Espionage Technology

Espionage Technology improves the effectiveness of your spy probes and counter-intelligence. For dedicated defensive counter-intelligence, see Counter Intel.

Overview

Property	Value
Type	Intelligence Technology
Lab Notes	Research Lab level affects speed only
Effect	Better spy reports, counter-espionage

Description

Advances in espionage technology improve both your ability to gather intelligence on enemies and your defenses against enemy spying. Higher levels reveal more information and make your own reports harder to detect.

Effects

Spy Report Detail

Higher espionage technology reveals more:

Tech Difference	Information Revealed
Your tech higher	More details visible
Equal tech	Basic information
Your tech lower	Less information

Report Contents (by advantage)

+0: Resources only
+1: + Fleet
+2: + Defenses
+3: + Buildings
+4: + Research levels

Activity Indicator

Spy reports include an activity value that reflects the target's activity at the time of the scan:

<15: Active within the last 15 minutes
15-59: Minutes since last activity
Off: No activity for 60+ minutes

Counter-Espionage

Higher tech also means:

Harder for enemies to spy on you
Enemy probes more likely detected
Less information revealed to spies

Recon Missions

Each Espionage Technology level increases Recon mission information success chance by 5 percentage points.
This bonus is opposed by the target's Counter Intel level (-5 percentage points per level).

Research Costs

Formula

Metal = 200 * 2^Level
Crystal = 1,000 * 2^Level
Deuterium = 200 * 2^Level

Cost Table

Level	Metal	Crystal	Deuterium
1	200	1,000	200
2	400	2,000	400
4	1,600	8,000	1,600
8	25,600	128,000	25,600

Probe Mechanics

Probe Survival

More probes = more detail but:

More probes = higher detection chance
Defender can destroy probes
Balance probe count vs risk

Tech Advantage

The formula compares:

Your Espionage Technology
Defender's Espionage Technology
Number of probes sent

Strategy

Early Priority

Espionage Technology 4+ is crucial:

See enemy defenses before attacking
Avoid traps and failed raids
Essential for safe gameplay

Counter-Intelligence

High espionage protects you:

Enemies see less of your forces
Element of surprise maintained
Harder to target you accurately

Probe Numbers

Adjust probes based on tech difference:

Equal tech: 3-5 probes
Higher tech: 1-2 probes sufficient
Lower tech: 5-10+ probes needed