Don't base your success or failure solely on your own level of skill. This game more than any other relies heavily on teamwork. Your entire ship is only as good as the weakest link on it. That said, if you're new to the game than there's a lot more to learn about being efficient but that also means you shouldn't worry about winning, just learn as much as you can about the ways of a crewman/captain.
But in novice matches I kept winning. I just learned that other novices couldn't pilot as well as me, as they didn't understand the basic concept of staying out of arc of enemy guns.
I even got told off by people for not just charging in and when I did (on the same matches) it was because of my "poor piloting" that we died. But during AI crew games... boy did they never expect a pilot with just AI to destroy them.
My main tip and what I always teach to any AI members. Do not specialise, be versatile. I learned all 3 classes at the same time and generally kept them at similar levels. Playing each class teaches you about the roles of the other 2 classes. And you gain even understanding as you keep practising these classes.
Back in the old lvling up system, I always felt that I played at a much higher level than most people on my level.
e.g. I was a lvl 333. I beat lvl 6-8 pilots quite easily.
Because with my experience as a gunner I understood guns and the builds that works.
And my experience as a engineer taught me all the weak points of an enemy ship.
And as a pilot I knew the movements and habits of other ships and could strategize to counter.
those lvl 611 and lvl 823 Only understood rudimentary piloting. They held this attitude that engies were just these bots that covered up their screw ups and any death is entirely the fault of the engie (I bet you guys knew that feel at some point). And gunners as people who deliver the kill and any missed chances isn't because of the guns being piloted out of arc. It was because the gunner wasn't omni-present enough to gun the right guns at the right time (even if those right guns are out of arc).
Playing AI in "as you were" taught very important lessons too. It taught that you needed to position your guns and hold the position to give time for teammates to realise locations of targets. And that for ships to repair properly they need room to breath by avoiding combat, so they can actually get on those repairs.
