Honestly I'm not sure what people mean when they say you need a guide to play this game, everything's wither labelled or the name matches the purpose, and the mechanics are easy to grasp.
Not to say you're flat out wrong and no insult intended, but I'm curious if you'll have the same feeling after your first combat engagement. I felt largely the same way (albeit because I spent a
lot of time just reading the forums), but then my fleet got plastered by when they outnumbered a Precursor group 3-to-1 (and I
think outmassed them). The game occasionally throws a stumbling block even when you think you've 'mastered' it.
There's also the fact that 'need' may translate as more of a 'want [a guide] so that I'm not frustrated when I forget an AMM fire control / improperly align my beam weapon's tracking speed / have absolutely no idea what to do with all this freedom'. The sheer density of information / screens / information can be overwhelming and stuff can be easily overlooked. Also, some people embrace the 'losing is fun' paradigm more than others, so mileage, as always, varies.
Regardless, it's good to hear you're having fun with it - bonus points that you seem to have grasped it more easily than most!