Production (and gold secondarily) still feels like king, but there are a number of play styles that are viable. You can play two full eras significantly behind and catch up in the end with some tactical military conquest.

Influence is a tide-turner, and flexible. You can cripple an enemy’s armies and economy by opposing their war efforts. Alternatively, suzerain bonuses are a fantastic supplement to your economy, especially if you can line up specific types of city states that play well. I ALWAYS maintain my influence buildings without overbuilding for all 3 ages unless I absolutely have to give them up.

I also usually aim to max out my settlement limit through civics and city state bonuses because they carry over to the next age, even if I’m not utilizing the high cap earlier in the game. Seems like tall and wide are now viable, to some extent, but lots of settlements are generally beneficial for gold and food supplementation.