When naval games trade accuracy for mechanics

Which naval games or simulations most misunderstand weapon capabilities?

World of Warships deliberately abstracts gunnery for gameplay; the sharper criticism concerns games that present disputed ammunition or damage-control restrictions as historical facts.

World of Warships is treated as a game whose enjoyable mechanics deliberately depart from historical gunnery. At close battle ranges, the destructive energy of a large shell is argued to be much greater than the game's damage model suggests. A separate criticism of Gaijin alleges missing deck sprinklers, restricted engine-room firefighting, and denial of documented British ammunition types. Those complaints are presented as claims about the game's treatment of evidence, including the reported rejection of production and issue records. The distinction is whether a developer openly chooses a gameplay rule or claims the rule reproduces historical capability. British light cruisers having special armour-piercing-only ammunition in World of Warships provides an example of an acknowledged gameplay choice.