head to head
vs
Heroes of Might and Magic IIIvsSid Meier's Civilization IV
Heroes of Might and Magic III leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Sid Meier's Civilization IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Heroes of Might and Magic IIISid Meier's Civilization IV
Axis by axis
Execution0 vs 0
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads3 vs 2
Heroes of Might and Magic III leans harder on reads: Human multiplayer adds bluffing; AI is mappable
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
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.