I've had a bit of time to think over my editing policy for the last week or so, after creating Willem's map where I avoided my usual edits, and here's what I think is reasonable (given that we still want to make it Noble-friendly).
- Make sure we have whatever resources our UU requires, reasonably nearby.
- Make sure each AI has some form of strategic resource reasonably nearby -- metal or horses -- so they aren't pushovers either for us or for the other AIs.
- Make sure no AI has huge territory into which it can expand unopposed (TMIT's suggestion, especially relevant at higher difficulties).
- Pick a greater variety of map types. Huge should be rare (a noble-friendly, though Earth-starting-in-Europe is probably OK for us lower level dudes).
- Avoid my old favourites (desert to plain, add rivers, and the truly excessive ones like creating a goody hut economy (KK's phrase)).
What about what I did with Willem: regenerate until starting with a food resource we have as an initial tech? Or achieve the same effect by swapping us with an AI with such a food-appropriate start?