Fully read the patch notes.

Make adjustments to my list of custom empires.

Choose one that seems strong/interesting or create a new one if it doesn't fit my current list.

Play at least half a dozen games out to 30-50 years to get a feel for the early game, fine tuning empires as I go.

Choose an empire I've had success with and play a game I actually intend to finish with a 2350 end game 5x crisis.

Move end game date to 2300 and go again.

Try to anticipate what a human would do to murder me early and make adjustments.

Be not terrible anytime there's a multiplayer game.

Repeat steps as necessary if I encounter premature purging.