C4:
Yes the first problem you cite is pretty bad. I've seen it over and over again as well. Even when at war, the AI's handling of the conflicts are inept at best and border on criminal at worst. This is definately something which needs looking into and will prolly be addressed in a future patch...I hope.
The second 'problem' is an intended feature called 'Mega Evil AI'. Basically, it IS supposed to gang up on the winner at some point. I think this is a good thing and forces you to be more self sufficient in the later stages of the game rather than depending on Trade to float your econ.
You CAN turn this off however. Go into the 'settings' file and change 'AI uses Mega Evil' from TRUE to FALSE. That should take care of that issue for you.
But, I still think the 'Diplomacy' has miles to go. It seems to be limited to 'Treaties', 'General Messages' and 'Request to remove presence/break treaty with bad guys' Messages. I know there are ALOT more Messages and whatnot in the data, but I rarely if EVER see them. Where are the Demands for gifts? Why can I freely colonize planets in my 'allies' HOME SYSTEM without drawing a protest?
One thing that would really liven up the game IMO would be that AI 'Allies' drag you into conflicts. If your ally is attacked, they should be requesting help. You should be REQUIRED to give help or else lose the Treaty or some other diplomatic penalty assessed. As it is now, I feel like Daffy Duck arming both the dog and cat for their war against each other.
Even in the cartoon, both sides EVENTUALLY figured out what Daffy was up to and ganged up on HIM.
Oh well, I guess what is lacking is consequences for your actions. Allying with everyone and their mother should come at a price should one or more of them go to war. You should be force to choose sides. And with the possibility of being forced into a major conflict with little warning would come a requirement to maintain a standing military. This, in turn would slow down the insane advantage in expansion that a human player has over the AI who IS always maintaining a fleet of ships that it rarely uses (or uses properly at least).
None of this would require major coding IMO. Simply altering existing code and adding in a few tweaks here and there. I hate to say this, but MOO accomplished a FAR better diplomatic/race model 5 years ago! Even in regards to the way the AI fights, I think MOO/MOO2 prioritized targets and whatnot far better...of course MOO/MOO2 ALSO cheated at an insane level so pick your poison, I guess.
Its all a complicated issue and I'm willing to wait and see what comes out to rectify the situation. SE3 had some major upgrades done to it and I'm hoping that SE4 will receive the same treatment. Yes, it is kind of disappointing that as it is now, the AI feels 'cardboard' at best, but the game SYSTEM is so well done that I'm sure it will be worth the wait.
Talenn