head to head
vs
Age of EmpiresvsARK: Survival of the Fittest
Age of Empires leans Optimization (Mind & Math); ARK: Survival of the Fittest leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Age of EmpiresARK: Survival of the Fittest
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads6 vs 6
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Age of Empires leans harder on optimization: Build orders and eco timing dominate
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.