I help run a site over here in the UK and play routinely on other sites as well and have a great time doing so!
If you are interested in a few sites that would be of use try these two ones
UKAN
or
Airsoft Community
ANy questions should be answered on here - even if you are in the States and they are UK based, they are a good resource
As for the use of high caps - they are great if you are a beginner 'cos you don't have to reload so much and if in the states like over here, sites have an ammo limit per game a couple of high caps would get you started and save you money
Once you get into it more then you can get some standards cos its alot more fun having to change when you are getting shot at!
Also, upgrading the gearbox can be an expensive thing to start with so maybe you could look into getting a tighter fit barrel cos that would make some range difference! There's no point spending shit loads of money just to find that you dont enjoy it
Oh yeah, is it true that you have to have an orange mark on your gun to show its an airsoft weapon and not a real one?