I had the same ideas as you and you can improve the performance of the neutral AI empires to a certain point by editing the files. However the culture e.g. does not work completely (production bonus seems not to work). With the map editor you will probably have more effective possibilities: Give them a system with ten huge planets all with breathable atmosphere! And if someday we could chose starting tech levels individually for each empire this would be the perfection.
[This message has been edited by Q (edited 13 April 2001).]
Yeah, I would like to make the neutrals a LOT tougher. Right now, unless you are boxed in by them early, they don't pose much of a problem. I would like them to be like an advanced society that decided not to expand.