head to head
vs
Age of Empires II: HD EditionvsStronghold Crusader II
Age of Empires II: HD Edition leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Stronghold Crusader II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Age of Empires II: HD EditionStronghold Crusader II
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 4
Age of Empires II: HD Edition leans harder on execution: click speed and micro help but secondary
Reads4 vs 4
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization9 vs 8
Age of Empires II: HD Edition leans harder on optimization: build orders and economy are near-solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.