head to head
vs
Medieval II: Total WarvsX4: Foundations
Medieval II: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); X4: Foundations leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Medieval II: Total WarX4: Foundations
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
X4: Foundations leans harder on execution: Flying your own ship matters early, fleets later.
Reads1 vs 0
Medieval II: Total War leans harder on reads: campaign AI is exploitable and mappable
Variance3 vs 2
Medieval II: Total War leans harder on variance: fog of war and event triggers hide some state
Optimization9 vs 10
X4: Foundations leans harder on optimization: Station logistics and empire economics are a pure engine problem.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.