head to head
vs
Age of Empires IVvsRise of Nations
Age of Empires IV leans Optimization (Grand Arena); Rise of Nations leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Age of Empires IVRise of Nations
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 5
Age of Empires IV leans harder on execution: APM and micro matter, lower than SC2
Reads7 vs 7
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Rise of Nations leans harder on variance: Map resource placement and wonder race timing add moderate uncertainty
Optimization8 vs 8
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.