"Best" game settings?

[Black Hammer]

Obviously this is an opinion thing, but I'm curious what settings people feel provides the best gameplay experience (for them) and why. Map types and size, game speed, or even number of major/minor factions relative to map size.

I'm finding myself removing numerous AI players per map just to be able to break 100 turns without meeting all the other players.

[AtomicD0G1]

I typically play on King with Enormous map (mod) with the default 16 civs, map style typically random. The only time I've gotten to 100 turns without encountering another Civ is on island maps.

[cerberusiv]

I am new to VI and playing at Prince while I learn the game. I'm using what I played V with. Island plates so you get some peace and quiet to develop your early cities. Standard size as island landmasses don't have enough area on smaller maps. Epic speed so units don't become obsolete too quickly.

Not sure if it is really working out like that though.

One interesting thing, some people complain about barbs but I am seeing AI civs fail to expand to fill their initial landmass and when I send some military over the place is overrun with obsolete barbs and I can pick up several settlers and builders and found 2 or 3 cities to grab resources I don't have. Sweet.

[pitonsnaboca]

Independently of difficulty, I go for spaceous games so I can build up a nice empire and usually not coming across more than one civ until I stablish 3~4 cities.
So,
- enormous maps (mod),
- 2x longer research and civics time (mod), so units don't become obsolete too fast,
- game speed normal,
- high sea level, (luv god of the seas pantheon)
- island plates/other with medium sized land masses (can't remember the name),
- against 5-7 civs.

(never had a clumped up start with another civ, ever)

[Synavix]

In 5 I almost always played large islands or small continents, epic speed, usually random civ. Haven't really found a setting for 6 I like that much. The new continents map is sometimes too large and repetitive, while island plates is usually too small to let you spread out several cities per island. Never liked fractal, and shuffle seems to litter the map with way too many lakes. I play standard speed the most often. I like epic speed, but it gets a bit too tedious in the late game with how expensive production is.

[DAYGO]

Fractal map (Enormous) with 20civs and 24 city states, balanced start. I play always as Roman.
and normally Play as Prince, only Dominion or Points victory. I win with points (500turns setting) or Dominion between 620/650turns. So now I'll try with 600 cuz it gonna be to boring after 500 as the only one power nation in the game. If you think I can make it with King level I'll try too.

[rgraham666]

One thing I always do is set resources to 'Abundant'.

Doesn't help much as, in my opinion, the game is set up to make sure the human player doesn't get Strategic Resources. No matter how big my empire is Strategic Resources, especially the later ones, tend to spawn outside my territory.

Like the time my empire covered a whole continent, except for one hex. Guess where the only oil on the continent spawned?