OK, so since space maps can be a bit unintuitive to beginners, I've put together this list of hints that should prove helpful to everyone new to FS.

   It's better with friends
Starship combat is a "strength in numbers" game. One single capital ship can easily end up destroyed by fighters attacking from her blind zone (behind her), but form a fleet of ships and you'll fry the enemy in a hell of superior firepower and overlapping firing arcs. Keeping together also nullifies each ship's weaknesses - a Nebulon B Frigate might not be your best bet against fighters, but couple it with a pair of starfighter-swatting Gallofrees and you're home free. Having both teams on a full 64p server form task forces with every single one of their ships in Taloraan for then to throw them at each others is also the #1 best way FS has of blowing your socks off.

   "I know a couple of maneuvers. We'll lose them"
Due to the size of the maps and the lack of points of reference, space maps easily give the illusion that vessels travel very slowly. This isn't the case - fighters and starships alike move pretty fast, and are relatively agile to boot. Once you know the firing arcs of your turrets (and don't be afraid to simply ask your gunners in-game!), you'll find that cunning maneuvering can do a good deal for survival. Ideally, though this is of course very difficult, you'll want to keep the enemy in your heavy guns' firing arcs while staying out of those of the enemy. If my memory serves, certain cap ships have boost now - use it, but sparingly, as it takes quite a while to recharge.

   Suffer the little freighters to come to me
They're small, sluggish, fragile, and lightly armed, so why on Earth is everyone so fanatical when it comes to protecting those little freighters on Taloraan? Because they're vital to victory, that's why. Even unmanned freighters automatically repair and rearm every friendly within their range. In a combat situation, this makes them all-important as they greatly increase the longevity of cap ships - often, the side that first loses its freighters (known ingame by some as "repair ships") also easily loses the match.

Oh, and those quad guns on the Gallofree? They're the same guns the Millennium Falcon's got, so the Gallofree is currently the closest you'll get to gunning down TIE Fighters with Han Solo.

   You're in it for the long haul
There's nothing starship captains hate more than people suiciding out of their ships. If you decide to spawn on a freighter or cap ship, make sure you're ready for the commitment. Engaging an enemy cap ship only to realize your gunners have packed up and left is not fun.

   "We WILL get another chance at this, admiral!"
If you find your hit points dwindling in the face of superior firepower, you may consider making a run for it. Turn your ship away from the enemy, engage boost, send a distress call, and try to get away. You'll be surprised by how many times a ship's actually managed to make a run for it and survive in the Battle of Taloraan - fast-moving Blockade Runners and Lancer Frigates are especially good at giving adversaries the slip .

   Don't forget to write
Your allies can't read your mind. If there's have something they need to know (incoming cap ship, target leaving your fire arc, repairs needed, going afk for x minutes), tell them.

   "This bucket of bolts has a couple surprises left in her, sweetheart"
While fighters, especially those of the Alliance, has a number of functions and secondary weapons tied to the Countermeasures (X), Change Weapons (F), and Boost (Shift) keys, this isn't as much the case with cap ships. Still, the devs may be adding more in future patches, so make sure to experiment in-game. Worst-case scenario is nothing happens .

   Don't even THINK about going there
There are certain places you just don't take your starship, on pain of near-certain death. These include the vicinity of the Star Destroyer before the guns are down and the fighter spawn area of Taloraan. Your ship is powerful, sure, but not indestructible, so the next time you see an enemy Corvette run for the Rebel B-Wing spawn area, turn around and let your snubfighters handle it, lest you'll be subjected to wave after wave of B-Wing bombers unloading their torpedoes on you with impunity.

Free tip: The Gallofree has deflection shields that completely absorb damage. Hold primary fire for upper shields, secondary fire for lower shields.