Dev Diary #65 - Spies
What's happening / TLDR: Developer diaries introduce details of Espiocracy - Cold War strategy game in which you play as an intelligence agency. You can catch up with the most important dev diary (The Vision) and find out more on Steam page.
Video games have complex relationship with realism. In their evolution from arcade machines in 1970s to 100GB and 100h experiences in 2020s, games cycled between more realistic and less realistic designs (eg. sim-series in the 90s and early 2000s -> arcade-ish story-ish adventures of 2000s and early 2010s -> revival of simulator genre in 2010s; it also extends to other aspects, for instance cycles of more and less realistic graphics).
In a way, development of Espiocracy went through such (miniaturized) cycle. There were months of developing mechanics rooted in realism and there were months of baking strategy-focused fun-trumps-everything mechanics. I hope that it will amount to an interesting mix. Today's topic of the dev diary is the prime example of such mix: spies in the game named Espiocracy, naturally, had to go through many iterations. It's no coincidence that they had to wait until 65th diary.
What is a spy, anyway?
In other words, this dev diary does not describe your standard CIA or KGB employees (in the game they are always referred to as "officers"). Instead, we will be focusing on people contacted, recruited, handled, and arrested by officers.
[h2]Directions and Spy Networks[/h2]
Globally, your spy-related activities are divided into directions (eg. "Soviet direction", "American direction", "African direction" - it's a term from intelligence lingo) which can be prioritized, invested into, and also compromised. They originate automatically from your decisions, for instance establishing an intelligence station in Moscow usually establishes a Soviet direction.
Within any direction, your officers and spies develop spy networks.
Existence of spy networks in the real world is a slightly controversial subject. Many groups of spies described as networks were not really networks (eg. Cambridge Five was not connected at all into a network according to KGB). Leitmotiv of an intelligence officer memoir is isolation and compartmentalization, not connecting spies. Some intelligence organizations go even further (eg. Stratfor's famous definition of "network" says that's it's very rare and anyone claiming to operate a network is full of BS). The term, however, does exist in some of the best possible sources, so it's not just a spy fiction myth (eg. declassified reports from CIA's Berlin station describe fates of their networks in East Germany).
As always, Espiocracy embraces complexity of the world. Spy networks in the game resemble previous paragraph: they are nebulous groups, usually not connected into web-like networks (spies inside generally do not have contact with each other), but they look network-ish from the perspective of the HQ, the public, and the counterintelligence services. In rare cases, networks can get more complicated - usually through chains: a spy handling a spy handling a spy. (Mathematically, spy networks in the game are always networks [sets of nodes and edges connecting the nodes], and are displayed as such on the map, because there's always unifying central node, usually an intelligence station that handles the network.)
[h2]Sources[/h2]
Spies as individual people in the game are divided into three tiers: sources, agents, and high-value spies. It's a choice inspired by the real world but ultimately optimized for gameplay because every intelligence agency in the world has different convoluted ladder of spies (example of how specific it can get, spy ladder from Czechoslovak StB: "confidant, informant, ideological collaborator, confidential collaborator, secret cooperation candidate, agent A, double agent, resident of counterintelligence").
A source in the game is a low-level informant, low-cost and low-intelligence. Sources are found during standard espionage activities in any place, and then regularly contacted for new intelligence. They don't receive enumeration and are not (yet) recruited. Any player in the game usually has hundreds of sources around the world.
Individual sources are tied to countries (so they can provide intelligence on their country) and have useful positions (so they can provide intelligence on relevant actors and events). The latter includes: journalists, dissidents, soldiers, diplomats, politicians, police officers, mobsters, industrial managers, and so on. Every field in every country has a limited pool of possible sources for which all intelligence agencies compete with each other.
Sources are quickly gained and quickly lost, rotation is intensive. Most attractive sources can be recruited - they may become agents.
[h2]Agents[/h2]
We have to return to definitions once again. Espionage terms are (often on purpose) confusing, and real world "agent" is one of the most confusing terms. Some time ago I tried to explain various meanings of this and adjacent words using a diagram:
In the game, we stick to simple professional definition: an agent is a medium-level spy, usually paid, capable of delivering advanced intelligence and of directly participating in espionage activities. Mechanically, an agent is always tied to an influential actor in a country.
