Can someone explain how to counter spies?

[Larry]

So yeah... I got to a point where i'm being spammed by spies. It seems like even my allies are spying on me and doing things like disrupting my population, my faction wide(?) vision, diplomacy, everything. It's really irritation and it's at the point where one city is being sabotaged every turn(I've got six cities).

How do I stop this from happening? I can't seem to get my cities beyond 20% security rating and using the "Roundup" ability doesn't do anything. What influences security? What can I do to increase it? It's such a ♥♥♥♥♥!

[TheDeadDude]

First off you need high approval in order for your security to remain as base rating or higher. Base rating for all factions excluding forgotten is 30% security. This can be increased by using governors with certain traits and the security tech.

If your getting infiltrated every turn by ai's its because your security is so low that they can easily reach high infiltration levels. Keep track of exactly which cities are being attacked by spies by reading the city that had its pop decrease or vision stolen etc.
The cities you know are being spied on you should use roundup.

You can buy a forgotten hero to spy on other factions to reveal all of their spies and deal 60% or so damage to them. This requires infiltration level 3 and 4 i believe.

[Larry]

Are there any techs or buildings you can build to help out with security? It just seems pretty limited in dealing with spies if your only two real options are to keep approval high and get a specific hero. Also, doesn't roundup only work if you have security? So if your security is low(Like 0%) and you use roundup you won't find anything? It just seems very limited if that's your only option... o.O

[Charlichrist]

There are traits that help (the Face Reader common trait gives +15/30 security to the town that governor is in), and gear that helps. There is a high level tech that enables a building that helps. Closing your borders might help, the computer *should* need line of sight to send a spy in. Which means the items that provide detection to heroes should help as well (along with watchtowers).

But the easiest way is just getting your approval up.

[Larry]

How do you know if a hero has these abilities or not before you purchase them? Is there any tooltip that specifics their trait specialisation? Also, how do you close borders? Doesn't that cost a lot of influence?

I've seen the AI build watch towers but I couldn't build them... Are they faction specific or tech tree unlocks?

Thanks again!

[Charlichrist]

All heroes have the common traits, the ones in the middle of the field when you are levelling up.

You can also inspect the heroes when you buy them, so see what their capacities exactly do, there's a button next to the hero on the mercenary market.

You get the ability to build watchtowers a few era's into the game.