Man..... I gotta say, I thought originally that I was flat out -screwed- in this game. Started right in the center, got hemmed in on all sides, had a sub-par income, and few attractive options. After a long research hiatus (go go Magic3!) I was ready to roll, and wow..... I've never had so much fun playing Caelum, and the nation is doing great now.
That said..... well, I will be bummed if the game ends, but setting Ashdod to AI will certainly bend me over, with such a long border between our nations.
So, I vote for 1, but if it's too hard to find a sub, I would sadly vote for 3.