head to head
vs
Medieval II: Total WarvsVictoria 3
Medieval II: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Victoria 3 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Medieval II: Total WarVictoria 3
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 1
Medieval II: Total War leans harder on execution: real-time battle micro is modest
Reads1 vs 2
Victoria 3 leans harder on reads: AI scripted, limited adaptation
Variance3 vs 3
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.