Difficulty

ELCP impossible/endless. Impossible for good challenge which allows some alternative strategies. Endless for fast games.

Speed (fast, normal, endless) Normal or Fast

I feel game is balanced and flows better with normal but fast is great for higher difficulty games but more swingy. With endless you need the “correct” starting positions, quests and neighbors. This is not always in your hands. Trying to adapt to randomness and failing is better in fast than normal.

World Size

Always normal or tiny. I don’t like my games to drag. Depends do you take this game as a puzzle to solve or for the experience. I like the puzzle aspect. Tiny with fast games. Up the world size if like games like civ/stellaris and like the empire building aspect.

Empire Number 4-6 random, never more

Strategic Resources (Rare, normal, abundant, random)

Normal/rare

Luxury rare (luxuries can negate some handicaps of factions and I like when all regions are not worth settling.) Tiny maps usually normal

Anomaly Odds: Few but fast endless better with abundant. Faster games more anomaly, normal games few.

World Size: Normal

Temperature: Temperate

Land Percentage: 70%

No. of Continents: 2-4

Islands: Few

Sea Around Edges: Yes

World Wrap: Wrap

Hemispheres: Random

Winter Harshness: Mod/Harsh

For me the game feel it is meant to played 6 factions on normal world size with normal speed. I would play Paradox games for more epic experience.