Expand as hard and fast as you can to at least 4 cities (meaning chop a lot, whip if needed), set up cottages and granaries, whip more settlers. Expanding to 8-12 cities is often not hard. If you are boxed in to 4-5 cities, attack at construction or HBR. Cuirassiers are very strong, because gunpowder units ignore walls/castle.
I didn't mention settling a GE.
In general in this game, short run is a lot more important than long run. If we are being generous, maybe settling is worth 15
/T. Remember what I estimated the value of a golden age to be.
Grocers and markets are very weak in conquest games (as most buildings are), but I'd build them in space games.
If I go for construction, I go for it for purpose of taking an AI out, yes. If I don't go for construction asap, it's just another tech to be backfilled later.
I won't be making YouTube content. Enough on my hands right now.
I think you would benefit a lot from watching a few Lain games. His play teaches you zero bad habits, his strategy is very good and he is technically accurate. Of course you need to have a very good grasp of the basics to understand what he is doing.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBiPHqnZ3mwIqtraltox6jg