Agents are recruited. "Recruitment" is yet another espionage term that requires careful consideration. In the intelligence world, it does not mean hiring or employing, and instead it has the older meaning of recruiting for the cause (getting someone to commit to something, in this case to espionage). It usually relies on "recruitment pitch" which may end in (often written!) declaration of cooperation. Espiocracy is full of such pitches: your officers make pitches to the best sources, to walk-ins in embassies, during intelligence operations (both as secondary action and as the full category of "Recruit" operations where you can make a pitch to any human in the game world), and they may be even at the receiving end of pitches from hostile agencies.
Success of recruitment depends on target's backstory and motivation. The game features more than a dozen recruitability archetypes, such as a true believer, a disillusioned patriot, or a thrill-seeker, which then influence MICE motivation (money, ideology, coercion, ego), and then further parameters and traits (loyalty, stability, paranoia, trust, vulnerabilities, and so on).
After recruitment and initial training, an agent may be specialized into a courier, sleeper, career climber, spotter, or recruiter (or remain a general agent). Then, using the specialization and invested resources, agent's life regularly ticks with various actions (eg. agents-recruiters may directly make recruitment pitches on behalf of player's agency), which bring for the player intelligence, opportunities, assets, and sometimes also troubles.
Similarly to sources, the best agents (here: with the best career position), may be promoted to high-value spies.
[h2]High-Value Spies[/h2]
The third tier of spies are high-cost, high-impact, high-risk agents. They can spy on multiple actors and multiple countries. They can do everything any specialized agent can do. They are divided into a few types which define further available actions:
[h2]The End Game[/h2]
Speaking of risk, agents and high-value spies obviously are rather ephemeral. With every espionage action, the risk of capture increases. After years of living the double life, psychological factors also start contributing to mistakes, breakdowns, and worse events. Sooner or later, professional (and sometimes actual) life of the spy ends.
Before that happens due to external circumstances, a handler can always activate one of the three ways out. Deciding on how and when here is one of the most consequential dilemmas in the game.
[h2]Final Remarks[/h2]
The next dev diary will be posted on the first Friday of the next month: September 5th.
If you're not already wishlisting Espiocracy, consider doing it
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1670650/Espiocracy/
There is also a small community around Espiocracy:
---
"Many of Donovan’s early amateur spies ended up a waste of money. He convinced Roosevelt to approve $5,000 to send explorer and nature filmmaker Armand Denis to roam central and southern Africa to spy on German espionage and military activity, using the cover that he was scouting a future movie on primates. The Belgian American shot a lot of footage on apes, caught several tropical diseases, and filed what amounted to a long travelogue with no useful military or political intelligence. He finally admitted in a letter to David Bruce that he was a hopeless secret agent" - Beginnings of OSS, the first modern intelligence agency in the USA
Video games have complex relationship with realism. In their evolution from arcade machines in 1970s to 100GB and 100h experiences in 2020s, games cycled between more realistic and less realistic designs (eg. sim-series in the 90s and early 2000s -> arcade-ish story-ish adventures of 2000s and early 2010s -> revival of simulator genre in 2010s; it also extends to other aspects, for instance cycles of more and less realistic graphics).
In a way, development of Espiocracy went through such (miniaturized) cycle. There were months of developing mechanics rooted in realism and there were months of baking strategy-focused fun-trumps-everything mechanics. I hope that it will amount to an interesting mix. Today's topic of the dev diary is the prime example of such mix: spies in the game named Espiocracy, naturally, had to go through many iterations. It's no coincidence that they had to wait until 65th diary.
What is a spy, anyway?
- commonly: any person engaged in espionage activities
- professionally: a person betraying their country / colleagues / etc
- the game sticks to the professional definition but to avoid confusion (also in translations!), Espiocracy generally uses more precise terms than ambiguous "spies"
In other words, this dev diary does not describe your standard CIA or KGB employees (in the game they are always referred to as "officers"). Instead, we will be focusing on people contacted, recruited, handled, and arrested by officers.
