Cruisers provide presence without battleship expense

In the Starfleet Command game, Enterprise is a heavy cruiser, with larger battlecruiser, battleship, and dreadnought types above it. Those larger fictional ships are fewer in number and generally remain in core territory until needed for battle. This provides a comparison with the cost of operating real battleships: routine cruising consumes fuel and wears machinery. Cruisers offer enough power and visible presence for many tasks at a lower operating cost. A navy can therefore reserve its largest ships for battle while using cruisers more widely.