Building comparison
head to head
FalloutvsPlanetbase
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Fallout
Optimization · Pure Optimization
The original post-apocalyptic CRPG where character builds solve the wasteland.
Planetbase
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Engineering self-sustaining closed-loop life support systems on a hostile planet against scripted environmental events.
Fallout leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Planetbase leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
FalloutPlanetbase
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Fallout
Turn-based, no dexterity
Planetbase
Building placement is unhurried and menu-driven throughout
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Fallout
No adaptive opposition
Planetbase
No adversarial AI; threats are scripted event types
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Fallout
To-hit rolls and random encounters
Planetbase
Solar storm timing and resource availability add hidden pressure
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Fallout
SPECIAL builds and quest routing are deeply solvable
Planetbase
Power and oxygen loops are tightly engineered optimization puzzles
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.