well, time to throw my two cents in:
My fleet strategy is classic: if there really is more than one way into enemy territory, I build multiple fleets of about the same strength. when on the defensive (which is really just waiting to go offensive) they sit aroun gauss cannons within my forwardmost outpost (or at the star, or some other adjoining neutral territory). When I launch an offensive it is usually with only a slight distance between the launch of the two, the result usually is that an enemy who divides up his forces is overwhelmed very quickly, or a steamroller will lose a LOT before he gets both fleets down (in most cases if you can draw the main fleet away, the homeworld as well). Capitol ship allocation falls down to usually having a couple cap ships in each, although more marzas if I'm going against the homeworld (oh, ps. Marza >>> Kol)
although there are exceptions to my rule, when attacking in a big steamroller is a very good idea:
-generally when the game focuses on a single area, like in fire&ice
-when you're enemy only has a few clumped planets (which was the circumstance, because and only because of the pirates)
I pulled this strategy off pseudo succesfully last night, except for two very unfortunate circumstances: I launched two offensives, one with 6 or so cobalts against a lower asteroid while the other was two marzas and a few cobalts against his homeworld. Unfortunately the lower asteroid, while not wiped out, was completely surrounded by pirates of which he had not erradicated from 20 minutes earlier, while they wouldnt have been a problem on their own he chose the moment when they were at my tails to phasespace in. the result, was, well, dissasterous. I had to jump to a neighboring grav well where he chased me with the two caps, where my already damaged sova and 2 frigs (all others were torn by the fricking pirates) were easily destroyed. (basically if the guy had killed the pirates first, I would have easily steamrolled over him)
anyway back with my marzas: I destroyed his point-defense cluster rather quickly and with ease and sent my marzas to go about bombing his homeworld, at this point he began sending a light flow of frigs at me that were easily countered by the few frigs I had. I succeeded in bombing 3/4 out of his planet when his main fleet arrived (freshly leveled from slaughtering my other fleet) IF things had gone according to plan with the sova, he would have been one ship down and defeating him would have been easy... but no, and no, so I had to retreat
but at the end of the day the damage done to him was VERY severe, his planet would take a while to recover, his point defenses had been wiped out, and pirates which he ignored where still diddly daddlying around in his asteroid belt. unfortunately I estimate that our damages were about equal, but mostly due to unfortunate circumstance.
