head to head
vs
Empire EarthvsThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Empire Earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Empire EarthThe Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads7 vs 6
Empire Earth leans harder on reads: Opponent epoch rush and civilization bonuses must be predicted
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Empire Earth leans harder on optimization: Epoch advancement timing and citizen allocation are near-optimally solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.