Getting to Know Your Screen
There are quite a few items and links around your page. We'll get to know them all over time. For now, the basics you'll need are:
User Name
Your user name is displayed on the left of your screen near the top just below the Online Players list. You'll notice that it is a link to other information about your account.
Turns, Experience, Money
Just below your name you'll see your current level, current experience (EXP) and EXP needed to your next level. Just below that is how much money (credits) you have, your turns (Current/Max) and your safe turns. You will also see your current amount of kills and the number of ships you have lost in combat, though you won't need to worry about those just yet.
Star System, Undock, etc. Links
Below your money and turns is the menu. The top link on this menu will read "Star System" when you first start. Clicking this link will return you to the current star system screen that you are in. Note that this screen does not update in real time and you'll have to click this link any time you want to refresh it. This link will also change to things like "Undock" or "Return to Port/Planet" depending and where the ship you are currently commanding is located.
Messages, Forums and Other Reports
In the top right of your screen you will see 5 images. They are labeled "A, M, P, C, B" and will light up in various colors when there is a new message or report for you to read. The links are A:Combat Reports, M:Messages, P:Planet Reports, C:Clan Forums, B:Global Bulletin Board.
The Map
On the right of your screen you will see a map. Each sector is represented by a number and the lines indicate the paths you can travel on between them. Clicking the map will open a larger map in a new window which will show you a full view of the current galaxy you are in and various other information.
Ships
Below the map you will see all of the ships you have in the current sector (Note that you won't see docked ships if you are undocked and vice versa). From this area you can toggle between a summarized view or a list of all your ships individually. There is also a link to view every ship you own. Here you can also tow other ships and change your command ship.
Your First Fleet
Check to see how many credits you were given upon joining the game. Different SEI games give different amounts of money, but generally you'll have enough to buy a full fleet to start off with.
First off, you'll need to get your first ship ready. This ship can then be duplicated to save you the trouble of repeating the process 50 times. You will most likely have started the game with a Universal Harvester. Universal ships are always available to anyone (We'll get into specific faction ships later). You should have also started the game outside of a homeworld. Homeworlds allow you to buy ships, upgrades, weapons, equipment and more.
Dock to the Homeworld by clicking on the "Land" link located in the middle of the page. In most games you'll start with 50,000,000 Credits. If so, and you plan on Gathering, you'll want to buy some equipment. If you started off with 50 million, then you can afford to buy an "Advanced Fuel Processor" (AFP) for your ship. Go to the equipment page by clicking on the "Equipment Shop" link, click "Buy" next to the AFP and then click "Install" next to an empty equipment slot.
Alright, that's all you can afford with your starting money, so let's get you a full fleet. Rather than buy and upgrade 50 ships one at a time, simply click on the "Shipwright" link on the homeworld. This will allow you to duplicate any ship you have docked at the homeworld. You should only have one ship at this point. Open the drop down menu and select "49" and then hit the "Buy" button.
Note that while you are docked on a port or planet you can not be attacked unless the port/planet is raided and you get ejected into space. So feel free to take a minute looking at what a homeworld has to offer.
Using Your Fleet
Next, you need to be able to move all your ships at the same time. This can be accomplished by towing your ships with your command ship. To do this, make sure you are on the "Summary View" for your fleet (below the map). Then click the "Tow All" link next to your Universal Harvesters (You can tow only some of your ships by using the "All Ships" view and clicking the tow link next to the ships you want to take along).
Now you're ready to undock from the homeworld and get to work. Don't worry, as long as you have those Safe Turns no one can attack you anywhere. So take your time getting the hang of things for now. You can move between star systems with the links in the top middle of the current star system page. You should see something like "Warp: <7011> <7012> <7018> - Set AutoWarp". Click on these links to move around. You'll need to get to a port so you can start gathering or trading.