Noob Help

Friends and I have been trying and trying and trying to play even against moderate AI and we can't even make it past the first 10 minutes without getting steam rolled. Easy AI is way too boring, they don't ever attack you, yeah it was fun at first learning the game but it's beyond boring knowing there's 0% chance the AI will attack you and stand a chance, but cranking the AI up one notch is insane. After trying for weeks I've managed to finally beat them in aging up and I start pumping out archers (I tend to play archer civs) but I'm nearly always starved for something and cannot even stand a chance. If I focus on my economy only and rush to Castle before focusing on military it's a guaranteed loss, the AI will just spam something at me before I have a chance to build anything, so naturally I've tried to balance the focus between building an early force and economy, which means they get to castle before I do, and it's good game. Does the AI cheat? I don't get it. I've watched untold hours of pro and guide like gameplay for years now and this game pisses me off to no end. My friends don't like to play the game because it's too hard and we don't stand a chance, or it's too boring cuz the AI is so easy. So what's the deal? Is the AI broken and the only way to play against other people?