A question on shooting techniques for those who dabble in Milky Way photography (although this will apply to anyone shooting panos).

We are getting close to Milky Way season, and I work in a very remote location.

I'm after thoughts and suggestions on the shooting of the Milky Way where not all of the scene is covered by one shot.

Do panoramic stitching programs (I have both Photoshop CC and the PTGui software) prefer the shots to be taken in vertical rows or horizontal rows? Should I start shooting the scene from the top left corner and pan down with each successive shot, or pan right?

Any thoughts would be very appreciated.
Cheers.