head to head
vs
Ancient Wars: SpartavsDune 2000
Ancient Wars: Sparta leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Dune 2000 leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Ancient Wars: SpartaDune 2000
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
Dune 2000 leans harder on execution: Unit micro and build speed matter at competitive pace
Reads2 vs 3
Dune 2000 leans harder on reads: Human skirmishes add some build-order mind games
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.