Calculate the following ratios for tiny,small,medium.large, huge hull sizes
1) Hull space/ Cost - Useful for cost efficency
2) Hull space/ logistics - Useful for fleet efficiency - The maximum firepower I can squeeze into a fleet given X logistics
3) Hit point/Cost
4) Hit point/Logistics.
1) Space/cost ratios from tiny to huge are 0.46,0.47,0.48,0.50,0.50.
You get slightly more bang for buck when using bigger hulls. However, given that component size varies with hull size, this isn't quite a win for the bigger hulss.
3) Hitpoint/cost ratios from tiny to huge are 0.17,0.18,0.20,0.27,0.31
For the same cost, you get slightly more Hitpoint by building larger hulls.
2) Space/logistics ratios from tiny to huge are 8.00,8.67,9.50, 9.17 ,10.00
A strange dip at the large hull... Seems to imply that a fleet of medium ships might be better than large ones..
Generally speaking though except when comparing medium to large,fleets made up of bigger hulls, have higher total space. However, the comment about larger component size is still relevant. Another gain a fleet of fewer but bigger ships has over a fleet of numerous but smaller ships is that the former requires less raw engines.
Of course, typically your logistics ability isn't some multiple of the hull size, so at times, smaller hulls might be better if you want to use up every logsitics ability. E.g If you have a logistics ability of 12, you can have a fleet of 3 medium but only 1 large. This will give you more total space, and almost equal total hit points if you opt for the former.
Also fleets made up of smaller but more numerous ships can divide their forces....
4) Hitpoint /logistics ratios from tiny to huge are 3.00,3.33,4.00,5.00,6.25
So again, assuming maximising of logistics ability, a fleet made of larger hulls will have more hit point then one made of smaller hulls using the same logistics.
Other considerations :
One difference of course is that a fleet of small but numerous fleets even given the same total hitpoints, suffers attriction more quickly, and loses a porportion of its firepower faster.
On the other hand, the less numerous ships destory enemy ships at a slower rate. E.g A fleet made of one Huge ship with attack 200 can at best destory one ship per turn, while a fleet of 5 smaller ships that have 40 attack each, can in theory take down 4 ships per turn.
Another advantage is that a fleet of smaller ships can split up.
This can be significant, if you attack AI planets protected by a ton of ships indidivually (no orbital defender or whatever that allows ships to band), and you have one huge ship with low speed. In the worse case scenario (unlikely though), a huge ship with 1 speed, can kill only one defender each turn, while the same fleet made up of say 2 medium, can split up from the fleet, and each makes a seperate attack destroying two.
