A naval commander can break off an action once it is going badly. The standalone simulations discussed here force both sides to keep fighting, so they produce more decisive losses than a real encounter would necessarily cause. The campaign does allow ships to run away. That distinction matters when using a game result to estimate what historical captains would have risked.
Notable Point · 32:55-51:38
Why no-retreat simulations exaggerate naval battle losses
Standalone Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts simulations exaggerate losses when neither side can withdraw; the campaign permits escape.