Building comparison
head to head
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnvsCivilization V
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is reads, and it is a single point.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The deepest optimization puzzle in the Infinity Engine lineage, rewarding encyclopedic knowledge of 2nd Edition AD&D systems.
Civilization V
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Optimizing city placement, social policies, and victory routing under randomized map unknowns.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Civilization V leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnCivilization V
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Pause-and-plan removes twitch entirely; micro-placement has marginal value
Civilization V
UI actions need no precision; speed is not a factor
Reads1 vs 2
Civilization V leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Enemies run scripted behaviour patterns, never modelling your tactics
Civilization V
AI follows scripted personalities, not genuine player modelling
Variance5 vs 5
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Loot randomization and enemy ability use create hidden-information layers
Civilization V
Random starts, barbarian spawns, and goody huts create hidden unknowns
Optimization10 vs 9
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Mage spell sequences, dual-class builds and Spellhold routing define mastery
Civilization V
Hex placement, social policies, and victory routing are fully solvable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.