okay, well, there are some problems with the UI (its called the Empire window just so you know) for instance it will show you what ships are in phase space at any one time, and alot of people dont really care about that
So, this is how i use it:
i leave it as auto un-pin planets. the only ones i pin are important planets... i.e. frontline strongholds, factory planets, my homeworld, etc etc (some MP players might also pin important allied planets) otherwise the Empire window gets very cluttered
also, Starbases are auto pinned, so to unclutter the empire window, you have to select the starbase in the empire window and manually unpin it. so SB's that arent frontline defenders can be unpinned and dont clutter the window
to be honest, its best to unpin any and all planets you dont use. 1st, because the fewer planet in the window, the less you have to scroll, 2nd, because any GW with your ships in it will be displayed, not to mention the more fleet groupings you have, the more cluttered the window is, and 3rd, if you are playing on a very large map, you may need to monitor alot of planets, so if you have a dead asteroid with only a trade port in the center of your empire that is not in any threat at all, you dont need it on you empire window
so, the control 1 options etc. i use it for my fleets and ship groupings, and sometimes for super weapons. to my understanding, you can assign any ship, structure or planet (not sure about grav well) to a control + number, though of course some are of more use than others...
if you want to know how to use it its simple, just select what you want assigned to that number then press control and a number
hope that answered most of your questions
