(Speaking as someone who used to play a lot of this game before interning at Muse): 4v4 is the most fun when you get a lot of people looking to play that mode specifically. It requires a lot of communication from captains who specifically are looking for something more akin to a fleet battle than a brawl. It is certainly a slower mode, where you see more broadside guns and back line Galleons. This is why the matchmaker lets you search for specific numbers of ships, because they are very different modes. While you might not enjoy one in particular, a 4v4 is a lot of fun with the right captains.