gavbloodworth: The X-Wing and Tie Fighter play like more of a (very fun) simulator than an arcade game. And needs to be approached as such. Which means you should pay attention to the mission briefings, and study the controls. I think these games have dog fighting excellence unmatched in any other game.
The best experience is with a joystick. You are handicapped with anything else. Most of the newer joysticks are quite stiff, and dont give you the same fine control needed when individual pixels matter. My excellent old joysick has the old game port connection, so is useless. Am currently using a Cyborg X, but the stiffness will take some getting used to.
M : goes to the in-flight map. Game is paused in this mode. Use it often.
I: Toggles between ID mode and targeting mode. You will want to stay in the latter mode for a bit more visual targeting help unless you need to ID craft as part of a mission goal.
ALT-C: recalibrates the joystick. Can be done at any time and is needed if you start to get joystick drift.
X: Toggles firing mode. You should always stay on single firing mode for lasers because its faster.
??: Matches speed with target. What is the key for this does anyone know? Enter only fires the lasers. I do remember using it but was that only with Tie Fighter? In the absence of this, use the 1/3, 2/3 and full throttle keys as needed to chase mobile targets better.
ALT-D: changes detail setting. Keep it on the lowest setting. Newer gamers would not understand this, but it keeps the display minimalist and allows you focus on the task at hand in destroying craft. And not having the stupid galaxies and debris flying around to distract you.
. : the "dot" on the keyboard toggles the cockpit on and off which gives you the best display for dogfighting. Can be used when you become more familiar with the game and dont need the cockpit cues as much.
Learn how the energy system works and how it relates to shields and speed. Have you lasers charging in increased or max mode (except when you might need max speed - 200, to chase down a distant target) and transfer laser energy to shields periodically. When you need to increase or recover your shields you do NOT want your shield system set to increased or max level as its inefficient. Balance your shields out with the S key when needed after taking hits.
There is much more information that can help with these games, but I wont bother typing it all out here as there are also many excellent guides online. Good luck Red Leader!
Match Target Speed: [Enter] - but I do not think X-Wing supports this option. I have looked. This option is more for TIE-Fighter & X-Wing Alliance ( &X-W v TIE-Ftr).