offensive vs. defensive strategy?

[Dogboy]

In fleet formations, I can select offensive and defensive strategies. What's the difference?

Also, I can categorize ships as offensive or defensive under "type". Does that make a difference -- e.g., if my opponent targets offensive ships first then defensive? If so, couldn't someone game this by e.g., setting a colonizer to type "offensive medium ship" and vice versa, throwing off the opponent's tactics?

[Captain Kwok]

An offensive task force strategy is used when the fleet is attacking, while the defensive strategy is used if the fleet is under attack.

Design types have no bearing on target selection. There's some sort of hard-coded analysis that categorizes the ships along the lines of the types in the strategy settings.

[Dogboy]

That makes sense. I suppose if two fleets target e.o., they both use attack formation?

[Captain Kwok]

Not sure. I think it would depend on which empire was considered by the game to have initiated the combat.

[Dogboy]

Well, I'll just have to stop theorizing and do some empirical work.

[BlueTemplar]

I don't understand why this (crucial) part of the AI is hard-coded, while most of the rest of the game is so easily moddable... Maybe because it could be exploited?