Some ideas for espionage:
On top of individual spies it would be interesting if you could group them into teams:
Spy teams:
Group indvidual spies into a tactical team of 10 spies working together and 100 spies working together as an operation team.
a. Specific objectives for spy teams (10 man teams):
Capture a ship or person of interest
Sabotage prior to invasion that targets defensive buildings etc prior to landings to soften up the planet.
b. Specific objectives for spy teams (100 man teams):
Set off a magma bomb, which causes planet to drop in quality and population, changes the graphic look of planet to look like a volcano world
Set off Ice Age, causes planet to drop in quality and population, changes the graphic look of planet to look like a ice world
Would really like the ability to strike at other races rather than start a war by destroying or limiting there production on a high quality planet
New techs:
Protection techs that allow a spy to escape off planet instead of being killed (5% chance of escape and evasion per tech researched)
Mind reading to help find spies hiding on your worlds (5 % chance per level research for example)
Mind Cloaking to hide you from spy hunters (5 % chance per level research for example)
Tactics
Individual Spy sent to reduce or destroy critical research holding back a program
Individual Spy changes a build order so instead of a battleship you get a destroyer
Individual Spy sent to send false diplomatic message worsening relations (or improving relations)
Individual Spy sent to release dissenters to lower moral on a planet
Anyone else have some thoughts on this, I am looking forward to the upcoming espionage improvements as spying seems to be a bit limited currently.