There is a lot here to discuss... in general, I like the mock-ups better than what the game currently has. I like that it has different sections for map/human/AI/other factions instead of tabs, and it is better separated (players separate from AI). I also like that you have the basic info in one screen and buttons to open advanced menus for each category - easy to navigate but you can just ignore it. I like the option of creating presets. I like small squares for colors instead of listing the color name.
But one thing I really dislike: as someone who only plays singleplayer, I absolutely hate when the menus for singleplayer have multiplayer specific options. Few things say "this game isn't intended to be played like this" more than having the interface cluttered by a lot of useless options because multiplayer is assumed to be default. Chat window, host options, multiple slots for human players... all of that is making the singleplayer interface busier for no purpose, and unfriendlier. For me either multiplayer has a different menu or you have a modular interface where multiplayer options only appear if the player chooses a multiplayer option.
(About using the chat window as a log in singleplayer... a text log is a pretty ugly interface most of the time. Everything you need to know should be indicated somewhere else by the options current selected, and any changes you want to revert should be done through the interface. It only really works for multiplayer chat, where you can have messages about other players' actions or server state.)
I also think that both "Other options" and "Other factions" are advanced enough that they could use a sub-screen for themselves, making the basic screen just the bare minimum. Customization is super nice, but the default should be good enough for starting out.
Another somewhat minor suggestion: in the basic screen, it could perhaps show a nice big image of the selected Ark instead of just it's name? And maybe give minor factions a representative image like the AI factions, if there is already art available that would work. It could go a long way in giving them some identity.
