[Mephisto]

Mmm, I nearly always play with these settings:

1.) CP Difficulty: Hard
2.) CP Bonus: None or small
3.) Number of Cps: Medium
Don’t play with to much opponents as this will only hamper the AI from getting a solid production base to battle you.

4.) Player Settings: Leave it as it is.
5.) Tech Cost: High
6.) Events: That’s up to you not much influence on the AI
7.) Map: Select a large map. Combined with a medium number of players this will give the AI some room to expand and build production.
8.) The rest is up to you.

Well, not that much of help, I’m afraid.