For that matter, do you beeline for Bronzeworking or try to get a religion? Do you try to found more than one religion (for the happiness and research benefits in early game due to the religious buildings, and for the free religion benefit in lategame), or even try to found one at all?

I guess what I'm asking is, what do you research in the very beginning of the game, and why?

Really depends on who I am playing. I vary according to my starting techs. If I start with Mining and some forests I usually start with a worker and research bronzeworking. Then chop a second worker and then a settler.

If I start with Mysticism I usually go for a religion. Not always, though. If I haven't got a three food, one commerce or a two food, one hammer, one commerce tile I sometimes don't.

Anyway, I almost always start chopping before mathematics.

If I have an isolated start I'll go for founding religions and building wonders. If I have neighbours then I will chop out an army in short order as unfortunately it's the only sure way of being able to beat the AI.

i try not to but sometimes i need it.

Tree haters. :sad:

Whether or not I go for a religion is most often dependent on the availability of luxury resources. Not having enough of them really hinders the early game IMHO.

Tree haters. :sad:

Tree lovers don't you mean!! Trees are mother's milk for hungry newborn civs. :goodjob:

Tree lovers don't you mean!! Trees are mother's milk for hungry newborn civs. :goodjob:

Quoted for truth. Let me add there is no way to win a solid multi game, or emporer + without chop rushing.

If I have a shot at getting religion as my first tech then religion it is then.

Other than that bronze working asap

I'm a bit cautious with chopping generally.

If there are trees round the capital I will beeline for bronze working and chop 3-5 to fuel my early expansion.

I also chop to clear useful tiles - river grasslands in a cottage city for example.

If I need to get early military, I'll chop that too.

However, I try to leave a goodly number intact if I'm intending to play a long game. The health bonus and lumbermills become quite amazing later in the game IMO.

1 heavily forested city for the National Park can be nice if you have the luxury.

If I need chopping I try to cut outside the BFC of any cities as much as possible.

As for religion it depends where/who my neighbours are and what sort of game I'm playing. Owning/seizing a big shrine is always on my list somewhere!

BW is nearly always in the first 3 techs I research. The only exception normally is if I've got a Chariot UU. If I've got 5 or more flood plains I might go for Pottery before BW too. I normally chop everything round my capital before I've got Maths, for later cities it depends on what I'm planning.

I never go for one of the first 3 religions, risking annoying your neighbours, and possibly an unwanted war, early on for 1 extra happinness isn't really worth it most of the time I find. If I'm isolated I might try to get either Conficianism or Taoism, but only if I need it, the more AI founded religions there are the more likely it is that they'll dislike each other.

I try to avoid chopping before I get Mathematics unless I want to get an early wonder like Pyramids, Great Wall or Oracle or when I have found a good city location and there is another civ nearby. I will also chop forrested hills to build mines.
Founding an early religion is tricky. In most of my games it has done more harm than good to my economy and I feel penalised when I have Mysticism as a starting tech. I prefer going for worker techs first to make my cities more productive and connect them to my trade network. My early research path is always dependant on the terrain and available resuorces.
When I have all relevant techs for a sound infrastructure I might try to found a religion with Monotheism or Code of Laws.

Trees become wonders :)

Its quite realistic, you spend most the game cutting down trees, then you get to modern times and its like OMG the world is almost treeless we have to save the trees :lol: