Building comparison
head to head
Homeworld: Deserts of KharakvsNapoleon: Total War
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Ground-based Homeworld prequel about terrain-driven desert fleet warfare.
Napoleon: Total War
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Grand strategy and line-infantry battles across the Napoleonic Wars.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Napoleon: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Homeworld: Deserts of KharakNapoleon: Total War
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Dune-line positioning micro under fire
Napoleon: Total War
Real-time battle micro under pressure
Reads4 vs 3
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Human opponents in ranked skirmish
Napoleon: Total War
Multiplayer battles involve feints; campaign AI is mappable
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Sensor range hides enemy movements
Napoleon: Total War
Morale swings and fog of war
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
Terrain elevation and carrier economy are the core test
Napoleon: Total War
Campaign economy, army composition, and line tactics
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.