How does Surveil Location work?

[g0d0fnerds]

So, I get news that an enemy councilor has been spotted in <LOCATION>
I send a councilor to surveil <LOCATION>
It tells me the odds of success are 100%
I confirm assignments.
Immediately, I get the report that the location has been successfully surveyed, and there is never a result. I never find anything there.

Is the mechanic essentially that you always "succeed" in generating a report and the game won't even tell you if you failed, because then you'd know someone was there? I'm really confused as to the usefulness of the mission.

[ExavierMacbeth]

The popup you got was a passive detection... If you get that then you can have someone use Investigate Councilor to get more info on the person.

Surveil Location is primarily used to find Councilors that are still undetected. This works best when you use it to surveil the location of an abduction to try and find the alien councilor that triggered it (as oposed to Investigate Alien Activity to look at the abduction site).

The other use it has is finding the Alien Fauna plant stuff so you can kill it... Especially if your previous attempt to burn it failed or said it was only partially successful (You have to serveil so you can target it again).

[Warlon]

I seem to find more 'stuff' when i have an Investigation buffed do the 'search' but it just might be me thinking it matters.

[ExavierMacbeth]

Originally posted by Warlon:

I seem to find more 'stuff' when i have an Investigation buffed do the 'search' but it just might be me thinking it matters.

No it will find more stuff in the area... I think it actually triggers an investigation check against each object within the region you surveil + each connected region. Doesn't gaurentee you will spot everything but I have had it show me alot more than I was looking for.

[silverfang17]

Survey Location is best to describe as an active way to sniff-out councilors and alien structures around the point of survey location. It is the best used early game to slow down the progress of aliens and destroy all of the alien structures on earth.

[wei270]

ok there is passive detection and active detection, you always have some passive detection every where but it is very low, then all your agents have passive detection base on their int stats, which they will pick up things in the province they are on,

And Then there is Survey location, which can reveal everything, almost every time, and it also pick up thing in adjacent province.