Building comparison
head to head
Icewind DalevsPlanetbase
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Icewind Dale
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Combat-focused Infinity Engine RPG built on D&D party optimization.
Planetbase
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Engineering self-sustaining closed-loop life support systems on a hostile planet against scripted environmental events.
Icewind Dale leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Planetbase leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Icewind DalePlanetbase
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Icewind Dale
Pausable real-time needs little dexterity
Planetbase
Building placement is unhurried and menu-driven throughout
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Icewind Dale
Enemies follow fixed AI scripts
Planetbase
No adversarial AI; threats are scripted event types
Variance4 vs 4
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Icewind Dale
D&D dice rolls and random loot tables
Planetbase
Solar storm timing and resource availability add hidden pressure
Optimization8 vs 8
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Icewind Dale
Party builds, spell prep, and encounter knowledge
Planetbase
Power and oxygen loops are tightly engineered optimization puzzles
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.