by Clom » Mon May 06, 2019 4:45 am
Yes it is. This is a game of strategy and it is not easy to catch a fleet, without the spy back option mid flight the empire with the largest fleet will always win the game, even if the player with the smaller fleet gets every single other player in the game to attack the larger player, the larger player will just pick off the enemy fleets one by one... might as well have no diplomacy (a major factor in the game). Without the spy back option there would be no strategy, it would be just "look there they are we've won". Without the spy back option the smaller player always loses. One of the best things about this game is the fact that the largest empire after the first week doesn't just win, it is a lot more complex than that. With the spy back option you have to think about how to catch their fleet, this takes skill and patience and adds greater depth to the game. With the spy back option smaller empires stand a chance against a larger assailant, they can raid planets attacking the economy of the larger player (if the larger player builds shields on their border planets this becomes very difficult, understand that for every tactic there is a counter tactic) and they can engage in diplomacy by trying to get other small players to do the same. If you want to play a game where the largest empire after the initial colonisation phase, before a shot has been fired, wins then scrap the spy back, if you want to play a game that is very difficult to win, where diplomacy, skill, patience and endurance are major factors then keep the spy back.