage infrastructure or assimilate pops covertly into the hive.
• Authoritarian Empires: Incite rebellions or uprisings in egalitarian empires to destabilize them.

Greater Integration with Existing Mechanics​

Espionage should not feel like an isolated feature but rather an integral part of the game. To achieve this, it could interact with other mechanics, such as:

• Piracy and Trade: Using espionage to identify and exploit trade routes for piracy or economic sabotage.
• Grand Archive: Espionage missions could steal species DNA or rare artifacts, unlocking unique bonuses or technologies.
• Cosmic Storms: Espionage could enable manipulation of weather technology to create fake storms, restricting enemy movement or protecting key regions.

Strategic Benefits for the Player​

Espionage actions should deliver meaningful rewards. Potential benefits include:

• False Intel and Manipulation: Mislead enemy fleets or provoke wars between rival empires.
• Covert Research Theft: Steal unique technologies or reverse-engineer advanced equipment.
• Economic Sabotage: Disrupt resource production or steal trade value from rival empires
  
  
  The Espionage System has the potential to be one of Stellaris’ most exciting mechanics, but it needs to be less micro-intensive and more seamlessly integrated into the gameplay loop. A more passive and automated approach, combined with deeper ethics-based variations and stronger ties to existing systems, would make it a more rewarding and enjoyable feature for all playstyles.

 

[ashbery76]

Big operations need to actually hurt the economy and military of you or the A.I.

I like the system in general apart from the high intel operations.Maybe just more types.

 

[Xyre255]

If espionage actions had the ability to select a specific tarket like a leader, planet, system, sector, army, or fleet instead of being just random selection the playstyle would gain a lot of not only viability but also value and fun. As an example the fact that smear campaigns aren't targetable makes them basically useless on empires that aren't in a federation. -100 opinion to a random empire won't do anything in most cases because the random empire will be located on the opposite end of the galaxy, will be a pathetic in comparison to them, or the empire will already hate them and the -100 opinion won't do anything.

In a perfect case an empire focused on espionage with enough effort put in should be able to break and forge aliances for anyone in the galaxy. Not investing enough into counter espionage should be as cripling as not developing your fleets and defenses. Espionage should allow for a playstyle that allows for punching way above your weight class with assassinations, false flag operations, spreading opposite ethic propaganda, causing rebelions, giving out false movement raports, cutting off communications from entire sectors of space, bribing leaders to defect, and all the other things that are related to espionage.

 

[Zloy_Stellaris]

You can add a new leader "Agent", he cannot hold a post in the council and is engaged in supporting other leaders or participating in operations. When attaching an agent to a governor or scientist, the chance that he will die from events will decrease. When attaching an agent to an admiral, the chance that the admiral will die in a space battle or on the ground decreases, and the chance of death of enemy admirals also increases.

 

[Foxosaur]

I still think megastructures should be targetable but rather than permanent or requiring repair, the structure drops in efficiency/ output by say 50% and recovers naturally over a period of time. Though now we have gigs structures, we could actually allow a targeting lense maybe and go for several furnaces for example.

 

[BrokenSky]

My main opinion is that Espionage should be an on-map thing. You should have a network across enemy empires and across your own in actual space on the map.

Also giving Enforcers a second role as anti-espionage protection would be fun.

 

[klopkr]

Espionage should create events between empires. You could have long ongoing events that you can influence in your favour vs an other empire through your espionage and resources.

Also espionage should never have any influence cost.

 

[MrMess85]

The biggest problem.

You can completely ignore it and it has no impact on the game.

1. It uses up key envoys
2. It's micro heavy
3. It costs influence (key resource) and the benefits don't match that
4. The actions are awful. I don't want to take out one Star Base, let me sabotage them all!

 

[Archael90]

1. Envoys should not be spy!
2. There is too much micro!
3. Should not cost influence!
4. Benefits are too meaningless!
5. Operations should be able to be prepared independently of another. If I want to sabotage 3 starbases, spawn 2 pirate fleets and... And... There is nothing else that could help me in war... I should be able to do that with some preparation, assuming im spy master.

3 and 4 seems contradicting, but if some operations could be impactfull it could cost influence.

 

[faljen_isus]

Using spycraft to manipulate opinions, either damage other empire opinions of one another, or to improve your standing with others after a war or you creatively disposing of your enemies

You can also, if sufficient network strength allows be able to hide your fleet movements, or even "project" fleets somewhere else, ecen those you do not have, falsifying your empire power projection

Good network strength can also be like an offset to ship cloaking due to "your spies enabled you to pass through detection grids" etc

 

[Miguelinileugim]

Espionage is just near useless in singleplayer. There's no information I need from the AI outside niche circumstances, sabotage missions do basically nothing I could care about, stealing tech is pointless, etc. Espionage needs either a complete rework or a very, very creative way to get it to mean something for the player rather than just be there. Hopefully someone comes up with something. Maybe if a lot of work was put into it as well as its own sidebar submenu and some real mechanical utility it would be more relevant, but what it would look like I have no idea.