If you want hidden tricks and slick tactics you will get them with these guys. They are very good at what they do. It is almost frightening how well they know this game and how to exploit the weapons, formations, and strategies of the game.
The thing that I have noticed time and again is that once everyone reaches a certain weapons tech level everyone becomes more or less evenly matched and the dynamic of the game changes from a tech race to who can blow up whos planets first.
The only way to gain the advantage once everyone has the advantage of superior weapon technology is to go after their resource supply lines. Fleets seldom engage each other unless they have no choice and the turn after turn is spent in a cat and mouse game of seek and destroy.
If you do not anihilate your opponent early on, when you do have the advantage, then you will more likely wish you had after he and you are evenly matched and he begins to pose a sincere threat to your galatic way of life.
No plans of universal domination can prepare you for the loss of a huge fleet to a relatively small number of ships, out dated ships that is. So when it happens, its is because the other guy knew a trick that you did not. I call these occurances by names such as:
Operation Slick weasle
Operation Sneaky Bastard
Operation Backstabber
Operation I should have seen that one coming.
So on and so on.
