What are your favorite settings to play on? I usually do:

18 Civs
Noble
Epic Speed
Small
Fractal
Moderate Climate
Medium Sea Level
All Victories
Default in the rest

These days:

Large
Hemispheres (2, all default)
9 civs
Monarch
Average in everything else
All victory conditions allowed

Atm:

18 civs
Huge Map, Marathon Speed, Noble Difficulty
Hemispheres (3 or 4 continents, varied types), Low Sea Levels, Temperate Climate
All Victory types enabled