Probably the most important feature of a 17th Century naval warfare simulation is the user interface

With 150 or more ships in each navy, the ship databases must be easy to access, and ship control must be easy and intuitive. It is critical that we can control multiple ships as a group, maintain a formation, and treat the physics of sailing in a realistic manner.

All my gaming experience for sailing naval warfare has been with Privateers Bounty. The criticism of that simulation is that square-rigged ships can sail too close to the wind. I know that is true, as I do it all the time. I sail my ships, using the helm, as close as 10 degrees to the wind. I am also more comfortable with tacking, instead of wearing, and have found that the danger of getting "caught in chains" is not that great, although it can happen.

I have found the discussion of tacking and wearing in John Harland's book, Seamanship in the Age of Sail, to be very useful and informative.