I tend to make the following classes of ships:
Attack Ships
Carriers
Fleet Tenders
Attack Ships are my front-line combat ships. They take damage and deal it out. There are invariably subdivisions, usually between direct fire and missile ships, as well as any variations designed to defeat a specific tactic (more shields/armor vs. direct fire, more PDCs vs. missile ships/fighters)
Carriers tend be to dedicated later on, but early on they act as my heavy hitters, as well as fighter-deployers. This also covers any other carriers, be they satellites, drones, mines, or troops.
Fleet Tenders repair and resupply the rest of the fleet. They also tend to include the eyes and ears for the fleets (you only need a few sensors to see, after all), as well as any other miscellaneous jobs the fleet might have to do, including medical detail. The basic design is simple: a repair bay + as many solar collectors as you can manage.
The way to win wars is through combined arms. Specialize your ships and put them in fleets with ships that complement their strengths. The surest way to lose a war is to make ships that are jacks of all trades and masters of none.
[ May 08, 2003, 00:58: Message edited by: Hotfoot ]