head to head
vs
Age of EmpiresvsBattleForge
Age of Empires leans Optimization (Mind & Math); BattleForge leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Age of EmpiresBattleForge
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 4
Age of Empires leans harder on execution: APM and micro under pressure
Reads6 vs 4
Age of Empires leans harder on reads: Scouting and countering human strategies
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
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.