Can Spies Do This?

[Foz]

I can't find the thread but I thought I read somewhere that if you have a spy with your general and go into the battle map, you were shown the location of the enemy before you deployed and started the battle.

Well, it doesn't work for me and I just wanted to know if it worked for anybody else. It makes sense that it should work but I dunno if it's supposed to or not.

They don't do exactly what you said (that I've ever seen). What you may remember hearing is that if you have a spy planted in a city that you attack, and he opens the gate, then the enemy doesn't get a deployment phase - their troops begin the battle randomly scattered about the city, to represent them being taken by surprise. This can be wonderfully convenient, as you can often just pour troops through the open front gate and establish yourself inside the enemy walls before he can even do anything about it. If you've both got sizable armies the fighting that ensues in the streets can be absolutely insane though!

It only took one time of this happening to me before I decided border towns had to have spies to kick the enemy ones out - it REALLY messes with your defense plan if you don't get to deploy your troops.

Hope that helps.

[Chosun]

I was referring to open field battles not sieges. I just thought I had read it here somewhere in the forumn as a hint or faq. It must have been another forumn or something. Thanks again.

[LordKhaine]

I'm pretty sure if you have a spy in your stack you have unrestricted camera movement during the battle. Rather useful for seeing exactly where the enemy is going at the start of the battle. Also if you attack an enemy city and you have a spy inside the city, you get to freely move your camera around inside the city.

While not as useful as knowing the enemy location before you set up.. it is quite handy all the same.