head to head
vs
Dune 2000vsRise of Nations: Rise of Legends
Dune 2000 leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Dune 2000Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads3 vs 4
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends leans harder on reads: PvP rewards countering opponents' hero and tech commitments
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 8
Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends leans harder on optimization: Asymmetric faction trees and expansion timing reward deep study
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.