Game Guide

Learn to Play Age of Space - Complete beginner's guide to Age of Space. Learn how to build, attack, spy, colonize, and dominate the galaxy!

Espionage & Intelligence

In Age of Space, information is power. Before sending your combat fleet anywhere, you must know what awaits you. Espionage lets you peek at an enemy's resources, fleet, defenses, buildings, and research — all without committing to a battle. A few Spy Probes and a higher Espionage Technology level can mean the difference between a profitable raid and a devastating fleet loss. This chapter covers everything you need to know about the spy game.

Espionage Technology

Espionage Technology is the foundation of your intelligence-gathering capability. It determines how much information your spy reports contain and how well you can defend against enemy spying attempts.

Each level of Espionage Technology increases the detail of your spy reports when you have a tech advantage over your target. Conversely, a higher level also makes it harder for enemies to spy on you successfully.

Requirement: Espionage Technology Level 1

Strategy Tip

We strongly recommend keeping your Espionage Technology at least 2-3 levels above your opponents. This ensures you always get full spy reports while protecting your own planets from prying eyes.

Spy Probes

Spy Probes are tiny, extremely fast unmanned ships designed solely for espionage missions. They have virtually no combat capability and carry zero cargo, but they are the cheapest and fastest ships in the game.


Cost: 0 Titanium, 1,000 Graphene, 0 Deuterium	Speed: Extremely fast (base 100,000,000). Cargo: 0. Combat: Negligible.

You should always have a healthy stock of Spy Probes on your main planets. Build at least 50-100 probes so you can spy on multiple targets without running out. They are extremely cheap to produce.

How to Send a Spy Mission

There are two ways to initiate a spy mission:

From the Galaxy Map: Click on a target planet and select the spy icon. This is the fastest and most convenient method for quick scans.
From the Fleet Page: Select your Spy Probes, enter the target coordinates, and choose the "Espionage" mission type. This gives you more control over how many probes to send.

Navigate to the Galaxy Map or Fleet Page.
Select a target planet or enter coordinates manually.
Choose the spy action (Galaxy Map) or select Spy Probes and "Espionage" mission (Fleet Page).
Wait for the probes to arrive and return. The mission is very fast due to probe speed.
Check your Reports page for the Spy Report. It will appear in the Espionage section.

Reading Spy Reports

A spy report reveals information about the target planet in sections. The amount of detail depends on the difference between your Espionage Technology level and the target's:


1	Resources — Always visible. Shows current Titanium, Graphene, and Deuterium stockpiles. This tells you if the target is worth attacking.
2	Fleet — Visible with slight tech advantage. Shows all ships stationed on the planet. Critical for assessing combat risk.
3	Defense — Visible with moderate tech advantage. Lists all defensive structures. Essential for planning your attack fleet composition.
4	Buildings — Visible with significant tech advantage. Shows building levels, which helps estimate production and research capability.
5	Research — Visible with large tech advantage. Shows technology levels. Useful for understanding the player's overall strength and drive technologies.

The spy report also shows a "counter-espionage chance" percentage. This is the probability that the target player detects and destroys your probes. If your probes are destroyed, you get a partial report (only the sections already scanned).

Counter-Espionage

Counter-espionage is the defensive side of the spy game. When someone spies on you, there is a chance their probes will be intercepted and destroyed, preventing them from getting a full report.

The chance of detecting and destroying enemy probes depends on the Espionage Technology level difference. If the target has higher Espionage Tech than the attacker, the detection chance increases significantly.

Each additional probe the spy sends reduces the interception chance. This is why experienced raiders send 5 or more probes — it dramatically improves the chance of getting a complete report even against targets with high spy tech.

Detection Chance = Base% * (2 ^ (DefenderSpyTech - AttackerSpyTech)) / NumberOfProbes

The detection chance doubles for every Espionage Tech level the defender has above the attacker, but is divided by the number of probes sent.

How Many Probes to Send

The number of probes you send affects both the detail of your report and the survival chance of your probes:


1-2	1-2 probes: Only see resources. High chance of interception against players with decent spy tech. Not recommended.
3-5	3-5 probes: See resources and usually fleet. Good for quick scans of inactive players. Standard minimum for casual spying.
5-8	5-8 probes: See resources, fleet, and defense. Recommended for pre-attack intelligence. Good balance of cost and information.
10+	10+ probes: Full report including buildings and research. Use when spying on strong players or when you need complete intelligence. Very low interception chance.

Important!

A good rule of thumb: always send at least 5 probes for any target you are seriously considering attacking. The cost of a few extra probes is negligible compared to the cost of losing your fleet to unexpected defenses.

Espionage Tips

ALWAYS Spy Before Attacking

This is the golden rule of combat in Age of Space. Never send your combat fleet to a target you have not spied on first. Attacking blind can cost you everything. A 30-second spy mission can save hours of rebuilding your fleet.

Check Activity Before Spying

Look at the activity indicator on the Galaxy Map before sending probes. If the player was active 5 minutes ago, they might see your spy report notification and move their fleet or resources. Spy on planets with no recent activity for the best results.

Invest in Espionage Technology

Higher Espionage Technology gives you more detailed reports with fewer probes and makes it harder for enemies to spy on your planets. It is one of the most cost-effective technologies in the game.

Keep Probes Stocked

Always have at least 50 Spy Probes ready on each of your major planets. They are incredibly cheap and you never want to miss a raiding opportunity because you ran out of probes.

Understanding the exact mechanics of espionage lets you optimize your spying strategy:

The tech level difference between attacker and defender determines report detail. Each level of advantage reveals one more section of the report. With 0 difference, you see only resources. With +1 you see fleet, +2 defense, +3 buildings, +4 research.

Probe survival probability increases linearly with the number of probes sent. Sending twice as many probes halves the interception chance. Against a target with equal spy tech, 5 probes give approximately 80% survival rate.

Advanced players use espionage strategically: spy on the same target multiple times to track their online patterns, resource accumulation rate, and fleet movement habits. This helps you time your attacks for maximum profit.

Remember that your spy missions generate activity on the target planet. If you spy too frequently, you alert the player that someone is watching them, and they may increase their defenses or start fleet-saving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Espionage Technology level is too low compared to the target, or you sent too few probes. Increase your Espionage Tech level and send more probes (at least 5) to get more detailed reports with fleet, defense, and building information.

The target player has higher Espionage Technology than you, and their counter-espionage detected your probes. Send more probes next time (10+) to reduce the interception chance, or upgrade your Espionage Technology to match or exceed the target's level.

Yes. When you spy on someone, they receive a counter-espionage report in their messages that tells them probes were detected from your coordinates. However, they only get this notification if their counter-espionage successfully triggers. With enough probes and high spy tech, you can spy undetected.

At least twice: once to get initial intelligence, and once immediately before launching your attack to confirm the target still has resources and has not changed their fleet or defenses. Conditions can change rapidly — a report from an hour ago may already be outdated.

Colonizing New Worlds Next Chapter: Your First Attack