head to head
vs
Call of WarvsStar Wars: Empire at War
Call of War leans Optimization (Mind & Math); Star Wars: Empire at War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Call of WarStar Wars: Empire at War
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 3
Star Wars: Empire at War leans harder on execution: Some battle micro, but APM never dominates outcomes
Reads6 vs 5
Call of War leans harder on reads: Human players form alliances and bluff in real time
Variance3 vs 2
Call of War leans harder on variance: Fog of war hides enemy unit positions and plans
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.