If FS were a singleplayer game, all lore would point to one X-Wing being able to handle two or three TIEs, and the ratio of Imperial to Rebel fighters would probably be around 3:1 as well.

Trust us, we definitely wanted the Xwings to be stronger against TIE fighters than they are.  We've tried quite a few tricks in our books to get them to a) survive against TIE fighters and b) still maintain that X-wing aircraft feel.  Unfortunately the big limiter is actually the engine rather than anything we can do.  The TIE fighters, due to their small size, are very very hard to hit at an angle due to lag issues.  The big wide Xwing, meanwhile, is very easy to hit.  As such even making them equal in terms of speed and maneuverability the xwing usually came out worse because it could be hit where the TIE couldn't most of the time.

And indeed we can only make it so maneuverable before it stops behaving how an X-wing should.  Many games-if not the movies- have demonstrated how an X-wing flies, and pushing beyond that was a de facto impossibility. 

So, with these limitations in place we became somewhat trapped in what we can do.  To mitigate these issues we've pumped up the X-wing in all other areas.  Its blasters pump out twice the firepower of the TIE fighters.  They also don't lose damage over distance unlike the TIEs.  Add onto this that the Xwings have 3-4 times the average TIE's hitpoints and you have a really good long-range platform.  If you can get a TIE to engage at long range you can weather a few hits from him whilst simultaneously swatting him out of the sky.

To "cheat" a little on the maneuverability we have kept a boost on it to allow for some limited super-turning abilities.  We recommend using it whenever possible.  Also, to make the craft more than an attempted TIE equivilent we added the torpedo launcher.  This makes the X-wing surprisingly valuable on taloraan, where fighter torpedo strikes are the bane of the capital ships.  Every time I'm in a lancer I dread the sight of X-wings in the distance, because their torpedo hits mean nothing but pain.

We attempted several shield configurations (player controlled and automatic) but crashing problems, control limitations, and a basic lack of time have prevented any decent implimentations at this time.  Maybe in the future.  In the meanwhile yeah, the X-wing is not the legend that the movies and games before ours have made it out to be.  Instead it's just another tool in the Rebel arsenal.  You can get a lot out of it, and if used right can be deadly to many different things, but it'll take work and skill to do so.  We'd love to make it better, the trick is just figuring out how.  My recommendations are to use its torpedoes when possible against capships, try to sucker TIEs into long range fights, and fly in pairs and keep them high in the sky.

One thing I remember doing when playing Galactic Conquest was to remap Eject from E to Left Alt. E I then changed to Secondary Weapon. Allowed me to easily pop off torpedoes without moving my hand too far, and kept me from accidentally ejecting.

W-S: Full Throttle-Reverse Throttle
A-D: Left/Right Rudder
left arrow, right arrow: roll left and right.
down arrow, up arrow: pitch up, pitch down.
shift: boost/afterburner
x: countermeasures
f: cycle weapon

It worked fairly well for me. Now, my flying ability multiplied tenfold when I got behind a stick, so, next to a microphone, it's a great gaming investment. Get a mic first, though. Doesn't matter how good you fly if you can't relay information with your team.

But yeah, break those circling dogfights unless you have some moves to counter the circling. Chances are there will be two of you on one target, you'll crash into each other and die. Better to break off and re-engage at distance.

...others fly only with mouse & keyboard.

And those others die.

OK maybe I just do suck at piloting..I am fine in the ties though. I just can't maneuver the xwing at all.

What's Your Controls Setup ?

Pitch & Yaw: Mouse
Roll: A & D
Accelerat: W
Deccelerate: S

Should work, Roll shouldn't be on the mouse because the keys allwo IMHO better control of the roll.

Next: Join a Squad. Change the Squad if the Squadleader don't give orders, otherwise follow orders.
With Squadmates around, attacking / defending the same Target it's a whole lot safer.
Without Squadmates or a squad dispersed around the whole map you can't get help.

If no squadleader give orders, make up a squad and invite squadless players.
To set orders aim at the icon on the HUD, press T and left mousebutton (work like in groundcombat), you can attach a defense / attack order on anything what has an icon:
Capital Ships, Deflector Towers, the rebel Jumppoint, even enemy fighters...

Brake the loop as so as possible, try fly to other fighters of your side.
If your are in a Squad you can use the VOIP to call for help. Squadmates are the green fighters on the map.

Hold your fire until you can land a sure hit, otherwise you will mark your position for every enemy.
If you fly a X-Wing, Y-Wing, B-Wing or a TIE Bomber you can attack a enemy frontal - if he doesn't make any attempts to envade fire at short distance a Torp or a Bomb... makes short work of any fighter.

Joysticks can be helpfull, others fly only with mouse & keyboard.
Try it, and see if it works better.
Get a Joystick with twist handle and throttle and a lot of Buttons, always install the driver, because sensitiviy can't be set with the M$ Standard driver.
Most joystick drivers also allow to emulate a key with a joystick button.

To use the Commo Rose with the joystick (to set orders as squadleader) you must edit the controls.con or emulate the left mouse button to a button of the joystick.

The craft are balanced, you just got to know how to use them. If you go head to head against an X then you got to expect to die. If your flying straight and level for too long, again then you can expect to die. If your team mates arent giving you 'fighter spotted' messages when one is sneaking behind you, thats bad team play.

Ties can outmanouvere an X, so use that to your advantage by coming in from a high approach angle then cutting in quickly behind them to snap some easy shots. Cause some damage then move on, get stuck in a circling fight and X number 2 can think, hmm, easy target, bang.

Similarly, dont go for a Y Wing on your own unless you can definitely get it out of sight of that rear gunner, stay back so he cant get a lock and put in plenty of fire to keep the pilot jinking so the gunner cant get a good bead.

The game is all about adopting tactics to suit different craft. The X is overpowered compared to the Tie, yet the tie can jink like nothing else in the sky.