Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

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Osito
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Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by Osito »

Does anyone manage to make these guys last? Most of my missions are less than 80% success rate, and many of my starting agents can't get better than 50% to do anything. Add a spot of RNG to those odds, and I find hardly any of my intelligence guys last beyond 2 or 3 missions. "Intelligence agent" seems to be something of an oxymoron in this case, as you have to be pretty stupid choose that line of career in Distant Worlds. Of course, it could be their leader who's the stupid one [;)]

Is anyone having more success with them?

Osito
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Flinkebeinchen
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by Flinkebeinchen »

From my experience Concealment helps to keep your Agents longer alive, they get less caught. And keep in mind that Pirates get a huge bonus on their Agents, so missions are much higher risk against Pirate Factions. If you get ~40-50% from a Pirate you can have 80-90% to a normal Faction. Sabotage and Destroy Base Missions seems not affected or its just not so hard like stealing Techs... a 40% Sabotage Agent gets ~80% for a Destroy Base Mission with 3-Months in my actual game.
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MarQan
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by MarQan »

I agree, the chances seem pretty low. And even if it's 80% chance for success, I feel like there's a 50% chance he dies.
Basic missions became really hard lately.

My agent goes undercover in enemy factions/empires, works with them, gains their trust, gets in their laboratires/research projects and manages to get out with the data without raising suspicion, BUT traveling with them and drawing a f*cking map of their bases is impossible!
It's especially annoying with pirates. They're a chaotic bunch, drinking all day, I should be able to easily infiltrate most of their operations.

Luckily my Teekans are doing great at the moment, but with the money I'm making, I could hire the best Ketarov agent for a lifetime.

I wish there was a way to train our agents without putting their lives on the line.
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FerretStyle
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by FerretStyle »

That ever so useful Concealment stat that is so rare seems to be the key... oddly my best agents have been with Zenox who I was lucky enough to have 2 spawn with both Concealment + Espionage stats. Get those both up for 50%+ and the agent will last forever and steal everything.

Seems like Ketarov agents aren't actually better at anything, but they get more of them or something. Not sure what the deal is with that. I know that playing a Ketarov game has my characters randomly being deleted and replaced with a new intelligence agent every now and then, but mostly the agents are bad and get me into trouble.
oldones
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by oldones »

'Sabotage Construction' missions on construction ships or spaceports for 1 year has good chances, so use it if you have to test an agent or leveling up.
Sometimes, they get high chance even 1 year interval with high sabotage skill
Bingeling
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by Bingeling »

Isn't concealment the stat for deep cover mission? If you check the galactopedia there should be an area for each mission type, and they match the skills quite nicely.

By this you should look for "espionage" for map stealing, and probably also research stealing.
FerretStyle
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by FerretStyle »

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Isn't concealment the stat for deep cover mission?

It is, but I'm pretty sure it also affects chance of agent detection... and if your agent doesn't get detected, they can't get captured.

Though this is kind of me assuming that's how it works. I'm basing this assumption on my two longest lived agents (well over 200 successful steal tech missions) having the Concealment stat.
necaradan666
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by necaradan666 »

Concealment seems to matter in every task, the more you have the longer your agent will live, even if he fails his mission at least he'll come home.
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Flinkebeinchen
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by Flinkebeinchen »

I second that.
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Osito
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by Osito »

ORIGINAL: FerretStyle

ORIGINAL: Bingeling

Isn't concealment the stat for deep cover mission?

It is, but I'm pretty sure it also affects chance of agent detection... and if your agent doesn't get detected, they can't get captured.

Though this is kind of me assuming that's how it works. I'm basing this assumption on my two longest lived agents (well over 200 successful steal tech missions) having the Concealment stat.

Wow, 200! That's must be pretty much a zero chance of failure.
Osito
FerretStyle
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by FerretStyle »

ORIGINAL: Osito

Wow, 200! That's must be pretty much a zero chance of failure.

They failed plenty of times, but usually weren't detected.

I'd say on average they had a 15% failure rate, but I didn't count the failed missions so I'm not sure.
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Shark7
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RE: Life comes cheap as a Distant Worlds Intelligence Agent

Post by Shark7 »

Failed missions don't concern me, however having them captured is the bad part, cause you can't get them back.

I've gotten several up to 50-70% espionage though...granted I play really long games and I am very careful about what missions I send them on.
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