head to head
vs
Hearts of Iron IIvsHeroes of Might and Magic III
Hearts of Iron II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Heroes of Might and Magic III leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Hearts of Iron IIHeroes of Might and Magic III
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
Hearts of Iron II leans harder on execution: Pausable map clicking removes any physical test
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
Heroes of Might and Magic III leans harder on variance: Map fog, creature banks, and morale rolls
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.