SE4 Strategy - An Art or a Science?

[Askan Nightbringer]

Hi all,

I've just completed my 7th multiplayer game (Maelstrom..been running since mid Last year).
I've witnessed hundreds of combats and puzzled over the setup of 50 or so human empires.

Now my quesiton - "Is the strategy to this game an art or a science?"

By art I mean does it rely on player skill, the ability to know when and where to attack and when to retreat, etc, etc.

By science I mean is it purely empire setup and research goals. Then build the correct fleet makeup and go whack.

Now I tend to believe its pretty much a science. Empire setups by experienced players are converging to the one model, ship designs are starting to all look the same. There might be some variation depending on personal taste and what was found in ruins but I'm convinced there is a model for success and if one player is using it and you are not then your in big trouble.

Of course I'm really only talking about strategies vs humans. Versus the AI you can pretty much do anything you want

Cheers,
Askan