The Agency interview declassifies an operative's role

Hal Milton, lead designer of The Agency, continues to declassify restricted information regarding the upcoming spy-mercenary MMO shooter. This time he discloses details regarding operatives that can be recruited for either of the two factions in the game. Operatives function as collectible NPCs that will help build your espionage network. You can collect, trade, and bet operatives away; Milton puts it "...similar [to] but not exactly the same as what folks have seen in collectible card games in the past."

Now, how do these pawns work strategically in a spy thriller like The Agency? First of all, there are four types of operatives: combat, stealth, support, and social. Obviously, each one has a particular skill; some can gather intel to help direct you on your mission, others can provide direct support by securing a checkpoint or causing a distraction that'll help you pass tricky spots. One interesting thing about operatives is that you may have to sacrifice one in order to find out the truth about certain aspects in a mission -- then you'll have to face the repercussions of your decision. Tie this up with the ability to swap operatives between the UNITE and ParaGON groups and you're sure to have a convoluted, quadruple-crossing, bloody spy-game on your hands.

It's all rather an intricate and unique system. So if you find all of this confusing (as you should because anything that involves spies always is), then it might be a good idea to check out the rest of the in-depth interview over at The Agency HQ.