Well, I played for a bit, had no clue what I was doing whatsoever, but had fun regardless. Cool game!
Yeah you're right, I didn't fully read the instructions and assumed I'd be able to understand intuitively how to play. But, it seems you already know that's an issue. I'd say it'd probably be better to have some sort of step by step tutorial instead of "here's a wall of text that you need to read in order to understand how the game works". (and I know the feeling. I'm making an automation game like this too and playtesters just jump in with no regard for reading how to play. so instead, I opt to help them understand one digestible step at a time, not "everything at once" even if that would be easier)
Also, honestly now that I understand it better, it's actually a pretty awesome game. 5 stars!