Please change the spy system!
The current system is garbage, the old way was a great deal better. Change it to how it was and add a counter esp system to keep people from constantly keeping those spy networks on you.
Completely disagree. DA and DL's espionage systems are both excellent systems for what they do best. DA's Agents are great for sabotage, while DL's Sliders were better for information gathering. I always believed that the DA Agents should have been added on top of the DL Sliders and they are somewhat doing just that.
The 2.0 Patch is planned to have a change where you can assign Agents to a Civilization rather than a planetary improvement, where they can't be nullified but only gather information. As for counter-espionage? Well, if you can't create agents fast enough to nullify agents, build counter-espionage centers. That's what they are there for

and they are half-decent morale buildings to boot.
I'm saying a counter espionage for the information gathering. Last I checked the USA isn't still losing technologies and information to the Russians. They treat information gathering like its a virus you cant get rid of. Just a historical reference fyi.
You said it well they are good at what they do. But they are still
Ill agree with you that though they are good at what they do, the exponential expense it takes to make spies for nullifying other agents civ's that don't do anything for a while have a greater advantage. Last I checked, it takes experience and practice to be good at something, or lots of money.
If anyone has ever played Pax Imperia Emanate domain you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. There you had your Espionage rating and anything you wanted to do against someone else it was the difficulty of the mission then compared your rating with the other Civ. That is still the best system of espionage I have ever played in any Strategy game. And there it could make a serious impact as far as ship deployment, planetary defenses, politics, you could even get enemy governor's to side with you, hurting your enemy with an inefficient industry, finance ect.
I miss that game.