I play with always at war, raging barbarians, and aggressive AI. Basically turning it more into a war sim than a regular sim.
It should also be noted that BTS is a freaking piece of shit. Seriously, I'm not using that term lightly here. I don't know how a company can make Civ4 so nicely, and then crap all over it with an expansion pack. The AI in BTS is so ungodly hideous and broken.