The game's AI drives capital ships into a knife fight that bears little resemblance to a realistic heavy-gun engagement. At that distance, armor cannot provide meaningful protection against weapons of this size. A 15-inch-gun German ship can therefore destroy the more heavily armed American concept after both ships close far beyond a sensible range. The simulated winner says less about the designs than the test says about the danger of using point-blank game outcomes as historical evidence.
Notable Point · 2:00:58-2:02:02
Why the game's knife-fight ranges mislead
At the close ranges chosen by the AI, heavy shells defeat any plausible capital-ship armor and the simulation stops resembling real-world gunnery.