Top Trumps-style comparison fails because there is no universal best ship detached from mission and doctrine. Games such as Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts, World of Warships, and Total War are designed to make battles happen and continue. A real commander may instead disengage after inflicting enough damage, creating a diversion, or recognizing that the risk now exceeds the objective. Game rules therefore remove strategic choices that often determine whether a ship's speed, endurance, or fighting power is useful. Simulations can inform historical thinking only when their incentives are kept separate from real operations.
Notable Point · 3:26:44-3:28:13
Why games and Top Trumps distort warship comparisons
Games usually force a battle to continue, while real commanders can withdraw after meeting a mission; platform statistics alone therefore exaggerate what makes a ship effective.