I almost always go with Ice/Methane when playing against the AI; because there are fewer planets at game start. Makes it a little more of a challenge.
The AI is OK, but I try to give it more advantages (or myself more disadvantages) just to make the games Last a little longer. (Don't use all your racial points, max AI bonuses and difficulty, etc.)
EDIT: Hey, I just noticed tomorrow is my 4 year "birthday" for this forum.
