Building comparison
head to head
Crazy Machines 3vsThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Crazy Machines 3 asks more than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and the gap is optimization.
Crazy Machines 3
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A physics-contraption puzzle about engineering Rube Goldberg machines.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Optimization · Pure Optimization
An open-world RPG mostly about discovering and stacking exploitable progression systems.
Crazy Machines 3 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Crazy Machines 3The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Crazy Machines 3
Placing parts has no twitch component
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Combat is forgiving; aim and timing rarely punish you.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Crazy Machines 3
Solo puzzle - no adaptive opponent
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Enemy AI is scripted and exploitable; not adaptive.
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Crazy Machines 3
Physics deterministic but chains feel lightly chaotic
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Loot tables and leveled lists inject mild randomness.
Optimization9 vs 7
Crazy Machines 3 leans clearly harder on optimization.
Crazy Machines 3
Engineering a working contraption is the whole game
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skill stacking, enchant loops, and exploits are deeply 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.