OT: Emperor of the fading suns

[Lemmy]

ok, i got the full Version now and playing with the Nova patch,
game progress: i'm losing....big time.

i started the game with universal w/house on and consume food.
i start out with a food shortage, so i have to build farms,one problem, i'm playing as house Li-halan, they start on something that looks like a desert planet.

So, can anyone give me some advice on what to build and research in the first couple of turns, cos i'm lost, i researched heavy infantry ( Appl. tech), but they don't show up in my build list at my factory.

And when should i start conquering other worlds?