head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is reads, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Mind & Math
A colonial-era RTS adding home-city card shipments to classic Age economy play.

Optimization · Mind & Math
14-epoch RTS where economic scaling, epoch-rush timing, and civilization counter-picks span stone age to future war.
Age of Empires III leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Empire Earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Age of Empires III
Unit micro and raid defense
Empire Earth
Epoch-spanning army micro and hero management need consistent attention
Empire Earth leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Age of Empires III
Human deck and timing reads in ranked
Empire Earth
Opponent epoch rush and civilization bonuses must be predicted
Age of Empires III leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Age of Empires III
Map spawns and shipment ordering unknowns
Empire Earth
Map resource distribution adds uncertainty at start; converges quickly
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Age of Empires III
Home-city decks are a build-crafting layer
Empire Earth
Epoch advancement timing and citizen allocation are near-optimally solvable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.