I've been enjoying the game but am finding one aspect frustrating.

I like to play on very large maps with 2 or 3 AI competitors - usually one friendly, one neutral and one hostile. But even on immense maps, with only two or three competitors, I routinely run into them in my neighborhood within the first 50-100 turns - and usually it is the most hostile one I seem to run into, well before I'm ready to deal with them on equal terms since I'm a builder more than a warmonger.

Mind you, I'm speaking of seeing their ships or finding their planets, since I'm aware that some factions can have the character trait that reveals all capitals from the beginning of the game and thus can initiate diplomacy from across the galaxy, far out of range of either of our ships or trade.

Is the game designed to deliberately set up hostile opponents close to the human player from the outset? If so, is there a way to set up a new game to ensure that all the sides begin as far away from each other as possible?