Getting started is as easy as...
1. selecting your country's name (e.g. 'Mike' + Edmonton = Miketon)
2. selecting your name (e.g. President)
3. naming your house (e.g. the White House)
4. naming your office (e.g. the Kremlin)
5. selecting your government type (e.g. democracy)
6. building things (read on...)

Structures give your country the people who live, work, visit, or even just frequent the place.
To build you need...
1. enough strucpoints (e.g. a coffee shop is worth 1 strucpoint, a skyscraper is worth 15)
2. enough land (you should have plenty at this point)
3. enough money (you start off with a billion altoes but this won't last forever so read on...)

You need to balance expenses with income.
Expenses come from...
1. civil maintenance (will never drive you into debt as long as your taxes are reasonable)
2. military maintenance (building too much too soon will bankrupt you)
Revenue comes from...
1. taxes (set at 7% by default, higher taxes drives people away, lower taxes attracts them)
2. trade (read on...)

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are the basic units of trade.
Your MNCs set up shop in other countries and bring profits back home to you.
Opening up an MNC involves...
1. selecting an industry (e.g. soft drinks, cosmetics)
2. coming up with a slogan (e.g. "Our cookies are #1!")
But actually using this MNC and starting up trade requires...
1. enough people (your country needs to support MNCs before you open them)
2. good standard of living (depends on what you build, e.g. a rich highrise raises it, a dump lowers it)
3. permission (other countries have to let your MNCs in - but how? read on...)

You can make both friends and enemies, how you use them is up to you.
You can solidify types of arrangements among other countries that are...
1. economic (e.g. free trade, limited trade)
2. mutual (e.g. alliances, non-aggression pacts)
3. hierarchical (e.g. protectorates - you protect another country or they protect you in case of...)
4. multilateral (i.e. Congressional Parliament - click here)

You need a military before you start a war but you don't need one to be attacked.
Here's how wars are fought...
1. declaration of war (optional)
2. starting military action by the aggressor
3. four military actions performed by a party determined at random
4. intercession by another party determined at random
5. continuation of 3-4 until ability to perform actions expires
6. end of hostilities (e.g. ceasefire, victory or defeat)
7. termination of war (e.g. treaty, annexation by occupation of 7 days)
You can increase your chances of success. Check out steps 7 and 8.

Civilian-based bonuses are social programs while military-based bonuses are technologies.
Both types of bonuses need...
1. a good idea (forms the foundation of the bonus you will get)
2. patience and bargaining (argue with the administrator for the best deal)
3. research time (you have to 'earn' the bonus)
4. implementing (e.g. building structures for the tech or program)

Keeping your people happy makes your country stronger.
Things that affect your approval rating...
1. how much money you make (more money, more people happy)
2. listening to your people (every time you perform a major action, the people judge you)
3. mismanagement (e.g. missing a build turn, bankruptcy)
4. government type (democracies are more stable but can slip into civil war easier)
5. national status (people are proudest in great powers and least so in emergent powers)
Things that approval rating affect...
1. stability (lower your approval rating, greater the chance of civil war)
2. morale (affects your ability to fight in a war)