Most balanced game settings?

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From my experience Indy lvl 6-7 is a good choice for expansion speed if any AI play. For pure MP game you can go to 8 or even try 9 (but this may cause real expansion problems !).
Site at 40% are already plentiful enough. About research I'm more uncertain : sure Hard research makes for a less SC intensive game, and makes normal troops more worthwhile, but OTOH it has the side effect of even more strengthening powerful nations (such as Caelum, with its very good AG starting spell and quickly available LB), and make poor ones even poorer (such as TC)... So no obvious solution.