It takes some cunning and strategy to be an effective criminal mastermind in Evil Genius 2. This part tycoon part strategy game has players managing an evil lair, committing vile schemes, and working towards world domination.
There are a lot of moving parts in Evil Genius 2 and things can get complicated very quickly. It's not uncommon for players to get overwhelmed in the midgame and get smashed in the end. Here are some pro tips to ensure the cash keeps flowing, minions stay in line, and the forces of good are powerless to stop the dark will of the Evil Genius.
10 Capturing Is Better Than Killing
Enemy Agents can get really annoying. As a result, players are often tempted by removing the threat as quickly and as efficiently as possible. This is further incentivized by minimizing minions' deaths and subsequent body bags.
But in all honesty, you are better served taking the time to capture a few of the stronger Agents. Doing so can result in gaining valuable intel or turning the Agent into a strong loyal minion. It is tedious since it must be done manually, but capturing an Agent and sending them to an Interrogation Station is worth the effort.
9 Have Multiple Incinerators Near Problem Areas
As you progress in the game you'll suffer more and more incursions. These will often result in multiple losses on both sides with body bags littering the base. If these body bags build up too much you will suffer an almost perpetual morale deficit which, if left unchecked. leads to mass desertion and more body bags.
It’s important to have multiple Incinerators throughout the base. Ideally, they should be placed near the areas where battles tend to occur. This allows the minions to remove multiple body bags at a time and minimize the corrosive effect on morale.
8 Counteract Body Bag Depression With Public Executions
One way to counteract the mass of body bags is by executing minions with witnesses present. Doing so will give the other minions a major boost to morale and can be done as many times as needed.
Of course, this isn’t without drawbacks. The body bags will still be around and you’ll lose a minion in the process. But it is a good way to temporarily get minions back on their feet to remove the body bags and get things back to normal.
7 Automate Agent Tagging
While manually tagging each and every Agent that storms into the base is doable in the beginning, it gets tedious later on. There may be multiple Agents or you may be busy with other things and might miss an Agent here and there.
Fortunately, there is the Intruder Protocol research line that gives you the ability to automate Agent tagging. Once unlocked, you can establish Security Zones that will flag any Agents that enter them. Putting these on choke points and entrances ensures that Agents are always tagged without needing your input.
6 Keep Tourists In The Dark
Tourists are a convenient source of passive income once you've established a Casino in your Hotel. As long as the Tourists are happily gambling, the cash will flow into your hands and fund your other criminal activities.
It’s important to make sure that traps, Agents, body bags, and other alarming things are kept away from Tourists. A good way to do this is to have a buffer zone between the Casino and the base. This could be a hallway or even a cluster of lockers.
5 Place Infirmaries Near The Action
When a Minion suffers damage it's important to get them back to full health as quickly as possible. If they have to traipse across the base to get to an Infirmary there’s a chance something will happen to them en route.
It’s best to keep Infirmaries near where the action happens so it’s a short trip for the Minion to receive healing. This will minimize casualties and ensure that Minions are in top shape when the next Agent arrives or if they brush up against traps.
4 Blow Agents Into Traps They Skip
Agents often have a nasty habit of bypassing or nullifying traps as they creep around the base. One effective way to delay and harm Agents is to knock them back into traps with Wind Machines. Wind Machines will knock an enemy up to nine tiles away.
That’s nine tiles of other traps that can trip up or injure the Agent. At the very least a Wind Machine will knock the Agent back and buy time for Minions to show up and deal with the threat.
3 Keep Your Evil Genius Busy
Any one of the four Evil Geniuses makes for a powerful ally to achieving world domination. Too often players keep them on the sidelines and let their greatest tool go to waste. Admittedly you should be careful using the Evil Genius, as their death is an instant game over, but they can be used carefully.
One strategy is to have them dip in and out of combat. They deal more damage than most minions and can give response teams the edge in battle. Other uses include previously mentioned Executions to boost morale and Taunting or Interrogating captured Agents. At the very least keeping them around working minions to lend their Aura of Influence does wonders for productivity.
2 Have An Army Of Technicians
Technicians are generally responsible for two things; maintaining equipment and assisting with the building process. The first responsibility is the primary reason to have an army of Technicians. Lots of things will break down and if they aren’t attended to overall productivity is decreased, Agents survive longer, and fires will break out.
Having Technicians on hand ensures everything stays in tip-top shape and things chug along as efficiently as possible. Even in peaceful times when nothing is broken, a Technician will ensure things are built quickly, keeping efficiency high. Two or even three dozen Technicians is a great start.
1 Keep Fire Extinguishers Near The Vault
There’s nothing worse than watching all that hard-earned gold go up in flames. Having multiple Fire Extinguishers near a vault ensures Minions have a reasonable chance of minimizing how much wealth is lost.
This is especially important if you are using the Evil Genius Red Ivan. His rocket launcher commonly sets objects on fire, although his main problem is triggering the doomsday device H.A.V.O.C. Once used it will cause various parts of the base to be bathed in flames and Murphy’s Law commonly targets the vault.