Played this game for almost 50 hours and I just still feel like I can't do combat right. I have built up a good amount of money from doing non-combat missions, I've got a decent ship with 5 frag weapons and an afterburner (essential so I can actually escape and live).

Whenever I'm against more than 1 other ship I just can't seem to kill both, and a lot of times 1 ship alone can still overcome me.

I think I'm just doing it wrong. I keep looking things up, but all the recommendations are what equipment to get, not how to actually go about fighting.

What I've done to kill the ships that has worked is just keep following them with the guns targeting them, or sometimes manually putting my trajectory just behind what their trajectory for the next turn should be, so the guns fire at them.

I still take way too much damage from them in return, and so 2 guys on me is basically a death sentence.

No experience using some of the stuff I have found, like bombs, but I definitely have some combat gear I switch out for when I start fighting. +damage items, a repair droid, +100 speed module, that kind of thing.

If you could, please help me.

I love space sims, I loved Escape Velocity, Freelancer, etc. I am really, really good at games and have defeated some of the best professional gamers at competitive games I played in the past. So naturally, this is both frustrating and humiliating to ask. This game seems worth it though, and I want to enjoy it like others do.

Much appreciated guys. Thank you in advance!

Posted my set-ups with explanation in attach.

Thank you so much Gremlion. Would you say that I'm going about the method of combat correctly as well?

With dominators:
I prefer square routine with dominators in the middle.
This way they group up into herd, which easily dies from aoe weapon. After taking damage I orbit around the sun while repairing.
If there are many small fights, I pick ships with torpedo launchers first.
Overall, I rarely use fight modes, mostly flight from drop to drop while killing enemies in range.
Pirates:
Really need huge aoe like vertix, which would destroy rockets. Without it-weapon with maximum range, orbiting sun.

edit:
after a bit more fights with pirates, it seems that 5 multiresonators clear them fast enough to forget about rocket swarms.

http://i.imgur.com/pbeGhLu.gifv

My own strategy:

1) Create a ship that 's faster than your targets!! (This +100 is quite handy).

2) Buy a couple of missile launchers. They are long range weapons, and you can target your enemies, without entering their weapons range. You can even fire your missiles, while running away from them!! (Although it will take two to three rounds for the missiles to hit their target, since their trajectory is longer).

3). Do not let the game resolve the battle automatically!! Each round you should plan your move, since you are using hit and run tactics.

With this strategy, I took out three Dominator cruisers!!