head to head
vs
Europa Universalis IVvsZ: Steel Soldiers
Europa Universalis IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Z: Steel Soldiers leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Europa Universalis IVZ: Steel Soldiers
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
Z: Steel Soldiers leans harder on execution: Modest unit micro; pace matters less than territory
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization9 vs 8
Europa Universalis IV leans harder on optimization: idea groups, economy, mana spending
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.