[QuarianRex]

I also noticed that the AI seems to be a bit slugish as far as expansion goes. I sat researching for a loooooong time before I went on an exploration binge. By the time I got to the AIs they were still making colony ships, had expanded no further that the next system ad there were virtually no other ships to be seen.

I would think that this might be due to the extreme cost of colony ships and the required number in construction.txt. Perhaps if you had them produce a butt-load of spaceyards before the colony ships this would allow the AIs to produce an actual fleet as well as colony ships. Tis an idea.