So I finally had some time to play the new AI patch (1.11). On ridiculous it is starting to feel as good as GalCiv2! This is of course just my opinion, but I noticed that the way I played the game and what I thought about during the game was very different. I play on ridiculous so the creatures alone have as much health as a late game party in most cases and they are very agressive because they fixed the fight/flight AI issues. I also, as many may have noticed, use a set number of specific resources that I keep constant in every patch. Every player gets 3 gold mines, a library, and either a stone pit or an arcane temple within range of their capital and first expansion. The Baddies start on one side and the umm... Weaklings start on the other. In the middle there are a good mix of heroes and creatures that generally wipe each other out and then head towards nearby players. This is as it should be.
I used to be totally concerned with what was fair to the baby AI. I would refrain from do any research into diplomacy. I had to constantly avoid exploits to keep the game going past 200 turns and everytime the AI would get stuck I gave them huge sums of money and then went to war with them to get them to build an army without liking me too much. I would limit the game to diplo/conquest victory and try to play God for the civs that had trouble with economy.
Last game I played I began the same pattern, but this time the player locations got fubar and I was left with Empire all around my capital. I thought it to be a glitch with the cartographer's table, as often happens with your updates Stardock, but it turns out that the Kraxis had just traded starting places with the Capitar. They were far away, but were forging a city-trail straight for my capital and using every outpost to make forward observers, which somehow linked up with pioneers and proceeded to surround all the shiny resources I had near my capital. Because of this my economy flopped and I couldn't afford any traveling heroes that usually serve as the main source of my army. They also took my library so I couldn't research better weapons. If I hadn't gotten leather in time I would have been run over like frogboy usually is when he plays in his demos, I jest you good sir frog.
After successfully raking the nearest outposts near my city and needing to use all my mana for food spells, I was in good shape to use their own strategy against them. I simply followed the roads and towns they had built, capturing and razing along the way, until it led me to their capital. Of course I attacked and met them at a draw (I retreated like a Tarthian rat).
I was fairly satisfied that they had stopped the spearhead of my attack and was forced to go after smaller victories to reduce their army's ability to train, which they took full advantage of. I cannot be sure if it was planned or mere coincidence, but the damn AI players all started researching adventure and let loose some "ridiculous" level beasts that snuck in my back door, doing what one does back there, to my economy.
I then rage-uninstalled.

So I guess what I am saying is that this update was a game-changer for me. Go frak yourselves though.