I've found the best way to get a balanced game is to open a 1vs1, large units, 15k and no rules. Spammers have learnt by now that spamming only makes them lose, so the last time I tried this and played 5 battles not a single one was spamming. Then I joined some servers with rules etc. and there I saw more spam than anywhere else. Often those "rule guys" just pick rules that'll make ONE faction overpowered compared to the others, then pick that faction themselves. If you limit cavalry to 5 units for all factions but cavalry factions, then greece becomes overpowered. If you limit artillery then greece and parthia become overpowered. If you limit eles rome, germania, macedon becomes overpowered and carthage becomes underpowered. If you limit chariots, then pontus become underpowered and macedon, seleucids and romans become overpowered. If you limit number of units of same type, phalanx faction become underpowered because they need at least 8-10 units to make a good phalanx line. Etc. etc. If you choose "no rules" and bring a balanced all-round army you really shouldn't have any problems with any excessive-use-of-one-unit/unit-type spam. I don't have any problems winning over them, especially not the latest games I've played. And if the spammers lose, they'll either stop playing the game or stop playing the game that way, and then the result is that everyone can play serious games with balanced armies.