head to head
vs
GemCraftvsMedieval II: Total War
GemCraft leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Medieval II: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
GemCraftMedieval II: Total War
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
Medieval II: Total War leans harder on reads: campaign AI is exploitable and mappable
Variance2 vs 3
Medieval II: Total War leans harder on variance: fog of war and event triggers hide some state
Optimization9 vs 9
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.