[h2]Directions and Spy Networks[/h2]
Globally, your spy-related activities are divided into directions (eg. "Soviet direction", "American direction", "African direction" - it's a term from intelligence lingo) which can be prioritized, invested into, and also compromised. They originate automatically from your decisions, for instance establishing an intelligence station in Moscow usually establishes a Soviet direction.
Within any direction, your officers and spies develop spy networks.
Existence of spy networks in the real world is a slightly controversial subject. Many groups of spies described as networks were not really networks (eg. Cambridge Five was not connected at all into a network according to KGB). Leitmotiv of an intelligence officer memoir is isolation and compartmentalization, not connecting spies. Some intelligence organizations go even further (eg. Stratfor's famous definition of "network" says that's it's very rare and anyone claiming to operate a network is full of BS). The term, however, does exist in some of the best possible sources, so it's not just a spy fiction myth (eg. declassified reports from CIA's Berlin station describe fates of their networks in East Germany).
As always, Espiocracy embraces complexity of the world. Spy networks in the game resemble previous paragraph: they are nebulous groups, usually not connected into web-like networks (spies inside generally do not have contact with each other), but they look network-ish from the perspective of the HQ, the public, and the counterintelligence services. In rare cases, networks can get more complicated - usually through chains: a spy handling a spy handling a spy. (Mathematically, spy networks in the game are always networks [sets of nodes and edges connecting the nodes], and are displayed as such on the map, because there's always unifying central node, usually an intelligence station that handles the network.)
[h2]Sources[/h2]
Spies as individual people in the game are divided into three tiers: sources, agents, and high-value spies. It's a choice inspired by the real world but ultimately optimized for gameplay because every intelligence agency in the world has different convoluted ladder of spies (example of how specific it can get, spy ladder from Czechoslovak StB: "confidant, informant, ideological collaborator, confidential collaborator, secret cooperation candidate, agent A, double agent, resident of counterintelligence").
A source in the game is a low-level informant, low-cost and low-intelligence. Sources are found during standard espionage activities in any place, and then regularly contacted for new intelligence. They don't receive enumeration and are not (yet) recruited. Any player in the game usually has hundreds of sources around the world.
Individual sources are tied to countries (so they can provide intelligence on their country) and have useful positions (so they can provide intelligence on relevant actors and events). The latter includes: journalists, dissidents, soldiers, diplomats, politicians, police officers, mobsters, industrial managers, and so on. Every field in every country has a limited pool of possible sources for which all intelligence agencies compete with each other.
Sources are quickly gained and quickly lost, rotation is intensive. Most attractive sources can be recruited - they may become agents.
[h2]Agents[/h2]
We have to return to definitions once again. Espionage terms are (often on purpose) confusing, and real world "agent" is one of the most confusing terms. Some time ago I tried to explain various meanings of this and adjacent words using a diagram:
In the game, we stick to simple professional definition: an agent is a medium-level spy, usually paid, capable of delivering advanced intelligence and of directly participating in espionage activities. Mechanically, an agent is always tied to an influential actor in a country.
Agents are recruited. "Recruitment" is yet another espionage term that requires careful consideration. In the intelligence world, it does not mean hiring or employing, and instead it has the older meaning of recruiting for the cause (getting someone to commit to something, in this case to espionage). It usually relies on "recruitment pitch" which may end in (often written!) declaration of cooperation. Espiocracy is full of such pitches: your officers make pitches to the best sources, to walk-ins in embassies, during intelligence operations (both as secondary action and as the full category of "Recruit" operations where you can make a pitch to any human in the game world), and they may be even at the receiving end of pitches from hostile agencies.
Success of recruitment depends on target's backstory and motivation. The game features more than a dozen recruitability archetypes, such as a true believer, a disillusioned patriot, or a thrill-seeker, which then influence MICE motivation (money, ideology, coercion, ego), and then further parameters and traits (loyalty, stability, paranoia, trust, vulnerabilities, and so on).
After recruitment and initial training, an agent may be specialized into a courier, sleeper, career climber, spotter, or recruiter (or remain a general agent). Then, using the specialization and invested resources, agent's life regularly ticks with various actions (eg. agents-recruiters may directly make recruitment pitches on behalf of player's agency), which bring for the player intelligence, opportunities, assets, and sometimes also troubles.
Similarly to sources, the best agents (here: with the best career position), may be promoted to high-value spies.
[h2]High-Value Spies[/h2]
The third tier of spies are high-cost, high-impact, high-risk agents. They can spy on multiple actors and multiple countries. They can do everything any specialized agent can do. They are divided into a few types which define further available actions:
- Directly Recruited Influential Actors - Depending on precise type and position, they can access extremely valuable intelligence (eg. military plans or confidential technology), exploit relations with other actors, travel around the world, influence ongoing events, enable complex intelligence operations, and so on.
- Agents of Influence - People in power and slightly in the shadows, for instance media tycoons, who are less focused on intelligence collection and more on active espionage, enabling many operations, gaining control in many places, and influencing many actions around the world.
- International Agents - Diplomats, international reporters, company representatives, and other people who travel around the world under very good (real) cover, who can access many places, actors, countries, and provide vast global intelligence, while also finding scattered operational opportunities.
- Moles - Foreign officers betraying their country to spy for us. They can pass any intelligence they see in the agency, and they can influence any activities they participate in (all the way to Kim Philby's sabotage of anti-Soviet operations in MI5). Naturally, this is most prized kind of a high-value spy, with vast possible gains and gigantic risk. Every agency has internal counterintelligence department dedicated only to hunting such spies.
[h2]The End Game[/h2]
Speaking of risk, agents and high-value spies obviously are rather ephemeral. With every espionage action, the risk of capture increases. After years of living the double life, psychological factors also start contributing to mistakes, breakdowns, and worse events. Sooner or later, professional (and sometimes actual) life of the spy ends.
Before that happens due to external circumstances, a handler can always activate one of the three ways out. Deciding on how and when here is one of the most consequential dilemmas in the game.
- Exfiltrating - You can organize a costly complex operation to evacuate the spy under good cover. It allows further debriefs, publicity stunts, and increases trust of other agents (and success chance of recruitment pitches). However, when it goes wrong, it goes catastrophically wrong, with large diplomatic scandal ensuing and many further assets lost.
- Terminating - Contact with the spy may be simply ceased. It happens to both sides from time to time due to various circumstances. While this option requires no expenses and gives no gains, it may backfire in some cases ("forgotten" spy may offer services to another agency, giving them also some intelligence on the former handler).
- Burning - Some of the most attractive intelligence materials and opportunities in the real history of espionage, and in the game, can be traced back directly to the spy if they are used. Such a spy would be "burnt", quickly exposed by counterintelligence services. According to an anecdote, Stalin sacrificed thousands of soldiers in one battle instead of using intelligence from his spy in German military command because he didn't want to burn the spy. The Battle of the Atlantic was full of such decisions as well, many intelligence coups were not used to not alarm the Germans about vulnerability of Enigma. However, in many other cases, agencies decide that the life of spy comes to an end either way and one last large success may be worth more than any other ending. You can always unlock that last success in the game by burning the agent.
[h2]Final Remarks[/h2]
The next dev diary will be posted on the first Friday of the next month: September 5th.
If you're not already wishlisting Espiocracy, consider doing it
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1670650/Espiocracy/
There is also a small community around Espiocracy:
---
"Many of Donovan’s early amateur spies ended up a waste of money. He convinced Roosevelt to approve $5,000 to send explorer and nature filmmaker Armand Denis to roam central and southern Africa to spy on German espionage and military activity, using the cover that he was scouting a future movie on primates. The Belgian American shot a lot of footage on apes, caught several tropical diseases, and filed what amounted to a long travelogue with no useful military or political intelligence. He finally admitted in a letter to David Bruce that he was a hopeless secret agent" - Beginnings of OSS, the first modern intelligence agency in the USA