An Italian opponent loosely inspired by the Francesco Caracciolo class carries eight 15-inch guns against Rodney's twelve 16.5-inch weapons. The ships receive roughly comparable gun range so the trial tests battery weight and tactical behavior rather than a simple reach advantage. British secondary guns are deliberately omitted to see whether the game will keep Rodney at long range instead of closing. The simulation labels the fast British design a battlecruiser because its classification logic follows selected characteristics rather than the designer's intended label. The matchup turns the design screen's numerical choices into an operational question: whether the ship will exploit its heavy battery and preferred engagement distance.
Chapter · 18:58-24:53
Rodney meets an Italian battleship test opponent
The first combat trial pits twelve British 16.5-inch guns against eight Italian 15-inch guns and tests how the design fights at range.