head to head
vs
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's ThronevsHeroes of Might and Magic III
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Heroes of Might and Magic III leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's ThroneHeroes of Might and Magic III
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 0
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 3
Heroes of Might and Magic III leans harder on reads: Human multiplayer adds bluffing; AI is mappable
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 9
Heroes of Might and Magic III leans harder on optimization: Hero chains, build orders, and combat math are deeply solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.