Having seen the lates AI reports, an idea came into my mind.
One limitation to tell large scale stories is the amount of detail work you have to do with multiple nations. So how about different levels of control?
One: Full AI Empire - the AI controls all levels of this empire
Two: High Level Human - The human player can issue general decisions (negotiate peace, go to war, explore jump point XY, settle in system / on planet ABC); but everything below that is controlled by the AI
Three: Medium Level Human - The human player can issue additional commands like construct new ships or facilities, move fleets to XYZ, etc.
Four: Human Empire - The human player controls everything
What also would be interesting: to be able to switch between modes. For example control an empire on L2 until it goes to war, then switch to L4 and control all aspects of the war, when it is done switch back to L2... .