Building comparison
head to head
Dawn of DiscoveryvsDiplomacy is Not an Option
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Dawn of Discovery
Optimization · Pure Optimization
An economic engine puzzle about balancing production chains across island settlements.
Diplomacy is Not an Option
Optimization · Pure Optimization
A wave-defense RTS testing economic and defensive optimization against scripted hordes.
Dawn of Discovery leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Diplomacy is Not an Option leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Dawn of DiscoveryDiplomacy is Not an Option
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Diplomacy is Not an Option leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Dawn of Discovery
Pausable building keeps hands out of the equation
Diplomacy is Not an Option
Fast unit micro helps but isn't the ceiling
Reads1 vs 1
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dawn of Discovery
AI traders and rivals follow predictable scripts
Diplomacy is Not an Option
Enemy hordes follow scripted waves, not adapting
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dawn of Discovery
Island fertilities and resources are unknown until scouted
Diplomacy is Not an Option
Some map and event variation, mostly fixed
Optimization9 vs 9
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Dawn of Discovery
Production chains and population-tier economics are the entire game
Diplomacy is Not an Option
Economy, defenses and army composition against scaling waves
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.