head to head
vs
Age of Wonders 4vsIcewind Dale II
Age of Wonders 4 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Icewind Dale II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Age of Wonders 4Icewind Dale II
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 1
Age of Wonders 4 leans harder on reads: AI rulers use scripted tomes and no real player modelling
Variance5 vs 4
Age of Wonders 4 leans harder on variance: Procedural world generation and tome discovery add hidden layers
Optimization9 vs 9
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.