head to head
vs
Age of Empires II: HD EditionvsStronghold Crusader HD
Age of Empires II: HD Edition leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stronghold Crusader HD leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Age of Empires II: HD EditionStronghold Crusader HD
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 3
Age of Empires II: HD Edition leans harder on execution: click speed and micro help but secondary
Reads4 vs 5
Stronghold Crusader HD leans harder on reads: human opponents bluff attacks and timing
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization9 vs 9
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.