there is a lot in this game i still don't get. but how do you make ships?

You mean... add new ones? Design new ships, in other words?

Simply click the "Add" (or is it "New" ?) button in the fleet management window. Then you can select the components and modules you want you ships to carry as well as its hull (or class, if you will).

Moved to the FAQ section as a question.



If you want to build a ship design you developed the way Armid already provided, you have to enter the system screen of the system where you want to build them or select the building queue of that system in the empire screen.

There are two buttons on the left side, switching between the lists of system improvements and ships. Select the ship list and click the design of your choice to enter it to the queue.

After it is built, it is automatically transferred to the system's hangar, where you can collect ships to make them into fleets or add them to existing fleets in orbit.