Designing a capital ship around the opponents it expects

The player describes a dreadnought-scale hull with a pre-dreadnought-style mix of 12-inch and 6-inch weapons. Many likely opponents are older capital ships, so the 6-inch battery remains useful alongside the main guns. The successor design adds numerous 3-inch weapons because torpedo boats are proliferating and becoming a more persistent threat. The resulting capital ship trades theoretical purity for a battery better matched to the opponents it expects to encounter.