head to head
vs
Farthest FrontiervsIcewind Dale
Farthest Frontier leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Icewind Dale leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Farthest FrontierIcewind Dale
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance5 vs 4
Farthest Frontier leans harder on variance: Disease outbreaks, wild animal raids, and harvest yields add uncertainty
Optimization8 vs 8
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.