How about adding any/all of the mods below:
- Underwater Gameplay Improvement Mod v 0.92 
I didn't try it but the from the description the changes look good balance wise.
- Community sprites. 
- Streamers and Standards 
Just GFX, but oh so cool 
- End game diversity. 
No more tart only end game. 
1.7 can be distributed as base CBM 1.7 (CBM only) and enhanced CBM combined with all the above mods. 
Such a release of 1.7 would be, well, awesome 

And yes, it's possible to mix and match mods manually but it's:
a- repetitive, annoying
b- not fail proof (conflicts)
c- You never know whether the mods you combine are supposed to work together (thematically)
There are already a few combo mods around. I like them all but most are focused on nations, not on enhancing vanilla game. 
I think llamabeast mentioned a possible combo with his diversity mod but I've no idea where this stands.
CBM++ is something I'd really love to see.
Edit: 

, I had a vague recollection of mentioning this in another thread. Turns out to be this thread. Sorry for the repeat.