My Newbie-ish questions

[Willem]

to 1a: Is it a good idea to chop down all those forests asap? I sort of thought it would be clever to save a few, so that later you can make some lumber mills and so that you have some more health? Is that silly of me?

No it's not silly of you. Not only do get you later game benefits like being to able to build Lumbermills, and with BtS we now have Preserves which are also worth saving them for, but new forests will regrow from the ones you leave behind. So you can sometimes get a second or third chop from a tile if you leave some of the forest alone. I always try to save at least four Forest tiles for later, preferably two Plains Forests for Lumbermills and two Grassland Forests for Preserves, though I'll make exceptions if I'm short of either.

 

[mystyfly]

to 1a: Is it a good idea to chop down all those forests asap? I sort of thought it would be clever to save a few, so that later you can make some lumber mills and so that you have some more health? Is that silly of me?

It's a nice idea to keep a few forests. Try to keep an even number as every forest gives 0.5 health. This makes it very attractive for production cities which often have health problems. It is a good idea to chop them asap since 30 hammer early on are much more worth than at 2000 AD.

to 1b: First of all, I want to emphasize that I mean the very early game. Then, I find it fairly hard to "get religion" from my neighbors at all. I almost never get any religion from my neighbors before open borders, and even then infrequently, and open borders is no longer early early-game (but more like mid-to-late early game). Caste system I have never run, since I hardly have the food to support so many specialists and the tech needed for caste is late early game. Hereditary: yes, always, its my choice until I get the democracy-type techs, but it's also not real early. So basically are you saying: Dont worry about religion as a culture-spreader or happiness factor at all? (Since once I get it from my neighbors, it's basically the Medieval ages.)

You should look at religion as a diplomatic tool. Except if you build stuff like USak, AP or SM ([caution, shameless self-promo] to see how those wonders work, check the SG "Infinite City Sprawl 01 - Manhattan Empire", link in my sig), then it can act as a kind of economy. The hammers for missionaries are usually better spent otherwise so you should build monuments. And you only get +1 happiness (+2 if you build a temple) so you better build a unit for the cost of a missionary. You should definitely get a religion in the BCs (if one of the AIs founded one). However, if you play on the lower levels, the AI doesn't have that many bonuses and thus builds fewer missionaries.
You should use caste system only if you have the food to support those specialists. Otherwise better use slavery. If you want to generate most of your beakers via specialists, the 2 slots of the library aren't enought. If you only run specialists in 1-2 cities (GP-Frams) to generate GPs, other specialists can be used as well so you don't really need caste system.

to 3: Yes, I dont specialize enough. I just dont see really how or why. I am almost always desperate for money until the Renaissance, and hence every little bit counts. So I try to make almost all cities generate as much as they can. In order to do so, they shouldnt be small (and lots of small cities cost more anyhow), hence I need food. Food is also good for slavery. And since I cant built squat without hammers, I need some production too, although production seems the least important element (since I can rush with slavery and later with money). In the late game, I always have many more hammers than I can use. I almost never see a reason to skip making a multiplier building (grocer, market, library, bank, forge, etc.), is it really not worth it? What could I be making in the meantime that's more useful than a long-term payoff?

As someone said, specialisation is only needed as you move up. On the lower levels, your settlers don't have to come so early, you don't need that much military to prevent your neighbors from attacking you and you have more time to spend on wonders. Just play a game on deity or so and you'll see that you simply don't have the time for building everything.

I play large, huge marathon games. I rarely war, doing so mostly against civs that poach a city site I want (or if they continually bombard me with spies.) If I get a low commerce start (lots of jungle say) then I'll let the AI settle around me and take the cities later if necessary. Tech lead will often translate into superior troops, meaning you don't need as many units as the AI will have. If you get lucky with ivory war elephants will pretty much keep you secure either defensively or for short offensive wars through the middle ages. With or without ivory, the statue of zeus is almost a 'must' if you faced with aggressive neighbors.

Wouldn't you prefer your empire to be defended by 12 more archers or 7.5 more swords than a shiny statue?
If some civ annoys you with their spies, use counterespionage.

... Your first two religions though will probably only be possible with a civ that starts mysticism (and some early commerce.)

... like spain on a lake?
Btw if I found confucianism or christianity, I really like to use the missionary to convert a neighbor. 1 he is a target for my other neigbors so I'm less likely to be attacked and 2. he spreads my religion so I get more gold from my shrine.

If you find a "flood plains" location, that's obviously going to be your commerce city.

Not obvious at all. If it is the only high food site available, use it as a GPfarm. Your cities are what your empire needs.

(Ps... only playing at Prince level and trying to figure out how the heck you build all those wonders without others beating you to it)

Chopping. Check obsoletes games and count how many forests he chops to get those early wonders.