Addressing a few topics here:
Extensions and time delays can be painful when staling nations are present. Setting nations AI when there is a chance they might attack former teamates can be an issue until they are reduced to the point where they no longer are a threat. Then it is only a time issue really. If I know who is staling regularly (i.e. who has dropped out or is not being played by someone), I can of course force host after all active players are in.
I've been wondering about the effectiveness of the BI mod and have been trying to gauge its worth for the sequels. I'm glad I'm finally getting some more input from the players. Is the benefit to the AI sufficient to warrant the loss of pretty decent units like barbarians and such for the human players? A tradeoff between more competent AI and unit variety is what using the mod means.
I was thinking of adding the Worthy Heroes mod but it seems to have become integral to the balance mod now. The last standalone version is quite old (wonder if it is still useable under the current Dom3 patch(es)). The version that is built into CBM now, well there's no seperate .DM file for it, and I can't determine whether the heroes used now are specific to the balance mod in some way or another. If not, I could just write another .DM file using them. Squirrel, maybe you know more.
Games 2 and 3 are planned for MA, and LA respectively. You know I can't remember now whether the indies get tougher (and thus pose more problems for the AI nations) or weaker as the age progresses. I'm starting to forget more and more things ...
I am intending to use the simplist ranked list method with each team getting their highest ordered uncontested picks. I can simply specify that no team has both Gath and Neifel in their list. That will take care of the deadly due issue. I will balance that with swaps using the Agema method. I don't intend on going into ABCDDEFGH, or any of that other nonsense though.