OK as I'm I'll introduce my self.
The last (and first) SG I played was PH09 which was a BTW monarch that we lost. So at least it looks like we should win this one
I'm based in the UK, so and can play most weekday nights from between 2200 and 0100. Over the weekend, it may be tougher (but my no means impossible) to fit a turn in depending on family commitments.
As I understand it, this is somewhat of a learning experience, for ppl too. So I thought I'd make some suggestions on things that don't look quite right to me.
So taking a look at where we are...
* I'd be expecting barbs soon, so we need to think about a couple of skirmishers to protect our workers and improvements.
* We've a worker building a road near fixed mistake instead of putting a pasture on those horses.
* I agree that we want to get some settlers out to get the first 4 or 5 cities built. Maybe with the cottage head start we could get even more out.
* We need to find some production cities. dot-mapping and city placement is one of my weak areas, to I'll defer to the maps that have gone before. We do need some solid costal production as we're going to need a navy soon to get some tech trading underway.
* The stone/cows/copper location to the east looks like we might get some good production out of there.
* It seems to me the CS slingshot might be on here. If we can get the workers over the "fixed mistake" and get chopping, we might get the oracle, and pick up CS for it, then switch to bureaucracy.
* Once we've got a settler or two out, I'd drop a cottage and work the cows. We want to get a library in there as soon as. I'd probably grow 1 unhappy face, then do a 2pop whip and not manage the overflow properly :/
could be worth getting a gally out to explore as there may be others to meet before we get optics.
As it's an isolated start, I guess we're looking for a builders tech path up to optics and liberalism. Then see if we hunker on down and get into space first, or if we bust some heads. So, I guess we need to go something like
Finish CoL (CS via oracle )
fishing -> sailing, (get a galley or two out to see who's out there)
Alphabet, metal casing, machinery, compass, optics.
Then go for philosophy, (picking up literature for the great library if we can) then head towards liberalism.
By then we should know where we're going, and how's head we need to bash
I started an obelisk in Timbuktu, largely because it was quick, I already had a warrior, and I didn't want to build a worker at size 1.
per turn, and let us put a scientist in there if we want to slow down the growth. Maybe we wouldn't want to do that though. I'm not good at doing the maths to prove one plan is better than another, I just tend to go on instinct. Probably why I won't get much above monarch when playing 
CH is a perfect candidate to whip ~ let it grow into unhappiness, whip that library for 3 pop, and hire two scientists at the happy cap ~ viola ~ GREAT sci city for the early going.
