Where do you send your spy to steal technology from?

[ProxyCell]

Hi,

I am very interested in the best places to send my spymaster out to steal technology. I am unaware as to how the game decides which provinces start with what technologies.

 

[smeggy]

I have the impression the starting tech is fixed, defined by the starting date you pick. I'm mostly sending the spy a
1. High tech area, like Constantinopel, or a fatimid/seljuk capital. Spain also has a nice level.
2. I wont pick a city of a foreign state I'm trying to get/keep good relations with. Rulers dont like it when your stealing their knowledge. So if you play a moslim, study in a christian city, and visa versa.

 

[Grubnessul]

Pretty much always Constantinople.

 

[HiddenWolf]

Pretty much always Constantinople.

Always a county near to Constantinople or Bagdad which is ruled by a local count or minor duke. The emperor himself is far more likely to have a great spymaster.

 

[angryjohn]

the Highest tech rate that I have found is the land locked county just west of the Nile. Can't remember the name now, begins with B.

 

[Isaios]

A nice little OPM Muslim state somewhere. Usually in Sicily or Spain. Low chance of good spymasters in opposition, high tech, not anyone I care if dislike me no matter who I play etc.

 

[debar]

I use the muslim Bulgar states as they have very high tech and nicely distinguish in the tech view from its low-tech neighbours!

 

[unmerged(88697)]

Had only spotty luck with it in v1.0 placing spy's in Muslim Sicily, so kinda stopped doing it.

Now in v1.7 playing as Byzantium found that Anatolia was a target rich environment, at least in the early going. Keep that spymaster moving around (every 6 mo.) wherever there's a large Muslim icon.

Not sure if traits have anything to do with it, but certain spymasters seemed to have much better luck than others.

 

[telegraph]

Nikeae (to the east of constantinople). It is as good as constantinople, but your spymaster get caught far less often

 

[TheStrangerOrg]

cairo or nikaea/constantinople

 

[Mutineer]

I stick it to one county country in spain. Simple small realms most lickly have bad spymisters. Anywhere in big country probability to get cougth is mach higher.

 

[Sam L]

I once sent my spymaster to Rome for this. LOL never again.

 

[Cymsdale]

I stick it to one county country in spain. Simple small realms most lickly have bad spymisters. Anywhere in big country probability to get cougth is mach higher.

I don't think the enemy spymaster has any effect. The tooltip shows the % chance they get caught before you place them anywhere at all.

 

[stormblind]

Algericas, southern tip of Spain, can often go for an entire spymasters lifetime without getting caught there as long as it stays out of the Almvorid hands. (Spelt that wrong).

Generally my go to place for tech theft

 

[Mutineer]

I don't think the enemy spymaster has any effect. The tooltip shows the % chance they get caught before you place them anywhere at all.

I belieev it shows base chance of that, which depends on skill of spy. I belieev it will be modifyed by defence spymaster or rules skill(I do not know which)

 

[RobRoy3]

I like Algeciras, too, or Ani in Eastern Anatolia (slightly higher Cultural Advances). Palermo, Nikomedeia, and Buhairya are all good choices, too.

I'm not sure enemy spy-master has much to do with success, but I seem to get far better luck if I move him around every six months. I have a strong (but perhaps fact-free) perception that the advisors stationed abroad seem to get stuck if I just leave them in place. So I move the Chancellor and Spy-master around (the other three are usually busy domestically).

 

[KPJ]

Nobody for the western province of Crete? Kaneia I believe it's called. I almost always spy there because they almost always have the techs I want

 

[vmarra]

I agree I am all about going to Sicily for my stealing. The Muslims over there are usually pretty weak compared to their middle eastern counter parts, and there is no reason to care about my relations with them when I am playing in Normandy/England.

Conversely rather than stealing things when you start in 1066 NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE go take Palermo before someone else does. Its chalked full of tech, it has 6 slots, and it is only part of a two-count duchy which can be beat relatively easier.

 

[unmerged(73676)]

Nobody for the western province of Crete? Kaneia I believe it's called. I almost always spy there because they almost always have the techs I want

This has consistantly been the best province to send to. Highest all around tech as far as I can tell.

 

[Hackworthy]

I usually send my SM directy to Konstantinopolis. Rarely ever have I had him get caught.