I love space games, I really do. But.. this game seems waaay too massive for me to get into.
You don't have to understand everything for couple of games.
When creating new game make universe of just couple systems without any life then chose in the Starting empire parameters "conventional empire" give "number of starting resarch facilities at least 15" "and starting tech points 0".
You will have to resarch and design everything by yourself (use tutorials), learn to make and use task forces, assign captains...
Concentrate on small goals like building a shuttle with trans-newton engines, geosurvey moon, create colony on mars... ...don't have to conquer 500 system universe in first play.
Read steves fiction specially Trans newton campaign. (Part 1-5 are fascinating and partially disturbing...part 6 is fucking terrifying.) It will give you inspiration and teaches you many usefull stuff.
The TNT story campaign is wonderful, it really kept me on my seat, and so far the best bit of sci fi I read this year. It has no conclusion, just FYI. It doesn't end on a cliff hangar though. It serves as this wondrous narrative tutorial. A lot of the story element were derived from the game itself, the expanded diplomacy actions were all fictitious and can't be readily duplicated in the game itself.
I was really going to be interested in the *spoiler* in the san fransico dust cloud potential conflicts, that was really going to prove a tactical challenge for the terran commonwealth, also the *spoiler* was in office for like 15+ years at the end, that way over due for an *spoiler*.
I wish I knew why the Terran Commonwealth didn't try to terraform *spoiler* from its nuclear wasteland. Maybe there arent enough mineral left to make it worthwhile or maybe its serving as a reminder.
When is the terran commonwealth going to stop with the missiles, missiles everything. (Although it appears steve in general likes missiles, as his other stories, all his ship are missiles heavy.)
He made these FAC craft for system defense, they were armed with missiles, when they should still have the fire control from for meson from *spoiler* and *spoiler* as well as quad meson cannons. The range shouldn't be an issue since it design to get in close and wail on the oppenent ship.